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LGHL Head coach or otherwise, Jake Diebler must be on the Ohio State men’s basketball staff next season
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Head coach or otherwise, Jake Diebler must be on the Ohio State men’s basketball staff next season
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
If he doesn’t get the job himself, Diebler would be a huge asset to the next head coach at Ohio State.
After a season like last year, it’s easy to understand why Ohio State fans were on edge at the onset of the 2023-24 season. The Ohio State men’s basketball program is a top-20, maybe even top-15 program in the country. Another year of missing the NCAA Tournament wasn’t going to be accepted, or someone’s head was going to be put on a stick.
Well, following a 14-11 start to the season and a 4-10 start in Big Ten play, it was head coach Chris Holtmann’s head that got put on a spike — to the applause of a good portion of the Ohio State fanbase, it seems. Athletic director Gene Smith opted to fire Holtmann with six regular season games to give interim head coach Jake Diebler a “runway for success.” The move came as a suprise, not because Holtmann was fired, but that it was done with one month left in the season.
Ohio State currently sits in 13th-place in the Big Ten, even after Diebler led the Buckeyes to an improbable upset of the second-ranked Purdue Boilermakers on Sunday afternoon. Even if the Buckeyes were to win out with Diebler and finish 10-10 in conference play, they would probably need to sweeten that with one or two wins in the Big Ten Tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament. Other than that, the only way into the big dance is to win the Big Ten Tournament as one of the four lowest seeds — something that has never been done before.
That’s a roundabout way of saying that Gene Smith dealt Diebler an impossible hand of cards. Smith knew it was unlikely that Diebler was going to rally this team, finish the season 6-0 and then win two more games in the Big Ten Tournament (AKA an eight-game winning streak). The most likely outcome was Diebler wins a few games down the stretch, Ohio State misses the NCAA Tournament once again, and then Diebler and the entire men’s basketball staff were laid off as the search for a new coach commenced.
But then the Purdue game happened, and every person who follows Ohio State basketball suddenly had a strong opinion on Jake Diebler’s future. People’s opinions on the 37-year old Gibsonburg native more or less fell in these three categories after the Buckeyes knocked off No. 2 Purdue on Sunday:
But after watching Diebler out-coach Matt Painter, the owner of four Big Ten titles and two Big Ten Tournament titles at Purdue, it made me think that Diebler does need to be on this staff next season. And after watching his interview with CBS’s Jim Spanarkel and sitting in Diebler’s post-game press conference, I walked out of the arena with a very strong conviction that the next coach — whoever it is — would be wise to make sure Diebler is on his staff.
Here’s why:
Even if the team has been bad, there are good players on this roster that an incoming coach would love to have at his disposal in year one. Bruce Thornton is obviously the big one — if he opts to transfer, he will be able to pick which program he wants to play for next year and go there. But Roddy Gayle, Evan Mahaffey, Devin Royal, and Scotty Middleton could also be foundational pieces that the next coach would like to keep around.
All of the freshmen and sophomores on this team speak highly of Diebler. “Coach Diebler” or “Coach Diebs” was the main recruiter for most of them, and they respect him just as much as they do Holtmann. After the Purdue game, the “CBB on Fox” social media accounts posted a video of Diebler falling to his knees as the final buzzer sounded and the Buckeyes had secured a win over Purdue. Several players on the team, including Thornton, Gayle, Middleton, Jamison Battle, and Zed Key, shared it on their own Instagram accounts and added hearts or messages like “Coach Diebs!”
If you’ve spent any time at all following this team, you know how much he means to the players as a coach, mentor, and friend. Keeping him on staff would increase the odds of keeping the core of this team intact.
At his first press conference as interim head coach, Diebler said that, for the moment, his energy has to be spent on the current team and the guys who are already committed to playing for Ohio State (Juni Mobley and Colin White). He said that any time spent recruiting beyond that would be doing a disservice to the guys already in the locker room.
Translation: We’re not going to spend time recruiting over these final four weeks when this staff is not going to be here in four weeks anyway.
It’s important to note that Ohio State has been pursuing three top-50 guards in the class of 2025, and the odds of one or more of them becoming Buckeyes seemed pretty high before Holtmann was fired. Of course, Diebler is knows all three guys very well at this point — Dorian Jones (No. 50, Richmond Heights), Jerry Easter Jr. (No. 26, La Lumiere), and Darryn Peterson (No. 3, Huntington Prep).
Not only is Diebler a recruiting asset in general as shown by the guys Ohio State has brought in over the last few years (No. 8 class in 2022, No. 12 class in 2023), but the Buckeyes will have no chance to pick up any of those elite prospects if Diebler goes elsewhere.
When Ryan Pedon left and took the Illinois State job, Diebler was promoted to Pedon’s old position — associate head coach and offensive coordinator. There have been individual games where Ohio State’s offense has gone stagnant, and the Buckeyes are prone to the occasional four or five-minute scoreless spell.
But in general, Ohio State’s offense has been average to above average under Diebler these last two years. The Buckeyes were bad last year, but the blame is mostly placed on defensive woes. Last year when they finished 16-19, Ohio State was still No. 19 nationally in offensive efficiency — better than teams such as Alabama, Creighton, and Kansas. Ohio State was No. 106 nationally in adjusted defensive effiency.
