For Jake Diebler, basketball is all about family

Jake Diebler didn’t bring a big ego into this men’s basketball season, his first as leader of the Buckeyes and first as a head coach on any level. An unproven track record provides humility, as does his home life. Diebler’s four children, all under age 6, control the music choices on Spotify with specific authority—“We want to hear The Ohio State University Marching Band!”—and they set a firmly understood pecking order.

“In the eyes of a couple of my kids, it’s like Mom is No. 1, Brutus Buckeye is No. 2, and then Dad is in there somewhere,” he says with a smile.

Dad, however, can’t blend in away from home anymore—not after being named the new Ohio State basketball coach in March. That move capped a burst of energy and success Diebler produced as interim replacement for Chris Holtmann, his boss since 2019. It also cast a spotlight on a career assistant suddenly charged with reawakening a program.

Diebler, 38, embraces championship expectations with confidence they can be met because of his foundational philosophy that basketball—same as life at home—is about relationships and a willingness to work together for the greater good. To him, a team is a family, one that extends to university staff, students, alumni, fans and former players. All are owed selfless, maximum effort.

“It’s the idea of this being a public trust,” Diebler says. “We want support, but it’s not one-sided. It’s important to me that when people watch Ohio State basketball, they’re proud of the way we’re playing, proud of the effort, passion and energy. All those things are hard to quantify, but you can feel it, see it, know it. For us, that’s the partnership of our program.”

His brother Jon Diebler ’11 attests to how those appealing qualities power that partnership, based on his own experiences as a three-point sharpshooter for the Buckeyes when they went 109-35 in his four seasons (2007–11) under head coach Thad Matta. “The fans want to see an authentic team, like the teams that I was fortunate enough to play on,” he says. “We played with joy. We were obviously very good, and I say that humbly. We had some of the best players to ever play at Ohio State.

“But when people talk to me about those teams I played on, they always say, ‘It looked like you guys had so much fun playing together.’ And we did. I think that’s what Jake is trying to get back. He wants guys to play with joy and who have fun putting that jersey on and playing for Ohio State.”

Now an assistant coach for Matta at Butler University, Jon remains close to his Ohio State teammates. More than a decade later, many are part of a daily group chat—a bond his brother admires. “They were close on the court, close off the court, and they’re still so close to this day,” Jake says. “Those guys embodied what this program is about. It’s about coming together, being close, competing for championships, but also having Ohio State be a launchpad for the rest of their lives.

“Our players see those guys from my brother’s teams and other former players come around. It’s a daily reminder that this is bigger than you. You’re part of something special. It’s a privilege to be part of this program. Ohio State is a place that will impact you forever if you treat people well and work hard. I’ve seen it.”

Jake, a coach’s son from Gibsonburg in Northwest Ohio, saw the impact when his brother played for the Buckeyes. He experienced it personally while serving on Matta’s staff for three seasons (2014–16) as the Buckeyes’ video coordinator after serving as an assistant coach at Valparaiso, where he played. Jake left Ohio State to join the coaching staff at Vanderbilt in 2016 before returning three years later to work for Holtmann.

Home also provides an understanding of Ohio State’s impact, and not just because the kids love the band and Brutus. His wife, Jordyn Ellwood Diebler ’14, is an alum from Columbus. Her grandfather Frank Ellwood ’57, ’64 MA was a member of the Buckeyes’ 1954 national championship football team, started at quarterback his final two seasons and later served as an assistant coach under Woody Hayes.

“Ohio State is really important to us,” Jake says. “It’s also important to make sure our players see and spend time with me and my family outside the gym. We have them come over to our house to see me as a father and a husband. My wife and I consider them part of our family.”

Buckeyes sophomore forward Aaron Bradshaw learned that this past summer, shortly after transferring from the University of Kentucky. His mother, Shawndel, was in The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center with an illness (she has recovered) when the door to her hospital room opened. “Jake walked in, and I just broke down,” Aaron says. “I cried because there was nobody there for me. Jake was right there by my side. He’s like a father in my life because I didn’t have a father growing up.”

Jake credits his own father, Keith, who coached Ohio high school basketball for more than 40 years, for teaching him at a young age the value of passion, energy and—most important—building relationships with players. It’s why he has the Buckeyes say “one, two, three, family” every time they break a huddle.

“And ‘family’ is not just something we say around here,” Jake says.