Scarlet Sunrise: Jake Diebler says overall message on Senior Day was 'thank you' and 'I love you'

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Jake Diebler says overall message on Senior Day was ‘thank you’ and ‘I love you’

Sunday afternoon was Senior Day in the Schottenstein Center. It was also a rivalry game, and a must-win game for Ohio State’s slim yet increasing NCAA Tournament chances.

Despite the stakes against Michigan, Buckeyes interim head coach Jake Diebler started preferred walk-on center Owen Spencer, who hadn’t played all season.

Spencer got the nod, along with the three other Ohio State players who were recognized on Senior Day: Minnesota grad transfer wing Jamison Battle, Baylor grad transfer guard Dale Bonner and fourth-year Buckeyes big man Zed Key.

Diebler said it was an easy decision to start Spencer. Last year, the one-time Citadel player actually earned a scholarship midway through the 2022-23 campaign after standing out in practice. He stepped up when called upon at Purdue later that season.

“He earned the right to start, he deserved to start,” Diebler said of Spencer postgame. “We tried to run a play for him the first play.

“You guys don’t get to see how important he is to our program. But, I mean, think about this now. You go to practice every day, and you’re battling Zed Key. And you’re battling Felix [Okpara] and Austin Parks, and then you don’t get to go get the reward of playing on game day a whole lot.”

Diebler added: “His love for this program is real.”

Diebler’s love for his players is real, too.

At the end of his press conference, following the 84-61 win over the Wolverines, Diebler — now 4-1 since taking over for Chris Holtmann — was asked what his message was for his seniors.

“The overall message was ‘thank you’ for obviously not just coming here but seeing this season through the way they have. There have been stretches certainly none of us anticipated being like that. And Jamison’s been vocal about why he came here.

“So ‘thank you,’ first, and ‘I love you.’ I think those were the messages.”

Diebler then turned to an important lesson he learned from his father Keith, who has stitched together more than 300 career wins as a high school coach, including a Division II state title run in 2005 while coaching his sons at Upper Sandusky.

A basketball team really is a family, Diebler emphasized. The connections you make with players, coaches and support staffers last for life. Diebler mentioned that he still hears from former players all the time, as well as former teammates and coaches from his time at Valparaiso, some of whom have reached out to him during this stretch as he’s taken over the Ohio State program.

“If you treat the game right, and you really pour everything you have into it,” Diebler said, “you do leave with a family. And so those guys know that if they ever need anything from me, all they have to do is pick up the phone and call, even if that’s 20 years from now.”

That goes for any Ohio State player, regardless of how long he was in the program. Bonner got just one year with the Buckeyes after starting his career at Division II Fairmont State and spending the past two seasons at Baylor. While he also got a Senior Day at Baylor last year, Sunday’s at Ohio State was special for him, and not just because he scored an efficient 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting with three steals.

“As far as coming home,” Bonner, a Shaker Heights native, said, “it’s a dream come true for me.”

Key hails from Bay Shore, New York, but he’s made Ohio, and Columbus specifically, a home for himself the last four years. An everyday starter last season, Key saw that role go to Okpara this time around. Except, on Senior Day, Key got to start again, and he made the most of the opportunity, setting the tone with a quick four points, including his game-opening, one-handed slam over Michigan’s Will Tschetter.

“It was a lot of emotions today. Even yesterday just thinking about the game,” Key said. “Time has flown so fast. I’ve been here for four years. I’ve had been through every Senior Night, and you never think that it’s gonna be you until it is you.

“I really am grateful that I still chose Ohio State for my college decision. I love the program, and we just got to keep it going, just keep rolling at this point.”

Key finished with nine points, Battle had eight and Bonner led the group with 10. Together, they combined for 27 of the Buckeyes’ 84 points. Although Spencer didn’t score, he logged five minutes in what was a memorable win in front of a scarlet-clad crowd against Michigan.

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In driver’s seat wire-to-wire, Ohio State gets payback against Michigan

Ohio State never trailed against Michigan and avenged its Jan. 15 loss in Ann Arbor with a decisive win over “The Team Up North.”

The Wolverines kept things close throughout the first half and even pared down a pair of double-digit, second-half deficits. But a 14-0 Buckeyes run down the stretch turned an already-11-point-game into a runaway win for Ohio State, which, notably, outscored its rival, 22-2 in fastbreak points.

Turnovers killed Michigan: 18 of them, in fact, off which the Buckeyes scored 27 points.

For the full game story, go here.

Buckeyes win streak snapped by Caitlin Clark, Iowa in regular-season finale

Caitlin Clark surpassed “Pistol” Pete Maravich to become the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, and she helped Iowa snap a 15-game Ohio State win streak in a highly-anticipated, top-10 rematch between the No. 2 Buckeyes and No. 6 Hawkeyes.

Clark rounded out the day with 35 points and nine assists in front of a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. She actually had five assists before she made her second field goal. Three of those assists went to Hannah Stuelke, who recorded 23 points in the win.

Ohio State, meanwhile, was led by Jacy Sheldon’s 24 points. Sheldon was one of five Buckeyes players who scored in double figures. It wasn’t enough, however, as two Ohio State technical fouls — the first being especially questionable — came back to bite head coach Kevin McGuff’s team in Iowa City.

More on the implications of the Buckeyes’ regular season finale here.

Counting Down

Buckeyes vs. Akron: 180 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 271 days

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