This season, Ohio State is No. 39 in offensive efficiency — its lowest rating since the 2018-2019 season. Still, top-40 is nothing to sneeze at. It’s not elite, but there are plenty of NCAA Tournament-caliber teams with OER’s in the 30’s and 40’s this year — Michigan State, Northwestern, and Kansas, to name a few.
In two years, Diebler’s helped coach one above average offense and another that’s been much closer to “average” or “fine” than “bad”.
The son of a longtime high school basketball coach in northwest Ohio and the brother of the best three-point shooter in Ohio State men’s basketball history, Diebler’s family has a long history with basketball in the state of Ohio. Diebler worked as a video coordinator for Thad Matta at Ohio State from 2013-2016, and then worked at Vanderbilt as an assistant for three seasons before Holtmann hired him in 2019. He now has eight years under his belt working for this program, and he’s said multiple times that it’s an “honor” to come to work every day.
Everything else aside, wouldn’t a new coach want at least one person on staff with a deep connection to the program and the Ohio basketball scene at large? Wouldn’t it be important to keep someone around who has a deep understanding of the rich history and expectations of one of the storied programs in college basketball?
Even without reasons 1-3, this feels like a big incentive to try and retain him all on its own.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
If he doesn’t get the job himself, Diebler would be a huge asset to the next head coach at Ohio State.
After a season like last year, it’s easy to understand why Ohio State fans were on edge at the onset of the 2023-24 season. The Ohio State men’s basketball program is a top-20, maybe even top-15 program in the country. Another year of missing the NCAA Tournament wasn’t going to be accepted, or someone’s head was going to be put on a stick.
Well, following a 14-11 start to the season and a 4-10 start in Big Ten play, it was head coach Chris Holtmann’s head that got put on a spike — to the applause of a good portion of the Ohio State fanbase, it seems. Athletic director Gene Smith opted to fire Holtmann with six regular season games to give interim head coach Jake Diebler a “runway for success.” The move came as a suprise, not because Holtmann was fired, but that it was done with one month left in the season.
Ohio State currently sits in 13th-place in the Big Ten, even after Diebler led the Buckeyes to an improbable upset of the second-ranked Purdue Boilermakers on Sunday afternoon. Even if the Buckeyes were to win out with Diebler and finish 10-10 in conference play, they would probably need to sweeten that with one or two wins in the Big Ten Tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament. Other than that, the only way into the big dance is to win the Big Ten Tournament as one of the four lowest seeds — something that has never been done before.
That’s a roundabout way of saying that Gene Smith dealt Diebler an impossible hand of cards. Smith knew it was unlikely that Diebler was going to rally this team, finish the season 6-0 and then win two more games in the Big Ten Tournament (AKA an eight-game winning streak). The most likely outcome was Diebler wins a few games down the stretch, Ohio State misses the NCAA Tournament once again, and then Diebler and the entire men’s basketball staff were laid off as the search for a new coach commenced.
But then the Purdue game happened, and every person who follows Ohio State basketball suddenly had a strong opinion on Jake Diebler’s future. People’s opinions on the 37-year old Gibsonburg native more or less fell in these three categories after the Buckeyes knocked off No. 2 Purdue on Sunday:
- Make Diebler the head coach right now, remove the interim tag! (Wildly optimistic)
- If he can win five or six games and really impress us, Diebler deserves the job. (More measured, reasonable)
- Diebler is an extension of Holtmann, and is tainted by his old boss’s failures. The program needs to cleanse itself of everything that had to do with Chris Holtmann. (Spiteful, angry, illogical)
But after watching Diebler out-coach Matt Painter, the owner of four Big Ten titles and two Big Ten Tournament titles at Purdue, it made me think that Diebler does need to be on this staff next season. And after watching his interview with CBS’s Jim Spanarkel and sitting in Diebler’s post-game press conference, I walked out of the arena with a very strong conviction that the next coach — whoever it is — would be wise to make sure Diebler is on his staff.
Here’s why:
Reason 1: He’s loved by his players and could keep the core of this team together
Even if the team has been bad, there are good players on this roster that an incoming coach would love to have at his disposal in year one. Bruce Thornton is obviously the big one — if he opts to transfer, he will be able to pick which program he wants to play for next year and go there. But Roddy Gayle, Evan Mahaffey, Devin Royal, and Scotty Middleton could also be foundational pieces that the next coach would like to keep around.
All of the freshmen and sophomores on this team speak highly of Diebler. “Coach Diebler” or “Coach Diebs” was the main recruiter for most of them, and they respect him just as much as they do Holtmann. After the Purdue game, the “CBB on Fox” social media accounts posted a video of Diebler falling to his knees as the final buzzer sounded and the Buckeyes had secured a win over Purdue. Several players on the team, including Thornton, Gayle, Middleton, Jamison Battle, and Zed Key, shared it on their own Instagram accounts and added hearts or messages like “Coach Diebs!”
If you’ve spent any time at all following this team, you know how much he means to the players as a coach, mentor, and friend. Keeping him on staff would increase the odds of keeping the core of this team intact.
