It’s finally a new year for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Ohio State kicked off its 2024-25 season with its first official practice Monday — for the first time under full-time head coach Jake Diebler.
The new leader for the Scarlet and Gray spoke on the excitement and responsibility the first practice holds because it was “pretty new for everybody.”
“Guys who did return at least have a feel for what the expectations are from a pace and urgency standpoint in practice,” Diebler said.
Diebler’s first game as interim head coach came in a stunning upset over No. 1 Purdue Feb. 18 — after a long January, the team ended up finishing 8-3 under the new coach and the school rewarded Diebler by offering him the full-time position.
After that 73-69 win over two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey and the Boilermakers, the Buckeye fans stormed the court in excitement. The Gibsonburg, Ohio, native said the “energy has been great” in the arena and they are going to need their fans this season again with home opponents including Rutgers, Michigan State, Oregon, Indiana, and Michigan.
“This is one of the very few places in the country where people care deeply, really, about all sports. As a program, we have expectations, and we need to compete for those expectations,” Diebler said. “There is a standard in this program traditionally that we have not shied away from.”
Although a multitude of changes highlighted the Buckeyes offseason, Diebler said in June he was excited to move forward with the group he had then. Since, he has added Kansas State guard Ques Glover and Croatian big man Ivan Njegovan.
Jan 20, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) steals the ball from Penn State Nittany Lions forward Leo O’Boyle (11) during the NCAA men’s basketball game at Value City Arena. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Prior to this, Ohio State brought in seven players through recruiting and from the transfer portal, namely guards John Mobley Jr., Meechie Johnson Jr., Braylen Nash and Colin White and forwards Aaron Bradshaw, Micah Parrish and Sean Stewart.
Most notably, the team returned their leader and facilitator in now-third-year guard Bruce Thornton, who led the team in scoring last season. The Buckeyes also welcomed back key rotational pieces in Evan Mahaffey and Devin Royal.
Diebler once again emphasized his excitement to get started with this new crew.
“I’m having a blast. 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 as I can,” Diebler said.
His first opportunity to show Buckeye nation what he can truly do at the helm will be Nov. 4 against a scrappy and fast-paced Texas squad in Las Vegas.
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Publish date : 2024-09-24 08:11:00
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