Ohio State is targeting Jake Deibler to be its full-time men's basketball coach, The Dispatch has confirmed.
Deibler, 37, is in his fifth season during his second tenure with the program. Deibler, an Ohio State native who played collegiately at Valparaiso, was an assistant coach for Chris Holtmann the past three seasons until he was elevated to the interim job when Holtmann was fired on Feb. 14.
Details about the length and terms of his contract are not yet known. Deibler met with incoming sporting director Ross Bjork on Saturday, and the final details of the contract still need to be agreed upon.
Ohio State fell short in its quest for an NCAA Tournament bubble, but under Deibler will likely pursue an NIT bid. Doing so means the Buckeyes will need enough players to make the roster. The transfer portal officially opens on Monday, one day after the tournament venues are set, and the Buckeyes appreciate determining their coaching status in order to give the roster an opportunity to make informed decisions about the remainder of this season and beyond.
After losing to Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, Deibler turned down the opportunity for a full-time job and said his focus is on the players and the program.
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“In terms of what's next, I don't think there's ever been a good time to think about it because the focus has been on the here and now,” Deibler said inside the Target Center locker room. “There will be a time for that. Sorry that time is not now. I appreciate the question, but I will continue to focus on these people.”
The move ends a search that has seen the Buckeyes contact a number of prominent national candidates. Ohio State has been in contact with Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May since some of the early stages, and along the way, the Buckeyes looked at Xavier's Sean Miller, Alabama's Nate Oats, Creighton's Greg McDermott, and South Carolina's Lamont Paris before zeroing in on Deibler as the Buckeyes piled on. So wins under his watch.
In recent days, the search has been focusing on May and Deibler as the best candidates.
Ohio State entered the Big Ten Tournament having won five of its last six games since Deibler was named interim coach, a run that included a home win against No. 2 Purdue and victories at Michigan State and Rutgers after the Buckeyes had lost 17 straight games on the road. . It helped Ohio State move out of its position as the second-worst team in the Big Ten standings and earn a first-round bye into the conference tournament with a No. 10 seed.
The Buckeyes then beat No. 7 seed Iowa on Thursday night at Target Center, helping bolster their case in the March Madness bubble and improving their record to 20-12, before losing to Illinois on Friday.
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Deibler's coaching career began as a student assistant at Valparaiso in 2009-10, working his way up to director of operations and eventually assistant coach before joining Ohio State coach Thad Matta's staff as video coordinator from 2013-14 through 2015-16. season. From there, Deibler was an assistant at Vanderbilt for coach Bryce Drew and was on the staff for three seasons before Drew was fired after the 2018-19 season.
Deibler was then hired to return to Ohio and join Holtmann's staff, where he established himself as a recruiter and eventually an associate head coach. Deibler was responsible for recruiting and signing Ohio State's entire recruiting classes for 2022 and 2023.
“No matter what, he's got it,” fifth-year forward Jamison Battle said of Deibler as a head coach. “He's recruited a lot of us here and with that, he has a relationship with all of us. It's easy to play for someone you have a relationship with and cares about you a lot.”
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