OFFICIAL: Ohio State Hires Jake Diebler As Head Coach
The Ohio State Buckeyes' search for a new head basketball coach is at an end.
On Sunday, the Buckeyes officially promoted Jake Diebler and named him the team's new full-time head coach.
Diebler had been one of two names the school had been focusing on to replace the recently fired Chris Holtmann alongside Florida Atlantic's Dusty May.
“Jake Diebler possesses all of the characteristics we were seeking as we conducted a very comprehensive and thorough search for a new head coach,” athletic director Ross Bjork said. “Those include coaching ability, passion, energy, program knowledge, character, integrity and ties to Ohio. As an Ohio native, the son of a longtime Ohio high school coach and with deep connections to Ohio State, Jake knows what it takes to lead this program on a championship course."
Diebler has accomplished several impressive feats already, including upsetting the then-No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers and breaking Ohio State's 17-game losing streak on the road.
Six games remained on the Buckeyes' regular-season schedule when Diebler took the reigns of the 14-11 team. And doing what many believed impossible, Diebler and the Buckeyes proceeded to win six of their last seven contests - including a victory against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the opening round of the 2024 Big Ten Tournament to improve to 20-12 overall.
Diebler nearly continued that run too, losing a heartbreaker to the No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini to end their tournament run on Friday.
Now, he will attempt to keep that momentum going as the program's new full-time leader.
“It’s a blessing and a privilege to serve this program and I’m excited for this opportunity,” Diebler said. “I’d like to thank Ross Bjork and President Carter for believing in me and the vision that I have moving forward. Ohio State basketball is special and means so much to me and my family. I look forward to serving the entire Ohio State basketball family as best as I possibly can.”
