How Jake Diebler could save future Ohio State basketball recruiting classes
By Ryan Stano
The Ohio State basketball team doesn't have a permanent head coach right now. Jake Diebler is an interim coach who is getting a nice run at the end of the season to audition for the job. It's something that incoming recruits are watching very closely.
Right now, the Buckeyes have two recruits for the 2024 class coming in. Both of the recruits have a chance to leave if they want to since Chris Holtmann was fired. They very well might if a coach from outside the program is hired. If they don't like him, they won't be coming to Columbus.
If Diebler gets the job though, the Buckeyes could save that class. He was obviously on staff when they committed to the Buckeyes. They have familiarity with Diebler. I think they would be more likely to stay if Ross Bjork makes Diebler the permanent head coach at the end of the year.
The question for Ohio State basketball fans is this; does it really matter? Do the Buckeyes need these two recruits? Juni Mobley, who is the highest-rated of the recruits, is a small guard who certainly won't help the defensive issues this team is having. He's an excellent offensive player though.
No matter what the Buckeyes do at the end of the season with the hire, they will likely turn over their team. This recruiting class is barely a top-50 class anyway so expect a lot of players to come in the transfer portal to try to revive the program a little bit faster.
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A run for Diebler to keep the job starts tonight at Minnesota. Ohio State still hasn't won a road game in over a year. The first road win would be a good start at getting this fanbase really excited about Deibler possibly staying on next year.