Five-star Ohio guard Marcus Johnson impressed by Ohio State coach Jake Diebler's debut
There were a number of factors that gave Jake Diebler the edge in being named Ohio State’s men’s basketball coach. Among them, incoming athletic director Ross Bjork said at Monday’s introductory press conference, was Diebler’s existing connections to a deep crop of prep talent in Ohio’s upcoming recruiting classes.
Although neither Bjork or Diebler could mention potential recruits by name, one who fits the description was inside Value City Arena on Tuesday night. As the Buckeyes hosted Cornell in the first round of the NIT, five-star 2026 guard Marcus Johnson from Garfield Heights, Ohio, took in the game near the Ohio State bench.
One day after the 88-83 win, Johnson’s father and coach, Sonny, said the experience left an impression on both of them.
“After watching the games on TV, me and my son personally wanted to come see how different they play in person,” Sonny Johnson said. “It was the most exciting basketball I’ve seen in Ohio in years. No offense to the other coaches, because they did good, they won a lot of games, but the excitement that I think Ohio State fans are going to experience is going to be magical.”
Now in his fifth year on the Ohio State coaching staff, Diebler had been associate head coach under Chris Holtmann for the last three seasons. When Holtmann was fired on Feb. 14, Diebler was promoted to interim coach and spurred a late-season turnaround. The Buckeyes closed the regular season with a 5-1 record, avoided the first day of the Big Ten Tournament and took down No. 7 seed Iowa on the second day of the event before falling to eventual champion Illinois 77-74 last Friday.
Saturday, Diebler agreed to become the new coach, and his five-year contract paying $2.5 million annually was announced Sunday. The Buckeyes accepted an NIT bid that night, held Monday’s press conference and then battled the upset-minded Big Red before closing out the win during the final minute.
“I was in awe of what I was seeing,” Sonny Johnson said. “I’ve been watching Ohio State basketball for years and sometimes you’ve got coaches that want to call a play every time down the floor instead of letting their playmakers make plays. Also, the confidence he was installing and putting into those kids even after missed shots. I’m watching how he interacted with them. It was impressive. I’ve never seen Dale Bonner look so confident out there. Not just Dale Bonner, but Devin Royal. I mean, those guys are playing with elite confidence right now.”
Sonny Johnson was Ohio’s Mr. Basketball in 1998 and went on to play for Cleveland State and Ohio University. This year, Marcus Johnson finish third in the balloting behind senior Colin White, an Ohio State 2024 signee from Ottawa-Glandorf. Thursday, Johnson was named Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year.
“My son, he was in awe of what he was watching,” the elder Johnson said. “He saw the fact that coach was letting his guards be creative, not just with passing the ball but scoring the ball as well. He was listening how he was encouraging his players and building that confidence up throughout the game. It was really great to watch.”
Before the game, the Johnson family sat down with Diebler to talk about the future. Ohio State has been recruiting him for years, and Diebler has been his lead recruiter. The Buckeyes are one of many schools to have offered Johnson a scholarship, and Sonny Johnson said Cincinnati is “non-stop recruiting heavily” alongside the likes of Villanova, Alabama and others. Marcus Johnson is a five-star prospect in his class, the top player in Ohio and the No. 5 point guard in the nation in the 247Sports.com composite rankings.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy
The coaching change has not had much impact on where the Buckeyes stand with Marcus Johnson because of the family’s longstanding relationship with Diebler.
“Yes, we interacted with Holtmann, but the main person we were non-stop communicating with was Diebler,” Sonny Johnson said. “Diebler loved my son and knew everything about him and his game, and now he’s the head coach. That makes it a unique, crazy situation.”
His dad said the family is not necessarily in a rush to make a decision.
“One thing we do have is time, but if you know where you want to be, you take advantage of that,” he said. “It’s make sure honestly, just praying that you make the right decision of where you want to go. The main thing as a parent, you just want your kid to be wanted.”
Get more Ohio State basketball news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jake Diebler's Ohio State debut impresses five-star PG Marcus Johnson
