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You’re Nuts: What would a successful first year look like for Jake Diebler?
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
How much leeway are you giving the first-year head coach?
First-year head coaches often get some wiggle room from the fans and the athletic department if their inaugural season doesn’t go as well as they’d hoped. Traditionally, building a roster and momentum takes time. You need to recruit well, add a transfer player or two, and bring the most out of the players you have.
With the automatic transfer rule now in effect as well as unlimited number transfers and name, image, and likeness compensation, the expectations for coaches — even in their first year — has changed. How will this impact Jake Diebler this year?
Last week, Connor and Justin debated which Marvel hero or villain would be the biggest force on the court. Justin won the vote with Hawkeye, which garnered 56% of the reader vote. Connor went with Thanos, and the Mad Titan only earned 44%.
Connor- 75
Ohio State fans are restless for the program to fire on all cylinders again. The firing of Holtmann and appointment of Diebler as interim head coach in February shook the fanbase out of an apathetic trance when he started things off by beating No. 2 Purdue. But now that he’s the permanent coach, the warm fuzzies from last season have worn off.
People want to see a winner again, even if it’s a first-time head coach leading the program.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25343607/usa_today_22805773.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Having an Ohio-born guy from a small town in northwest Ohio leading the Ohio State men’s basketball program is a great story, and the fact that he’s also a first-time head coach and the brother of one one of the most beloved players in program history makes it even easier to feel warm and fuzzy about the hire. But don’t get it twisted, Diebler isn’t going to get much wiggle room in year one.
Ross Bjork could’ve gone any number of ways with his first hire. His budget wasn’t unlimited, but the first-year athletic director had the funds needed to take a swing at a sitting high-major coach. Even with several alleged targets like Creighton’s Greg McDermott and South Carolina’s Lamont Paris off the board, there were plenty of experienced coaches at power conference schools that could have been persuaded to come to Ohio State.
Ohio State fans would not have given that coach a pass for a bad first year — they’re not going to do it for Jake Diebler either if that was to happen.
Chris Holtmann made it to the NCAA Tournament in four out of six seasons and won the first round game in three of those four appearances. His Buckeyes never won a Big Ten title, but almost always finished in the top half of the conference. That would satisfy a lot of schools, but the vibes had gone stale, people were growing apathetic, and Ohio State fans expect more.
Because that wasn’t enough to keep Holtmann the job after a pretty strong start to his tenure in Columbus, I don’t think anyone is going to give Diebler a “pass” or any wiggle room if this first season doesn’t go well. With the roster additions via recruiting and incoming transfers, many national writers are expecting this to be a top-25 team in the pre-season. The bar will be exceptionally high for the first-year coach.
Simply making the NCAA Tournament or finishing in the top half of the Big Ten won’t warrant a parade. Holtmann did that most years, and he was fired with zero notice 12 hours after a February loss and escorted out of town before he even had a chance to blink.
The bar has been raised for Diebler. To get a nod of approval from the fanbase, I think he’ll have to accomplish something that results in a new banner being hung in the rafters.
No, that doesn’t mean he needs to win a national championship this year. But I do think Ohio State needs to either win the Big Ten, win the Big Ten Tournament, or make it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament to make it a “successful” season. Any of those things would result in cutting down nets and needing to sew new words on one of the banners hanging high above the court at the Schottenstein Center.
If the team finishes short of those things, will he be fired? No, absolutely not. But they also won’t be able to reflect back on the season and say “We made progress from what the last guy did.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25471827/2087460090.jpg "Ohio State v Illinois")
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
For me, this is as simple as it gets. Chris Holtmann was fired because Ohio State missed the tournament (or was going to) two-straight seasons. When Ohio State moved on from Thad Matta, they had missed the tournament for two-straight seasons.
The minimum expectation for men’s hoops in Columbus is clear: Make the NCAA Tournament. It is not the main goal, but it is the minimum. Jake Diebler should get them back there.
In college basketball today, it is much easier to flip over a roster right away. A good example is quite literally Ohio State. They will likely be starting Bruce Thornton and four transfer players. Meechie Johnson, Micah Parrish, Sean Stewart, and Aaron Bradshaw are all talented and will immediately impact the Buckeyes.
Plus, Juni Mobley has been one of the most talked-about high school seniors this past season, and will bring immediate shooting to the roster, which will be needed.
They also are returning their starting point guard of the last two years, which is an important piece to bring back. Thornton will be able to help the team mesh as the guy who runs the offense.
Another thing that is hard to quantify but easy to see is vibes — and the vibes around this team are high. Towards the middle of the last season, it was clear that this would be Holtmann’s last season, and negativity like that can wear down a team.
Now, there is a new coach and a newfound energy around the team that Jake Diebler has brought. We all saw it last year, and now he can transfer that energy into this season and this new-look team.
And go back to the NCAA Tournament and go from there.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
How much leeway are you giving the first-year head coach?
