Ohio State HC Jake Diebler’s latest comments show he is the perfect guy for the job going forward in Columbus

Basketball season is right around the corner and the Ohio State Buckeyes had their first practice on Monday to jumpstart things.

It will be the first full season for Jake Diebler as the head coach of the Buckeyes after he was the interim last season when Ohio State parted ways with Chris Holtmann, who is now at DePaul. Diebler’s first game as the interim came back in February when the Buckeyes upset No. 1 Purdue. It was the beginning of a nice run for the team under Diebler and it helped him land the job.

On Monday, Diebler spoke to the media and one quote was very telling that the Buckeyes just may have the right guy for the job.

“This is one of the very few places in the country where people care deeply about all sports,” said Diebler. “As a program, we have expectations, and we need to compete for those expectations. There is a standard in the program traditionally that we have not shied away from.”

Despite being a football school to most due to being at the center of things year in and year out , the Buckeyes have fielded some pretty good men’s hoops teams over the years. The women’s team has had some recent success and the baseball team has had some positive years. Diebler wasted no time to say that all sports matter in Columbus.

For Diebler, he is in his first year as an actual head coach that holds the official title. Previously, the 37-year-old and brother for former OSU standout Jon Diebler had been at Valparaiso and Vanderbilt. The Buckeyes hired him as an assistant in 2019 and he became the assistant head coach in 2022.

“I’m having a blast and I enjoy coming to work every day. I don’t take for granted a single day that I get to do this. I just want to serve this program and serve these players as best I can,”

Ohio State will tip off their season on Nov. 4 against Texas in what will be a tough battle right out of the gates.

Related: How to watch and stream Ohio State at Michigan State following time change recently made