Ohio State formally announces interim Jake Diebler named head men's basketball coach

Ohio State has officially decided to retain interim coach Jake Diebler and will make him the official head coach of the program going forward, the school announced Sunday.

After leading a spirited end to the season after Chris Holtmann’s firing midway through the year, Diebler was tabbed as the next head of the Buckeyes. Here was the news via the Ohio State athletics website:

“Senior Advisor for Intercollegiate Athletics Ross Bjork today announced the hiring of Jake Diebler as head coach of the Ohio State men’s basketball program. Diebler, who becomes the 15th head coach in program history, will receive a five-year contract.”

Diebler has now followed in Rodney Terry’s footsteps at Texas and successfully parlayed an interim opportunity into a multi-year deal to be head coach.

He originally took over the program back on Valentine’s Day, when Ohio State announced they had fired Holtmann and promoted Diebler to the interim position. A nation-wide search was expected, but Diebler had other ideas and rallied the Buckeyes to beat Purdue at home in the very first game he was interim coach.

After that, OSU would finish the regular season winning five of six under Diebler and even won a Big Ten Tournament game before bowing out and now likely heading to the NIT.

Ross Bjork statement on Diebler hire

Bjork himself included the following statement on Diebler’s hire in the release. It read:

“Jake Diebler possesses all of the characteristics we were seeking as we conducted a very comprehensive and thorough search for a new head coach. 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. I’d like to thank Dan Cloran, our executive associate athletic director who oversees the men’s basketball program, for his efforts throughout our search.”

“Throughout the search, every time we analyzed what was best for the program, our decision kept leading right back to Jake. The way he has led the program since February 14 has been exemplary and is only the beginning of what lies ahead for Buckeye Basketball. The future is exciting, and I cannot wait to watch him lead this program.”

“Our Buckeyes have rallied and shown true grit on the court with Coach Diebler, who has exhibited impressive leadership with the team,” said President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. “In addition to his multiple wins since being named interim head coach, he’s been an inspiration to the players. I’ve gotten to know Jake and I’m confident he will continue to lead the team admirably.”