First-year head coaches often get some wiggle room from the fans and the athletic department if their inaugural season doesn’t go as well as they’d hoped. Traditionally, building a roster and momentum takes time. You need to recruit well, add a transfer player or two, and bring the most out of the players you have.
With the automatic transfer rule now in effect as well as unlimited number transfers and name, image, and likeness compensation, the expectations for coaches — even in their first year — has changed. How will this impact Jake Diebler this year?
Last week, Connor and Justin debated which Marvel hero or villain would be the biggest force on the court. Justin won the vote with Hawkeye, which garnered 56% of the reader vote. Connor went with Thanos, and the Mad Titan only earned 44%.
After 154 weeks:
Connor- 75
Justin- 59
Other- 16
(There have been four ties)
Ohio State fans are restless for the program to fire on all cylinders again. The firing of Holtmann and appointment of Diebler as interim head coach in February shook the fanbase out of an apathetic trance when he started things off by beating No. 2 Purdue. But now that he’s the permanent coach, the warm fuzzies from last season have worn off.
People want to see a winner again, even if it’s a first-time head coach leading the program.
This week’s question: What would a successful first year look like for Jake Diebler?
Connor: Hang a banner
Having an Ohio-born guy from a small town in northwest Ohio leading the Ohio State men’s basketball program is a great story, and the fact that he’s also a first-time head coach and the brother of one one of the most beloved players in program history makes it even easier to feel warm and fuzzy about the hire. But don’t get it twisted, Diebler isn’t going to get much wiggle room in year one.
Ross Bjork could’ve gone any number of ways with his first hire. His budget wasn’t unlimited, but the first-year athletic director had the funds needed to take a swing at a sitting high-major coach. Even with several alleged targets like Creighton’s Greg McDermott and South Carolina’s Lamont Paris off the board, there were plenty of experienced coaches at power conference schools that could have been persuaded to come to Ohio State.
Ohio State fans would not have given that coach a pass for a bad first year — they’re not going to do it for Jake Diebler either if that was to happen.
Chris Holtmann made it to the NCAA Tournament in four out of six seasons and won the first round game in three of those four appearances. His Buckeyes never won a Big Ten title, but almost always finished in the top half of the conference. That would satisfy a lot of schools, but the vibes had gone stale, people were growing apathetic, and Ohio State fans expect more.
Because that wasn’t enough to keep Holtmann the job after a pretty strong start to his tenure in Columbus, I don’t think anyone is going to give Diebler a “pass” or any wiggle room if this first season doesn’t go well. With the roster additions via recruiting and incoming transfers, many national writers are expecting this to be a top-25 team in the pre-season. The bar will be exceptionally high for the first-year coach.
Simply making the NCAA Tournament or finishing in the top half of the Big Ten won’t warrant a parade. Holtmann did that most years, and he was fired with zero notice 12 hours after a February loss and escorted out of town before he even had a chance to blink.
The bar has been raised for Diebler. To get a nod of approval from the fanbase, I think he’ll have to accomplish something that results in a new banner being hung in the rafters.
No, that doesn’t mean he needs to win a national championship this year. But I do think Ohio State needs to either win the Big Ten, win the Big Ten Tournament, or make it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament to make it a “successful” season. Any of those things would result in cutting down nets and needing to sew new words on one of the banners hanging high above the court at the Schottenstein Center.
If the team finishes short of those things, will he be fired? No, absolutely not. But they also won’t be able to reflect back on the season and say “We made progress from what the last guy did.”
Justin: Make the NCAA Tournament
For me, this is as simple as it gets. Chris Holtmann was fired because Ohio State missed the tournament (or was going to) two-straight seasons. When Ohio State moved on from Thad Matta, they had missed the tournament for two-straight seasons.
The minimum expectation for men’s hoops in Columbus is clear: Make the NCAA Tournament. It is not the main goal, but it is the minimum. Jake Diebler should get them back there.
In college basketball today, it is much easier to flip over a roster right away. A good example is quite literally Ohio State. They will likely be starting Bruce Thornton and four transfer players. Meechie Johnson, Micah Parrish, Sean Stewart, and Aaron Bradshaw are all talented and will immediately impact the Buckeyes.
Plus, Juni Mobley has been one of the most talked-about high school seniors this past season, and will bring immediate shooting to the roster, which will be needed.
They also are returning their starting point guard of the last two years, which is an important piece to bring back. Thornton will be able to help the team mesh as the guy who runs the offense.
Another thing that is hard to quantify but easy to see is vibes — and the vibes around this team are high. Towards the middle of the last season, it was clear that this would be Holtmann’s last season, and negativity like that can wear down a team.
Now, there is a new coach and a newfound energy around the team that Jake Diebler has brought. We all saw it last year, and now he can transfer that energy into this season and this new-look team.
And go back to the NCAA Tournament and go from there.
Continue reading...