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There’s a standard Jake Diebler consistently references when he talks about the future of Ohio State men’s basketball.
On June 24, the man who laid that groundwork was back where it all took place. As the Buckeyes welcomed back former players to the Schottenstein Center for their annual “Vet Week” to practice against and help train the members of the current roster, former coach Thad Matta was also on hand to spend some time back with the program where he won a school-record 337 games from 2004-17.
Ohio State's early summer practices: 5 observations from Ohio State's early summer practices
Getting Matta back into the building had been a priority for Diebler, who got his official start with the program when he was hired by Matta as the program’s video coordinator in 2013.
“That’s been a long time coming,” Diebler said. “His influence on me as a coach and as a man, I’ve spoken about that before: he means the world to me and our family and he means a ton to our basketball family. Being able to get him back here says something about just how close this basketball family is.”
For the past four years, Matta had been predominantly occupied by running his own program at Butler since Diebler was named Ohio State’s full-time coach at the end of the 2023-24 season. After retiring following the 2025-26 season, Matta’s availability opened up significantly and allowed him to make the trip to Columbus.
His return was as a spectator, however, and not a precursor to a new job or position with the Buckeyes.
As reporters made their way into a practice gym that hadn’t been built when Matta took over at Ohio State, the former coach was standing and chatting with radio play-by-play announcer Paul Keels. As the current and former Buckeyes played against each other, Matta and Diebler spent a few minutes in conversation before the retired coach headed out.
“He’s in the rafters,” Diebler said. “He’s in the record books. I’ve talked about the peaks of our program. He’s certainly been a part of some of those. For him to be here means a great deal to me personally, but it also means a great deal to our program because he’s a guy we celebrate around here.”
As Diebler said, Matta’s name hangs in the rafters at the arena. He joined Fred Taylor, who in 1960 led the Buckeyes to their lone national championship, up there within two years of being fired by athletic director Gene Smith during the summer of 2017. Although Matta did not win a national title, his run of success is otherwise unparalleled in program history.
Starting with the 2005-06 season, when the Buckeyes were eligible for the postseason, Matta guided them to nine NCAA Tournament appearances in 10 years after the program had reached March Madness 22 times in its first 106 seasons. Ohio State reached the 2007 national title game, falling to repeat champion Florida, and made the 2012 Final Four, the 2013 Elite 8 and the 2010 and 2011 Sweet Sixteen. In the lone year Ohio State did not make the NCAA Tournament during that decade, it won the 2008 NIT.
After having won five Big Ten titles in the 35 years prior to his hiring, the Buckeyes won five Big Ten titles between 2006-12, added four conference tournament titles in 2007, 10, 11 and 13 and compiled an overall record of 337-123 (.733).
It’s a lot to aspire to, and Diebler has not shied from embracing lofty expectations. Now he’s putting more of the DNA from that time period in the building, having rehired strength and conditioning coach Dave Richardson and added alumnus William Buford to the staff as a program assistant. They join assistant coach Dave Dickerson, one of Diebler’s first hires after he spent seven seasons on Matta’s staff.
Ohio State Buckeyes: On Father's Day, Ohio State's John Mobley Jr. shares special bond with dad
“It makes it feel like family,” Buford said upon being hired. “I've been knowing Jake since forever because of (his brother) Jon. Coach (Dickerson) has been around. Coach Rich, that’s my guy.”
Richardson held his current position for nearly the entirety of Matta’s tenure at Ohio State. Buford is tied for the fourth-most points in program history, scoring 1,990 while playing for Matta from 2008-12 and alongside Diebler’s brother, Jon. Diebler described the hires of Richardson and Buford each as a “major win” for the Buckeyes.
“Certainly it’s a reminder of where this program has been, but they’re here because they’re going to help us win and help us take this thing to the next level,” he said.
They all trace back to Matta. Entering year three, Diebler is steadily assembling a program that clearly connects back to the last sustained run of high-level success for Ohio State men’s basketball.
It’s been a deliberate choice.
“When you take over a program you can either hide from the success and the tradition or keep it behind the curtain, or you can celebrate it and strive to get the program back to that level,” he said. “That’s the route I’ve chosen, because I care deeply about this program.”
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at [email protected], on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State's Jake Diebler leaning into Thad Matta era as coach returns
Continue reading...