Reason 2: He is the main recruiter on several four and five-star recruits in the class of 2025 that will not commit to Ohio State if he leaves
At his first press conference as interim head coach, Diebler said that, for the moment, his energy has to be spent on the current team and the guys who are already committed to playing for Ohio State (Juni Mobley and Colin White). He said that any time spent recruiting beyond that would be doing a disservice to the guys already in the locker room.
Translation: We’re not going to spend time recruiting over these final four weeks when this staff is not going to be here in four weeks anyway.
It’s important to note that Ohio State has been pursuing three top-50 guards in the class of 2025, and the odds of one or more of them becoming Buckeyes seemed pretty high before Holtmann was fired. Of course, Diebler is knows all three guys very well at this point — Dorian Jones (No. 50, Richmond Heights), Jerry Easter Jr. (No. 26, La Lumiere), and Darryn Peterson (No. 3, Huntington Prep).
Not only is Diebler a recruiting asset in general as shown by the guys Ohio State has brought in over the last few years (No. 8 class in 2022, No. 12 class in 2023), but the Buckeyes will have no chance to pick up any of those elite prospects if Diebler goes elsewhere.
Reason 3: He’s been a solid “offensive coordinator” for two years
When Ryan Pedon left and took the Illinois State job, Diebler was promoted to Pedon’s old position — associate head coach and offensive coordinator. There have been individual games where Ohio State’s offense has gone stagnant, and the Buckeyes are prone to the occasional four or five-minute scoreless spell.
But in general, Ohio State’s offense has been average to above average under Diebler these last two years. The Buckeyes were bad last year, but the blame is mostly placed on defensive woes. Last year when they finished 16-19, Ohio State was still No. 19 nationally in offensive efficiency — better than teams such as Alabama, Creighton, and Kansas. Ohio State was No. 106 nationally in adjusted defensive effiency.
This season, Ohio State is No. 39 in offensive efficiency — its lowest rating since the 2018-2019 season. Still, top-40 is nothing to sneeze at. It’s not elite, but there are plenty of NCAA Tournament-caliber teams with OER’s in the 30’s and 40’s this year — Michigan State, Northwestern, and Kansas, to name a few.
In two years, Diebler’s helped coach one above average offense and another that’s been much closer to “average” or “fine” than “bad”.
Reason 4: Ohio State basketball means so much to him
The son of a longtime high school basketball coach in northwest Ohio and the brother of the best three-point shooter in Ohio State men’s basketball history, Diebler’s family has a long history with basketball in the state of Ohio. Diebler worked as a video coordinator for Thad Matta at Ohio State from 2013-2016, and then worked at Vanderbilt as an assistant for three seasons before Holtmann hired him in 2019. He now has eight years under his belt working for this program, and he’s said multiple times that it’s an “honor” to come to work every day.
Everything else aside, wouldn’t a new coach want at least one person on staff with a deep connection to the program and the Ohio basketball scene at large? Wouldn’t it be important to keep someone around who has a deep understanding of the rich history and expectations of one of the storied programs in college basketball?
Even without reasons 1-3, this feels like a big incentive to try and retain him all on its own.
Continue reading...
LGHL Uncut Podcast: Jake Diebler reacts to upset over No. 2 Purdue in first game as interim head coach
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Uncut Podcast: Jake Diebler reacts to upset over No. 2 Purdue in first game as interim head coach
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Diebler is now 3-0 as a head coach all-time after Sunday’s win over the second-ranked Boilermakers.
Throughout the season, Land-Grant will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.
Following an unexpected and unlikely upset win over No. 2 Purdue, Ohio State interim head coach Jake Diebler spoke to the media about the win, how his team came together, and what he was thinking before and during the game. We also spoke to Purdue head coach Matt Painter, as well as Bruce Thornton and Jamison Battle, who combined to score 41 points
Painter was first and said that his team’s turnovers have been a consistent trend in the three games they have lost this year. He gave credit to Zed Key, who had five steals, but said that it was, “Something that really has not happened to Zach (Edey) this year.”
He also said that if Chris Holtmann wasn’t fired, Ohio State still would have won the game by the exact same score.
Thornton talked about how Diebler’s hands were “shaking” at the beginning of the game, but that the win was all about getting results from weeks and weeks of work that he felt they very much deserved. Battle said the most important thing is to not look at the past and just take every day as its own challenge.
Diebler made sure not to get choked up, but said his guys came together this week, “In a way nobody anticipated in a very short time.”
Like Painter, Diebler also gave kudos to Key for his defense against Edey, and said, “Bruce Thornton was not going to let us lose this game.”
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Diebler is now 3-0 as a head coach all-time after Sunday’s win over the second-ranked Boilermakers.
Throughout the season, Land-Grant will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Following an unexpected and unlikely upset win over No. 2 Purdue, Ohio State interim head coach Jake Diebler spoke to the media about the win, how his team came together, and what he was thinking before and during the game. We also spoke to Purdue head coach Matt Painter, as well as Bruce Thornton and Jamison Battle, who combined to score 41 points
Painter was first and said that his team’s turnovers have been a consistent trend in the three games they have lost this year. He gave credit to Zed Key, who had five steals, but said that it was, “Something that really has not happened to Zach (Edey) this year.”
