Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler is living the dream.
Diebler was hired as the 15th head coach in the history of Buckeyes men's basketball on Sunday after closing out the season 6-2 as the interim helmsman. During his introductory press conference on Monday, Diebler spoke about how long he had been wishing to become head coach of the Buckeyes.
"Growing up you have dreams, and you never fully get to predict if or when those dreams will come true," Diebler said. "I just want to praise God for being able to live out a dream of mine."
Diebler was especially grateful to his family, whom he says is the only reason he was in a position to accept his dream posting. Everyone seemed to get a shout-out from Diebler, including his immediate family, his in-laws and even his players.
"It wouldn't be possible without my family," Diebler said. "My mom and dad, my brothers, best friends, cousins, my wife's family. Family is so important to us. It's been ingrained in me from the time that I could start walking, when I was interrupting my dad's practices. That family has expanded beyond just our family. It's the basketball family that we've been a part of."
Diebler has already recorded some amazing moments as Ohio State's (interim) head coach, including an upset of the then-No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers at Value City Arena in his first game at the post. Now, the newly minted leader of the Scarlet and Gray will have his first official test, as his team begins their run in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
The Buckeyes will do battle with the Cornell Big Red inside the Schottenstein Center at 7 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, March 19. Live coverage of the game will air locally on the Ohio State Sports Network from Learfield, and nationally on ESPN 2.
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