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The search is over. Sunday afternoon, Ohio State confirmed what The Dispatch had reported Saturday evening, that interim coach Jake Diebler would become 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, who was fired Feb. 14. Ohio State was 14-11 at the time and 4-10 in the Big Ten, and with Diebler in charge the Buckeyes have won six of eight games while threatening to make a late run into the NCAA Tournament.
That might have come up short, but the real work begins now. 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…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/whats-ohio-state-coach-jake-201848096.html
Author : The Columbus Dispatch
Publish date : 2024-03-17 20:18:48
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