He also said that if Chris Holtmann wasn’t fired, Ohio State still would have won the game by the exact same score.
Thornton talked about how Diebler’s hands were “shaking” at the beginning of the game, but that the win was all about getting results from weeks and weeks of work that he felt they very much deserved. Battle said the most important thing is to not look at the past and just take every day as its own challenge.
Diebler made sure not to get choked up, but said his guys came together this week, “In a way nobody anticipated in a very short time.”
Like Painter, Diebler also gave kudos to Key for his defense against Edey, and said, “Bruce Thornton was not going to let us lose this game.”
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Theme music provided by www.bensound.com
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State makes top schools for 2025 four-star OL, offers five-star 2026 QB
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Ohio State makes top schools for 2025 four-star OL, offers five-star 2026 QB
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes are in the final four of a top-10 2025 IOL while they enter the mix for a one of the top overall players in 2026.
For a rare moment since the calendar turned to 2024, Ohio State football took a back seat in the headlines to the men’s basketball team for a few days. After the Buckeyes fired head coach Chris Holtmann on Wednesday, the team responded by knocking off No. 2 Purdue on Sunday afternoon under interim coach Jake Diebler in a massive upset. The 73-69 victory over the Boilermakers was by far the biggest of the season for this group, whose NCAA Tournament hopes still likely rely on a Big Ten Tournament trophy.
Still, while Ohio State was making some noise on the hardwood in an otherwise disappointing season, the Buckeyes’ maintained their positive momentum on the recruiting trail with a handful of updates from over the weekend.
The first bit of news came on Friday afternoon, when four-star offensive lineman Mason Short announced his final remaining schools. The Georgia native cut down his offer sheet from over two dozen programs to just four, with Ohio State making the cut alongside Clemson, Georgia and Kentucky.
As things currently stand, it would be tough to bet against the in-state Bulldogs, who own all three of the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions for the 6-foot-5.5, 305-pound blocker. The second-team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American was formerly an Alabama commit, but de-committed from the Crimson Tide on Jan. 16 shortly after Nick Saban announced his retirement. It was around that time that the Georgia Crystal Balls began rolling in, so the fact that he hasn’t pulled the trigger just yet means that Ohio State is still alive here.
Short is the No. 7 IOL and No. 161 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. He is also the No. 22 prospect out of the talent-rich state of Georgia in the 2025 class.
With the hiring of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator, it is pretty clear that Ryan Day is going to continue to have a heavy say in both the recruiting and development of the quarterback position at Ohio State. However, with Kelly now in charge of calling the plays on Saturdays, Day can take even more of a hands on approach with his QBs.
While Kyle McCord was the first real miss under Day, the head coach still has a proven track record of success in evaluating, recruiting and developing the position from Dwayne Haskins to Justin Fields to C.J. Stroud. With both Air Noland and Julian Sayin now on campus from the 2024 class and the in-state Tavien St. Clair already committed in 2025, Day can now begin to take aim at some of the best talents in the 2026 cycle.
That journey took the next step on Saturday, as Ohio State officially offered five-star 2026 quaterback Brady Smigiel.
A California native, Smigiel is the No. 2 QB and the No. 21 overall player in the class per the 247Sports Composite. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds as just a high school sophomore, the Newbury Park star has put up some ridiculous numbers. In his first two years with the varsity squad, Smigiel has passed for a whopping 98 touchdowns while rushing for another seven. He has thrown for 7,700 yards in 26 games, completing just under 62 percent of his passes, but will have to take care of the ball a bit better at the next level having thrown 25 interceptions.
With still two years of high school football remaining to continue honing his game, Smigiel has racked up nearly 30 offers to his name thus far, including the likes of Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State and many others with the Buckeyes now also in the mix. Ohio State has had recent success hauling in quarterbacks from the West Coast in both Stroud and Sayin, and will now look to build another strong relationship with one of the nation’s top signal callers from the Golden State.
Continue reading...
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes are in the final four of a top-10 2025 IOL while they enter the mix for a one of the top overall players in 2026.
For a rare moment since the calendar turned to 2024, Ohio State football took a back seat in the headlines to the men’s basketball team for a few days. After the Buckeyes fired head coach Chris Holtmann on Wednesday, the team responded by knocking off No. 2 Purdue on Sunday afternoon under interim coach Jake Diebler in a massive upset. The 73-69 victory over the Boilermakers was by far the biggest of the season for this group, whose NCAA Tournament hopes still likely rely on a Big Ten Tournament trophy.
Still, while Ohio State was making some noise on the hardwood in an otherwise disappointing season, the Buckeyes’ maintained their positive momentum on the recruiting trail with a handful of updates from over the weekend.
Four-star IOL names top schools
The first bit of news came on Friday afternoon, when four-star offensive lineman Mason Short announced his final remaining schools. The Georgia native cut down his offer sheet from over two dozen programs to just four, with Ohio State making the cut alongside Clemson, Georgia and Kentucky.
NEWS: Four-Star IOL Mason Short is down toSchools!
