The Ohio State basketball team started off this season with a very promising victory over a ranked Texas team. It was a win that the Buckeyes wouldn't have gotten in either of the last two seasons. That win looked like it was a turning point in this program.
It ended up not being the case. It was Jake Diebler's first game as the full-time head coach. He had the interim tag lifted, and he no longer had to look over his shoulder. This year, the expectations were for the Ohio State Buckeyes to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Instead, Ohio State collapsed in the second half of the season and finished the year with a whimper. Ohio State ended up losing five of their final seven games, which likely pushed them out of a chance to make the NCAA Tournament. Did the Bucks make the wrong decision to hire him?
Did the Ohio State basketball program make a bad decision to hire Jake Diebler?
Ohio State finished the season 17-15, which is not a good record. Quite frankly, they are lucky to even be on the bubble. The reason why it's fair to question Diebler's hiring is because of how poorly he coached down the stretch of the season. He also failed to use the transfer portal well.
Instead of keeping Felix Okpara and Roddy Gayle, he brought in Aaron Bradshaw, Meechie Johnson, and Ques Glover. Only Micah Parrish was a good addition from the portal. It was a poor job of identifying talent because Okpara is one of Tennessee's key players and they are one of the best teams in the country.
Ohio State could have had Dusty May or John Calipari instead of Diebler. Calipari actually mentioned that he was very interested in the job, but the timing wasn't right. Instead, the Buckeyes rewarded Diebler's late-season run and named him the coach.
It's still just one season. This was the first time in his life that Diebler had been the head coach for a full year. He deserves some time to figure it out. The grace period is over, though. He needs to win next season.