Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State assistants stepping up in bigger roles down the stretch
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Ohio State assistants stepping up in bigger roles down the stretch
About a month ago, Ohio State earning a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament was inconceivable. Chris Holtmann had just been fired. Jake Diebler had just been elevated to interim head coach.
Longtime, and outgoing, Buckeyes Athletic Director Gene Smith wanted a “spark.”
He got that, and more.
Diebler has piloted the turnaround with key tweaks, notably increasing Ohio State’s pace of play — both in practice and in games — and, in turn, substituting more frequently, getting the most out of the roster’s depth during a time when a lot of coaches trim their rotations.
From the jump, however, Diebler has made it clear that his success is also a byproduct of the help he’s received from not only his players but also his fellow staff members.
Diebler wasn’t the only one who had to step into a new, and bigger, role down the stretch.
He explained Monday that Director of Professional Development Terence Dials was bumped up to more of an engaging coaching role, particularly in practice. Dials — a top-15 all-time scorer and top-five all-time rebounder in Ohio State history — was the 2006 Big Ten Player of the Year.
Dials made the NCAA Tournament twice during his Buckeyes playing career.
“For me, that was an easy decision to make because I’ve spoken openly about how important this basketball family is, former players and the value of them being around,” Diebler said. “And we have a former player, who is a well decorated former player on our staff.”
Diebler repeated: “That was an easy decision to make.”
Before Diebler was given the interim tag, he had doubled as associate head coach and offensive coordinator. Now, he’s focused on both ends of the floor.
Mike Netti has become Diebler’s right-hand man on offense, serving as a co-OC of sorts.
“If I’m down talking to a guy on the bench or an official, he steps up and makes a call if we need to. So I think we’ve worked together on that,” said Diebler, who noted he’s still making the majority of play calls.
Diebler said that assistants Brandon Bailey and Jack Owens are still dialed in on the defensive side of things. It’s worth noting that the Buckeyes have allowed only 65.8 points per game since Diebler was called upon as interim. In Holtmann’s final 12 games, Ohio State conceded an average of 74.9 points.
But, again, Diebler would say that achievement has taken everyone.
“We have great chemistry,” he said. “In circumstances like this, that chemistry — that’s make or break.
Diebler added: “Our staff deserves a ton of credit, not just for the improvement defensively, but for the last few weeks, and how things have gone. I know they’re not necessarily up here, but they deserve a ton of credit. Our leadership, they’ve embraced the accountability that we’ve increased. And the urgency and aggressiveness that guys are playing with I think has been a factor that’s helped us.”
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Jake Diebler believes Buckeyes ‘absolutely’ deserve to be in NCAA Tournament conversation
Ohio State is 5-1 since Diebler took over. Along the way, the Buckeyes have picked up two additional Quad 1 wins, one of which was against Purdue, a projected No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The other was on the road against Michigan State. Diebler’s squad collected another road victory to round out the regular season, this time against Rutgers.
Diebler was asked Monday if he believes the Buckeyes (19-12, 9-11 Big Ten) have done enough at this point to be in the NCAA Tournament conversation.
“Absolutely. Absolutely,” Diebler said. “I’m no expert on all the metrics that go into making that decision, but I would think a couple of our top wins would stack up against anybody in the country.”
He continued: “We’ve now stacked together some road wins. The momentum that we have and the way we’ve been playing lately, I think there’s a lot of positives that would help our case. But absolutely we deserve to be in the conversation. And that includes the total body of work.”
ICYMI: Lettermen Row’s coverage of the first week of Ohio State spring football
Ohio State spring football is back. The Buckeyes held their first two practices in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center last week, and Lettermen Row was on site for each of them.
Miss our coverage? Check it out now!
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Buckeyes vs. Akron: 172 days
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