The 6’6 310 IOL from Evans, GA is ranked as a Top 10 IOL in the ‘25 Class
Where Should He Go? https://t.co/UM6yf0vxeo pic.twitter.com/EcsCtqNE3c
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 16, 2024
As things currently stand, it would be tough to bet against the in-state Bulldogs, who own all three of the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions for the 6-foot-5.5, 305-pound blocker. The second-team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American was formerly an Alabama commit, but de-committed from the Crimson Tide on Jan. 16 shortly after Nick Saban announced his retirement. It was around that time that the Georgia Crystal Balls began rolling in, so the fact that he hasn’t pulled the trigger just yet means that Ohio State is still alive here.
Short is the No. 7 IOL and No. 161 player nationally per the 247Sports Composite. He is also the No. 22 prospect out of the talent-rich state of Georgia in the 2025 class.
Ohio State offers five-star QB
With the hiring of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator, it is pretty clear that Ryan Day is going to continue to have a heavy say in both the recruiting and development of the quarterback position at Ohio State. However, with Kelly now in charge of calling the plays on Saturdays, Day can take even more of a hands on approach with his QBs.
While Kyle McCord was the first real miss under Day, the head coach still has a proven track record of success in evaluating, recruiting and developing the position from Dwayne Haskins to Justin Fields to C.J. Stroud. With both Air Noland and Julian Sayin now on campus from the 2024 class and the in-state Tavien St. Clair already committed in 2025, Day can now begin to take aim at some of the best talents in the 2026 cycle.
That journey took the next step on Saturday, as Ohio State officially offered five-star 2026 quaterback Brady Smigiel.
A California native, Smigiel is the No. 2 QB and the No. 21 overall player in the class per the 247Sports Composite. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds as just a high school sophomore, the Newbury Park star has put up some ridiculous numbers. In his first two years with the varsity squad, Smigiel has passed for a whopping 98 touchdowns while rushing for another seven. He has thrown for 7,700 yards in 26 games, completing just under 62 percent of his passes, but will have to take care of the ball a bit better at the next level having thrown 25 interceptions.
With still two years of high school football remaining to continue honing his game, Smigiel has racked up nearly 30 offers to his name thus far, including the likes of Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State and many others with the Buckeyes now also in the mix. Ohio State has had recent success hauling in quarterbacks from the West Coast in both Stroud and Sayin, and will now look to build another strong relationship with one of the nation’s top signal callers from the Golden State.
Quick Hits
- Despite his commitment to Miami, Ohio State has continued to pursue four-star Florida linebacker Elijah Melendez. Newly minted full-time assistant James Laurinaitis has been Melendez’s primary recruiter, and was the one to extend him the Buckeye offer back in July. There is a long way to go until the Early Signing Period in December, and if Laurinaitis can get the No. 16 LB and No. 128 player in the 2025 class back on campus before then, a flip would not be entirely out of the question.
- Speaking of the linebacker spot, Ohio State learned over the weekend they would be receiving a visit from four-star linebacker Elijah Barnes next month. Barnes, listed as the No. 12 LB and No. 83 overall player in the 2025 class, per the 247Sports Composite, will make the trek to Columbus on March 22. Barnes is one of a handful of talented linebackers currently in play for the Buckeyes in this cycle, including the aforementioned Melendez as well as Tarvos Alford, Justin Hill, Riley Pettijohn, Madden Faraimo and others.
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LGHL Jake Diebler, Ohio State stun No. 2 Purdue at home, 73-69
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Jake Diebler, Ohio State stun No. 2 Purdue at home, 73-69
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Jake Diebler and his Buckeyes gave the No. 2 Boilermakers more of a fight than they were probably expecting Saturday afternoon.
For the first time in over seven years, Ohio State (15-11, 5-10) took the floor Sunday afternoon with a head coach (by title) not named Chris Holtmann. Gene Smith made the decision to terminate Holtmann’s contract this week in his seventh season, with the Buckeyes in 13th place in the Big Ten and once again looking like an NIT team at best. Associate head coach Jake Diebler, who has filled in for Holtmann twice over the years and won both times, is the “interim” head coach.
The Buckeyes’ challenge Sunday was twofold. Find a way to drown out all of the outside noise regarding Holtmann and the spiral of the program, and find a way to stop Zach Edey. It’s tough enough to do the latter without the former going on, but with all of the noise around the program, Diebler had one hell of a challenge on his hands Saturday afternoon.
Diebler’s first lineup as head man consisted of Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Jamison Battle, Evan Mahaffey, and Felix Okpara.
Matt Painter is in his 19th season at Purdue, and has taken the Boilermakers (23-3, 12-3) to the NCAA Tournament 14 times. He went with a starting lineup of Braden Smith, Flecher Loyer, Lance Jones, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Zach Edey.
The Buckeyes looks out of sync and sloppy to start the game, turning it over on two of the first three possessions. Thornton was a man on a mission, however, scoring Ohio State’s first eight points. On the other end, Purdue’s first 12 points came from players all not named Zach Edey, meaning the Buckeyes could be in for a world of hurt once Edey started taking shots. At the first media timeout, Purdue led 12-8. Thornton and Key were playing with a ton of effort and aggression early on, with Thornton hunting his shot and Key’s active hands making Edey really keep two tight hands on the ball.