On June 24, the man who laid that groundwork was back where it all took place. As the Buckeyes welcomed back former players to the Schottenstein Center for their annual “Vet Week” to practice against and help train the members of the current roster, former coach Thad Matta was also on hand to spend some time back with the program where he won a school-record 337 games from 2004-17.
Ohio State's early summer practices: 5 observations from Ohio State's early summer practices
Getting Matta back into the building had been a priority for Diebler, who got his official start with the program when he was hired by Matta as the program’s video coordinator in 2013.
“That’s been a long time coming,” Diebler said. “His influence on me as a coach and as a man, I’ve spoken about that before: he means the world to me and our family and he means a ton to our basketball family. Being able to get him back here says something about just how close this basketball family is.”
For the past four years, Matta had been predominantly occupied by running his own program at Butler since Diebler was named Ohio State’s full-time coach at the end of the 2023-24 season. After retiring following the 2025-26 season, Matta’s availability opened up significantly and allowed him to make the trip to Columbus.
His return was as a spectator, however, and not a precursor to a new job or position with the Buckeyes.
As reporters made their way into a practice gym that hadn’t been built when Matta took over at Ohio State, the former coach was standing and chatting with radio play-by-play announcer Paul Keels. As the current and former Buckeyes played against each other, Matta and Diebler spent a few minutes in conversation before the retired coach headed out.
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“He’s in the rafters,” Diebler said. “He’s in the record books. I’ve talked about the peaks of our program. He’s certainly been a part of some of those. For him to be here means a great deal to me personally, but it also means a great deal to our program because he’s a guy we celebrate around here.”
As Diebler said, Matta’s name hangs in the rafters at the arena. He joined Fred Taylor, who in 1960 led the Buckeyes to their lone national championship, up there within two years of being fired by athletic director Gene Smith during the summer of 2017. Although Matta did not win a national title, his run of success is otherwise unparalleled in program history.
Starting with the 2005-06 season, when the Buckeyes were eligible for the postseason, Matta guided them to nine NCAA Tournament appearances in 10 years after the program had reached March Madness 22 times in its first 106 seasons. Ohio State reached the 2007 national title game, falling to repeat champion Florida, and made the 2012 Final Four, the 2013 Elite 8 and the 2010 and 2011 Sweet Sixteen. In the lone year Ohio State did not make the NCAA Tournament during that decade, it won the 2008 NIT.
After having won five Big Ten titles in the 35 years prior to his hiring, the Buckeyes won five Big Ten titles between 2006-12, added four conference tournament titles in 2007, 10, 11 and 13 and compiled an overall record of 337-123 (.733).
It’s a lot to aspire to, and Diebler has not shied from embracing lofty expectations. Now he’s putting more of the DNA from that time period in the building, having rehired strength and conditioning coach Dave Richardson and added alumnus William Buford to the staff as a program assistant. They join assistant coach Dave Dickerson, one of Diebler’s first hires after he spent seven seasons on Matta’s staff.
Ohio State Buckeyes: On Father's Day, Ohio State's John Mobley Jr. shares special bond with dad
“It makes it feel like family,” Buford said upon being hired. “I've been knowing Jake since forever because of (his brother) Jon. Coach (Dickerson) has been around. Coach Rich, that’s my guy.”
Richardson held his current position for nearly the entirety of Matta’s tenure at Ohio State. Buford is tied for the fourth-most points in program history, scoring 1,990 while playing for Matta from 2008-12 and alongside Diebler’s brother, Jon. Diebler described the hires of Richardson and Buford each as a “major win” for the Buckeyes.
“Certainly it’s a reminder of where this program has been, but they’re here because they’re going to help us win and help us take this thing to the next level,” he said.
They all trace back to Matta. Entering year three, Diebler is steadily assembling a program that clearly connects back to the last sustained run of high-level success for Ohio State men’s basketball.
It’s been a deliberate choice.
“When you take over a program you can either hide from the success and the tradition or keep it behind the curtain, or you can celebrate it and strive to get the program back to that level,” he said. “That’s the route I’ve chosen, because I care deeply about this program.”
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at [email protected], on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State's Jake Diebler leaning into Thad Matta era as coach returns
Continue reading...
