Jake Diebler (Head Coach)
- By Bestbuck36
- Buckeye Basketball
- 261 Replies
I've said several times this year that it seems Diebs is saying and coaching the right things. You can hear him on the sidelines and in time outs. It just looked at times like the boys aren't listening or understanding. Now that could be as simple as changing his leadership style to fit his players so that they are always on the same page and motivated. Easier said than done.Login to view embedded media
Doesn't fit the "Diebler can't coach" narrative that some like to push here at all.
Also, let's be real, this team HAS improved. They were neck-and-neck with a bad ND team in November, and they looked dead in the water after losing against a bad Pitt team in December. They have lacked a top-tier big man and it shows sometimes. After the Pitt loss in particular it looked like they weren't going to be tough enough in the frontcourt to make the tournament. Yet they have grown and shown more fight, particularly in going after rebounds.
Mobley started the season not playing particularly well & has blossomed into the type of offensive weapon that you'd hope for him to be. Chatman sat the bench because of his defense, one game he committed 3 fouls in just 1 minute, but he has grown into being a solid bench player. Bynum is a true freshman who went from bench player to starter and has helped the team immensely. Njegovan went from being a guy who barely played last season to a guy who's actually helping provide some solid minutes as backup big man. Tilly has grown into playing against stronger and tougher competition. Bruce has taken a step forward individually even as the team around him has stepped up. They haven't even had Noel for most of the Big Ten season, have battled injuries causing 3/4 of their top scorers to miss conference games, and yet they're in the thick of the hunt for the NCAA tournament. While many have not seen this team as a product of a good coaching job, I would disagree.
He had NOT lost his team though that's a fact.
Upvote
0