After Ohio State briefly tied it at 16, Purdue got three consecutive baskets from Cam Heide, Edey, and Smith to go ahead 22-16 with just under eight minutes remaining. A Scotty Middleton three-pointer made it 22-19, which was out score at the under-eight media timeout with 7:27 left. Buckeyes not named Bruce continued to struggle, shooting 33% over the first 12-plus minutes of the game. Edey was a factor as always but didn’t dominate in the first half, partially because Ohio State was willing to just foul the reigning National Player of the Year on the catch and not let him take a shot.
After Edey picked up his second foul of the game with 4:30 left in the first half, Ohio State went on a tear. The Buckeyes ended the half on an absurd and unlikely 14-2 run, taking a 35-30 lead into the locker room against the No. 2 team in the country. They outscored the Boilermakers 12-2 after Edey went out, and got massive buckets from Thornton, Key, and Royal in those final minutes.
Ohio State kept on making shots early in the second half, and increased their lead to nine points by the first media timeout. After Edey dropped a pass below the basket, Mahaffey was able to pop the ball out of his hand and into the air. The ball was tipped towards the Purdue bench, and Mahaffey chased it down with Edey and Smith on his heels. He was able to tip the ball inbounds before crashing into the scorer’s table, and Bonner came away with it. The senior transfer raced down the floor and passed it off to Battle, who canned a three with Lance Jones right in his face to make it 47-38 Ohio State with 14:45 remaining in the game.
The Buckeyes pushed that lead to 11 by the under-12 media timeout. Ohio State’s transfers were huge in the second half, with Battle knocking down three consecutive three-pointers and then Bonner scoring layups on back-to-back possessions to make it 54-43 with 11:22 remaining in the game. Key picked up his third foul at the under-12 timeout, but was still huge defending Edey. The senior from Long Island had a career-high four steals, and all of them came from Key slapping the ball out of Edey’s hands below the basket volleyball-style before Purdue’s big man could take a shot.
It seemed inevitable, but Edey started cooking in the second half and the Boilermakers cut Ohio State’s 12-point lead to seven points by the 7:30 mark of the game, 56-49. After scoring six points in the first half, Edey was up to 16 points and 10 rebounds. Ohio State continued to foul him at every opportunity, so Purdue began throwing him lobs, and Edey also helped himself out with five offensive rebounds.
By the time the final media timeout rolled around with 3:33 remaining, the Buckeyes were still clinging to a 65-58 lead. Nearly every Boilermaker basket was answered by a tough mid-range jumper from Thornton, as he and the feisty Buckeyes tried their damn best to hold off the No. 2 team in the nation at home.
Purdue just kept coming, but in the end Ohio State was able to answer most Boilermaker runs with one of their own — or at least stop Purdue’s runs before they got too big. After a tumultous week where Chris Holtmann was fired and none of the news was about this game, the players banded together and were able to defeat the No. 2 team in the country, 73-69.
If you weren’t around to see Jake Diebler’s Buckeyes pull off a miracle and shock No. 2 Purdue at home Sunday afternoon, here are a few key plays and moments that played a big part in the win:
15 of the game’s first 20 points were scored by two guys — Kaufman-Renn and Thornton. Thornton knocked down three early shots and scored Ohio State’s first eight, while Kaufman-Renn had 7 of Purdue’s first 12.
Purdue’s sophomore forward from Sellersburg, Indiana was averaging 6.6 points coming into the game, but outpaced his average in the first five minutes. Thanks to extra attention on Edey, Kaufman-Renn was getting some pretty open looks off of screens cutting towards the basket, and drew a foul on Okpara as well.
Thornton looked like the only player who gave a darn early on, knocking down three shots over Loyer and giving a ton of effort on Ohio State’s missed shots, even if he didn’t come up with the basketball. His effort kept the Buckeyes in the game early on.
Trailing 16-14 but having scored back-to-back baskets, the Buckeyes found themselves in a spot to tie or take the lead with 10:24 left in the first half. Key had the ball on the right block and was immediately double teamed by Caleb Furst and Kaufman-Renn, but he was able to find a cutting Gayle for an open dunk to tie it, 16-16.
However, Purdue answered a minute later with baskets from Edey, Heide, and Kaufman-Renn to go back ahead, 22-16. The Buckeyes would go without a basket for over two minutes after Gayle’s dunk, giving Purdue a chance to re-take the lead.
Zach Edey picked up his second foul with 4:30 left in the first half, which was the start of a massive Ohio State run that put them ahead at the break.
Edey fouled Thornton driving to the basket, and was quickly benched. Thornton hit both free throws to make it 28-25 Purdue, but then the Buckeyes outscored Purdue 10-2 the rest of the way to go up 35-30 at half. Thornton was the driving force, but Devin Royal was a man possessed on the offensive glass, and even Austin Parks chipped in with his first collegiate basket in the 26th game of the season.
The reigning National Player of the Year only took three shots in the first half of Saturday’s game. Edey still finished with six points and five rebounds in the first half, but the Buckeyes got into a habit of fouling Edey before the catch or immediately on the catch, nearly every time he touched the ball.
This strategy did cause Ohio State to commit nine total fouls in the first half, but it seemed Diebler and the staff preferred Edey score at the line than have chance after chance after below the basket.
