The decision to dismiss head basketball coach Chris Holtmann couldn’t have been an easy one for the Ohio State Buckeyes. But it may have been an equally tough decision on interim head coach Jake Diebler.
According to college basketball insider Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68, the Buckeyes are in negotiation with Diebler to remove the interim label and make him the full head coach of the team. Diebler went 6-2 after Holtmann’s dismissal, leading the Buckeyes to a big upset win over Purdue in mid-February and reaching the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
“BREAKING: Ohio State is targeting Jake Diebler for the permanent job, source told @TheFieldOf68 . Diebler took over and did a terrific job, leading the Buckeyes to a 6-2 record after taking over following the departure of Chris Holtmann,” Goodman wrote.
“The two sides are in negotiations, source told @TheFieldOf68 , and an agreement is expected where Jake Diebler will have the interim tag lifted at Ohio State.”
Diebler is an Ohio native who played college football at his alma mater Valparaiso before serving as an assistant on the team for four years. He spent the next three at Vanderbilt before being hired by Ohio State as an assistant in 2019.
Diebler was promoted to assistant head coach in 2022 and named interim head coach after Holtmann’s dismissal on February 14.
At 20-13 on the season, the Buckeyes will have to settle for an invitation to one of the other basketball tournaments if they choose to accept one at all. But if Diebler can build off of the momentum he ended the year with, the future could be bright for college hoops in Columbus.