What's on new Ohio State coach Jake Diebler's pressing to-do list? Here's an idea
The search is over. Sunday afternoon, Ohio State confirmed what The Dispatch had reported Saturday evening: Interim coach Jake Diebler is taking over as the full-time head men’s basketball coach.
The move comes one month and three days after the former associate head coach was bumped up to replace his former boss, Chris Holtmann. Holtmann was fired on Feb. 14, and Ohio State was 14-11 at the time, 4-10 in the Big Ten. With Diebler in charge, the Buckeyes have won six of eight games while threatening to make a late push into the NCAA Tournament.
That run came up short, but the work is not over. After Friday night’s loss to Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in the Target Center in Minneapolis, Diebler said his next few days would involve trying to hopefully catch up on some rest while simultaneously planning for the future.
It’s unclear if any rest actually took place. He interviewed with incoming athletic director Ross Bjork and now has the official duty of leading the Buckeyes into their next era. With all of that, here are five things that are on Diebler’s immediate to-do list.
Who would play in the NIT?
Ohio State’s late-season push got the Buckeyes to the outskirts of the NCAA Tournament bubble but not past it. The loss to the Fighting Illini burst those chances, but the opportunity to continue playing basketball is something Diebler and multiple players said would be a positive.
“I think it would be an amazing idea,” sophomore guard Roddy Gayle Jr. said. “I think it would be amazing for me to experience the postseason. I haven’t really had the opportunity to do so. Also, I feel like the way we’re playing right now, I don’t feel like any team in the country can stop us.”
Ohio State has been planning to accept an NIT invitation for weeks, but the uncertainty around the coaching position created doubt as to whether the Buckeyes would still be interested in doing so. The finalization of a head coach at least gives the players the knowledge of who they are playing for, both now and potentially in the future.
Prepare for the transfer portal
The calendar does no favors for teams without head coaches this time of year. Monday, the transfer portal opens, and players have the opportunity to choose a new home.
Hiring Diebler and announcing it Sunday afternoon answers one major question for the 11 scholarship players with eligibility for next season. It also allows the Buckeyes to begin reaching out to potential players. Without having a coach in place, convincing players to stay and trying to add new ones would have been exceedingly difficult.
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Assess the coaching staff
While Diebler’s passion for Ohio State and ties to the state are beyond question, it’s undeniable that this will be his first job as a head coach. Navigating that step is a challenge regardless of level and even more so at a school like Ohio State.
Since Holtmann’s firing, Diebler has had to slightly tweak the team’s coaching responsibilities to compensate for being a man short. Assistant coach Mike Netti helped with the offense, formerly Diebler’s primary responsibility, while Jack Owens and Brandon Bailey have remained focused on the defensive end of the court. Bailey also worked with the team’s big men. Terence Dials, director of professional development, has taken on some practice and in-game coaching responsibilities to help fill the void. Of the group, only Owens has head coaching experience.
All were hired by Holtmann. Some could be candidates to follow him to DePaul, where he was named head coach earlier this week. As he takes over the full-time role, Diebler will need to surround himself with a staff that helps provide experience while allowing him to play to his strengths.
Resume full-capacity recruiting
Since he was promoted to interim coach, Diebler's focus was overwhelmingly on the team’s current roster. He pulled back on recruiting because without knowing the team's long-term leadership direction, trying to convince prep players to commit would largely be a waste of resources.
“I don’t want to dismiss and create this void in that regard, but right now it’s all about those guys in that locker room, serving this program as well as I possibly can, and the guys who have signed here, being here for them as well,” Diebler said Feb. 16 in his first press conference as interim coach.
Ohio State was in line to be the first school to host Darryn Peterson, a five-star guard from the Akron area, on an official visit. That was postponed when Holtmann was fired. Now, while trying to retain as much of the roster as desired or possible, the Buckeyes will have to get back to recruiting for future years as well.
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Firm up the NIL situation
A newly important part of attracting and retaining players is the ability for them to profit from their name, image and likeness rights. The ability to work with the collectives that help support a school in this realm is of growing importance for coaches in college sports.
Diebler has already been heavily involved in collaborating with THE Foundation, the primary Ohio State collective that supports the men’s basketball program. Now that partnership will change with him in charge, but THE Foundation released a statement about working with Diebler.
“We believe in Diebler and have supported him since the beginning,” it read. “Our group has had several conversations and meetings with the AD about our relationship with Jake and how he has been great to work with THE Foundation. We have ample funds raised and pledged from donors who also are close with Jake. We are ready to make a big splash in basketball, just like we did for football in January. We’re locked & loaded and ready to go. We are going to work with him to bring the first Ohio State championship back to THE Ohio State University since 1960. It can happen NEXT season.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: These 5 things likely top Ohio State coach Jake Diebler's to-do list