After Battle knocked down a three-pointer to put Ohio State up 44-38, Purdue tried to force the ball to Edey below the basket. The National Player of the Year went up for a lob but the ball slipped out of his hands. He tried to collect it off the ground, but Mahaffey slapped at it and knocked it away, sending the ball rolling towards the scorer’s table.
Mahaffey, Smith, and Edey all went after it, but it was Mahaffey who got their first, knocking the ball back in bounds to Dale Bonner. Bonner raced down the floor and then passed behind himself to Battle, who knocked down a three with Lance Jones’ hand directly in his face. That made it 47-38 Ohio State with 14:35 left in the game, and the crowd lost its collective mind.
After Purdue tied the game 65-65 with a three-pointer from Lance Jones with 1:39 left in the game the Buckeyes got a big mid-range jumper from Battle to take the lead. Battle was fouled with 34 seconds remaining as well, and he knocked down both shots to give Ohio State a 69-65 lead that they would not relinquish.
Ohio State (15-11, 5-10) has three days off and then will travel to Minnesota (15-9, 6-7) on Thursday night. The Buckeyes beat Minnesota 84-74 in their first meeting back on December 3, and will be looking for the season sweep in Minneapolis. The Gophers are in a three-way tie for eighth-place in the Big Ten, but have lost back-to-back games to fall below .500 in conference play.
Ohio State’s game against Minnesota will tip off at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
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Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Jake Diebler and his Buckeyes gave the No. 2 Boilermakers more of a fight than they were probably expecting Saturday afternoon.
For the first time in over seven years, Ohio State (15-11, 5-10) took the floor Sunday afternoon with a head coach (by title) not named Chris Holtmann. Gene Smith made the decision to terminate Holtmann’s contract this week in his seventh season, with the Buckeyes in 13th place in the Big Ten and once again looking like an NIT team at best. Associate head coach Jake Diebler, who has filled in for Holtmann twice over the years and won both times, is the “interim” head coach.
The Buckeyes’ challenge Sunday was twofold. Find a way to drown out all of the outside noise regarding Holtmann and the spiral of the program, and find a way to stop Zach Edey. It’s tough enough to do the latter without the former going on, but with all of the noise around the program, Diebler had one hell of a challenge on his hands Saturday afternoon.
Diebler’s first lineup as head man consisted of Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, Jamison Battle, Evan Mahaffey, and Felix Okpara.
Matt Painter is in his 19th season at Purdue, and has taken the Boilermakers (23-3, 12-3) to the NCAA Tournament 14 times. He went with a starting lineup of Braden Smith, Flecher Loyer, Lance Jones, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Zach Edey.
The Buckeyes looks out of sync and sloppy to start the game, turning it over on two of the first three possessions. Thornton was a man on a mission, however, scoring Ohio State’s first eight points. On the other end, Purdue’s first 12 points came from players all not named Zach Edey, meaning the Buckeyes could be in for a world of hurt once Edey started taking shots. At the first media timeout, Purdue led 12-8. Thornton and Key were playing with a ton of effort and aggression early on, with Thornton hunting his shot and Key’s active hands making Edey really keep two tight hands on the ball.
After Ohio State briefly tied it at 16, Purdue got three consecutive baskets from Cam Heide, Edey, and Smith to go ahead 22-16 with just under eight minutes remaining. A Scotty Middleton three-pointer made it 22-19, which was out score at the under-eight media timeout with 7:27 left. Buckeyes not named Bruce continued to struggle, shooting 33% over the first 12-plus minutes of the game. Edey was a factor as always but didn’t dominate in the first half, partially because Ohio State was willing to just foul the reigning National Player of the Year on the catch and not let him take a shot.
After Edey picked up his second foul of the game with 4:30 left in the first half, Ohio State went on a tear. The Buckeyes ended the half on an absurd and unlikely 14-2 run, taking a 35-30 lead into the locker room against the No. 2 team in the country. They outscored the Boilermakers 12-2 after Edey went out, and got massive buckets from Thornton, Key, and Royal in those final minutes.
Ohio State kept on making shots early in the second half, and increased their lead to nine points by the first media timeout. After Edey dropped a pass below the basket, Mahaffey was able to pop the ball out of his hand and into the air. The ball was tipped towards the Purdue bench, and Mahaffey chased it down with Edey and Smith on his heels. He was able to tip the ball inbounds before crashing into the scorer’s table, and Bonner came away with it. The senior transfer raced down the floor and passed it off to Battle, who canned a three with Lance Jones right in his face to make it 47-38 Ohio State with 14:45 remaining in the game.
The Buckeyes pushed that lead to 11 by the under-12 media timeout. Ohio State’s transfers were huge in the second half, with Battle knocking down three consecutive three-pointers and then Bonner scoring layups on back-to-back possessions to make it 54-43 with 11:22 remaining in the game. Key picked up his third foul at the under-12 timeout, but was still huge defending Edey. The senior from Long Island had a career-high four steals, and all of them came from Key slapping the ball out of Edey’s hands below the basket volleyball-style before Purdue’s big man could take a shot.
