Scarlet Sunrise: Jake Diebler believes rebounding has potential to be 'real strength' for Buckeyes

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Jake Diebler believes rebounding has potential to be ‘real strength’ for Buckeyes

Now-retired Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith fired Chris Holtmann and promoted Jake Diebler to interim head coach on Feb. 14. Four days later, the Buckeyes upset then-No. 2 Purdue. And, four days after that, they came crashing back down to Earth with a loss at Minnesota, during which they failed to finish several defensive possessions and allowed 19 second-chance points on 13 offensive boards.

Diebler asked for more accountability on the glass, and he pushed players — namely guard Roddy Gayle Jr. — to give him more in that department. From that point forward, Ohio State posted a sub-70% defensive rebounding percentage only once. Four of the Buckeyes’ seven-best defensive rebounding performances, according to Sports Reference, came during that season-ending, nine-game stretch. By the way, Gayle averaged 5.7 rebounds in that span, four times notching seven or more boards. He’s since transferred to Michigan, but his improvement under Diebler, particularly in that category, is noteworthy.

While the end-of-season surge marked a step in the right direction, Diebler knew this offseason he needed to address defensive rebounding. It’s been a nagging issue for the Buckeyes, after all. Ohio State had 25 total games with a sub-70% defensive rebounding percentage the first four years of Holtmann’s stay. In the last three seasons, the Buckeyes have had 35 such games, per Sports Reference.

“Well, we recruited to that, certainly. That guy will help,” Diebler said Tuesday while nodding toward Kentucky transfer center Aaron Bradshaw before chuckling.

“He’ll help with that.”

Bradshaw is 7-foot-1. In limited minutes with the Wildcats last season, he teased his potential on the boards, albeit more so offensively than defensively — and, keep in mind, Ohio State has ranked top 100 in offensive rebounding percentage the last two seasons, according to KenPom.

Of Bradshaw’s 86 rebounds this past season, 34, or 39.5%, came on the offensive glass. In part thanks to an 11.1% offensive rebounding percentage, per Sports Reference, he’s capable of following up misses, including his own, with putbacks.

Diebler continued: “I think Sean Stewart, you look the analytics behind his minutes, and his rebounding in his minutes is elite. So we recruited to that. Certainly, I mean, Evan [Mahaffey] will be an important part for that moving forward with his versatility and being able to play multiple positions. He had some big rebounding games. I think he knows there’s a consistency that he can get to from that standpoint.”

Stewart, who transferred in from Duke, pulled down five or more rebounds in 11 games last season. He played more than 16 minutes in only two of those 11 games.

His defensive rebounding percentage (25.3%) was first among all Blue Devils rotational players last season, according to Sports Reference, and so was his offensive rebounding percentage (19.3%). As was the case for Bradshaw last year, Stewart’s defensive/offensive rebounding split — which was 61:44 last season — is indicative of the kind of role he plays on the offensive boards. In other words, offensive rebounds made up 41.9% of his total rebounds in 2023-24, per Sports Reference. But, again, the potential is there for a sustainable defensive rebounding impact in extended minutes.

The frontcourt pairing of Bradshaw and Stewart can’t do all the heavy lifting on the glass in 2024-25. That’s why Diebler highlighted how Mahaffey — sitting to his left while Bradshaw was to his right in Tuesday’s press conference — must provide consistent rebounding help, too.

Mahaffey is just one example, of course, but he averaged 4.2 rebounds per game while playing 22.1 minutes per game last season. He mounted five or more boards in 17 games, including at least seven rebounds in four contests with a season high nine against West Virginia. He ranked third among rotational Buckeyes players with a defensive rebounding percentage of 14.6%, per Sports Reference.

“I feel like we addressed it in recruiting, but some of it’s a mentality, too,” Diebler said, “like we want to be aggressive offensively rebounding as well. So we got to work on it.

“We got to keep getting better at it. But I think it has the potential to be a real strength for us.”

Best-case, worst-case scenario for Buckeyes safety room

The Ohio State safety room is headlined by Alabama transfer Caleb Downs and fifth-year veteran Lathan Ransom. That duo has the chance to be pretty special in 2024.

Most of the position group is made up of underclassmen, and the developing safety talent at Ohio State is intriguing, especially when it comes to Malik Hartford, a sophomore who started two games last year, and Jaylen McClain, a true freshman who’s already outplaying his recruiting ranking.

But the Ohio State safety unit is undoubtedly top heavy. An injury to Downs and/or Ransom could present issues for the Buckeyes, who would be forced to play some defensive musical chairs or take a chance on one of their young options to round out the back end.

Lettermen Row is breaking down the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Ohio State safety room. Check it out here.

Analyzing 2026 Ohio State safety offers, standing with Buckeyes

Lettermen Row “Safeties Week” isn’t just limited to team coverage. There’s a place for some recruiting content, too, and that’s where our analysis of 2026 Ohio State safety offers comes into play.

There are already two safeties committed to the Buckeyes in the 2025 cycle, but what about the next one?

We took a look at where Ohio State’s 2026 safety targets stand at this point in the recruiting calendar. Go here to find out.

Counting Down

Buckeyes vs. Akron: 48 days

Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 139 days

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