It seemed inevitable, but Edey started cooking in the second half and the Boilermakers cut Ohio State’s 12-point lead to seven points by the 7:30 mark of the game, 56-49. After scoring six points in the first half, Edey was up to 16 points and 10 rebounds. Ohio State continued to foul him at every opportunity, so Purdue began throwing him lobs, and Edey also helped himself out with five offensive rebounds.
By the time the final media timeout rolled around with 3:33 remaining, the Buckeyes were still clinging to a 65-58 lead. Nearly every Boilermaker basket was answered by a tough mid-range jumper from Thornton, as he and the feisty Buckeyes tried their damn best to hold off the No. 2 team in the nation at home.
Purdue just kept coming, but in the end Ohio State was able to answer most Boilermaker runs with one of their own — or at least stop Purdue’s runs before they got too big. After a tumultous week where Chris Holtmann was fired and none of the news was about this game, the players banded together and were able to defeat the No. 2 team in the country, 73-69.
If you weren’t around to see Jake Diebler’s Buckeyes pull off a miracle and shock No. 2 Purdue at home Sunday afternoon, here are a few key plays and moments that played a big part in the win:
One-man wrecking crews
15 of the game’s first 20 points were scored by two guys — Kaufman-Renn and Thornton. Thornton knocked down three early shots and scored Ohio State’s first eight, while Kaufman-Renn had 7 of Purdue’s first 12.
Purdue’s sophomore forward from Sellersburg, Indiana was averaging 6.6 points coming into the game, but outpaced his average in the first five minutes. Thanks to extra attention on Edey, Kaufman-Renn was getting some pretty open looks off of screens cutting towards the basket, and drew a foul on Okpara as well.
Thornton looked like the only player who gave a darn early on, knocking down three shots over Loyer and giving a ton of effort on Ohio State’s missed shots, even if he didn’t come up with the basketball. His effort kept the Buckeyes in the game early on.
Gayle ties the game, but only for a minute
RODDY@OhioStateHoops
: CBS pic.twitter.com/edpREBbMPW
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 18, 2024
Trailing 16-14 but having scored back-to-back baskets, the Buckeyes found themselves in a spot to tie or take the lead with 10:24 left in the first half. Key had the ball on the right block and was immediately double teamed by Caleb Furst and Kaufman-Renn, but he was able to find a cutting Gayle for an open dunk to tie it, 16-16.
However, Purdue answered a minute later with baskets from Edey, Heide, and Kaufman-Renn to go back ahead, 22-16. The Buckeyes would go without a basket for over two minutes after Gayle’s dunk, giving Purdue a chance to re-take the lead.
Ohio State goes on a 14-2 run to end the first half
Zach Edey picked up his second foul with 4:30 left in the first half, which was the start of a massive Ohio State run that put them ahead at the break.
Edey fouled Thornton driving to the basket, and was quickly benched. Thornton hit both free throws to make it 28-25 Purdue, but then the Buckeyes outscored Purdue 10-2 the rest of the way to go up 35-30 at half. Thornton was the driving force, but Devin Royal was a man possessed on the offensive glass, and even Austin Parks chipped in with his first collegiate basket in the 26th game of the season.
Ohio State’s strategy on Edey
The reigning National Player of the Year only took three shots in the first half of Saturday’s game. Edey still finished with six points and five rebounds in the first half, but the Buckeyes got into a habit of fouling Edey before the catch or immediately on the catch, nearly every time he touched the ball.
This strategy did cause Ohio State to commit nine total fouls in the first half, but it seemed Diebler and the staff preferred Edey score at the line than have chance after chance after below the basket.
Mahaffey panics Purdue, leading to a Battle three to put Ohio State up nine
After Battle knocked down a three-pointer to put Ohio State up 44-38, Purdue tried to force the ball to Edey below the basket. The National Player of the Year went up for a lob but the ball slipped out of his hands. He tried to collect it off the ground, but Mahaffey slapped at it and knocked it away, sending the ball rolling towards the scorer’s table.
Mahaffey, Smith, and Edey all went after it, but it was Mahaffey who got their first, knocking the ball back in bounds to Dale Bonner. Bonner raced down the floor and then passed behind himself to Battle, who knocked down a three with Lance Jones’ hand directly in his face. That made it 47-38 Ohio State with 14:35 left in the game, and the crowd lost its collective mind.
Battle’s free throws ice it for Ohio State
After Purdue tied the game 65-65 with a three-pointer from Lance Jones with 1:39 left in the game the Buckeyes got a big mid-range jumper from Battle to take the lead. Battle was fouled with 34 seconds remaining as well, and he knocked down both shots to give Ohio State a 69-65 lead that they would not relinquish.
Up Next:
Ohio State (15-11, 5-10) has three days off and then will travel to Minnesota (15-9, 6-7) on Thursday night. The Buckeyes beat Minnesota 84-74 in their first meeting back on December 3, and will be looking for the season sweep in Minneapolis. The Gophers are in a three-way tie for eighth-place in the Big Ten, but have lost back-to-back games to fall below .500 in conference play.
Ohio State’s game against Minnesota will tip off at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
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2026 TX DB Isaiah Williams (Verbal Offer)
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HudL
Class: 2026
Position: 2026
School: Missouri City(TX) Fort Bend Marshall
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 185lbs
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