OSU expected to take interim tag off basketball coach Jake Diebler
We can remove one team off the coaching carousel competing with Michigan. Diebler did well late in the season after Holtman was fired, first beating Purdue and going 6-2 to end the season.
March 16th, 2024 at 11:34 PM ^
I would if I were them (I am glad I am not them). They have been playing great for him and I think he is their top recruiter. He may have a low floor but I think he has a high ceiling.
If they don't take off the interim tag I would suggest Warde give him an interview.
March 17th, 2024 at 12:32 AM ^
Nah, if he doesn't get the job permanently then U-M should not interview him.
After enduring the Juwan era, I'm for hiring an experienced guy. The guy I really like is Medved from Brian's article on Saturday. I like the metrics mentioned regarding Niko Medved. He sounds like a Beilein type coach, I really miss how efficient of a team we were under Beilein.
Agreed. I was pulling for Dusty May but when I learned about Medved’s system, I was more impressed with him. First from Brian’s breakdown and then from the Athletic article he referenced. I might be a bandwagon fan of the candidates during this search so I reserve the right to change my mind again.
After watching Iowa State destroy Houston in the Big 12 championship game, it’s hard not to want Otzelberger. They were 2-22 just 3 years ago (0-18 in conference play!) and now they’re a 1/2 seed in the tournament and Big 12 champs. I’m sure he used transfers to usher in this turn around, but that’s probably going to be true of any coach out there. And it’s not like ISU is a destination for the best transfers out there.
They were 2-22 just 3 years ago (0-18 in conference play!) and now they’re a 1/2 seed in the tournament and Big 12 champs. I’m sure he used transfers to usher in this turn around, ...
I'm not sure why there's a down side here re: using transfers in today's environment.
The downside is that, as we’ve seen, it’s harder for Michigan to get transfers than other schools.
The other issue, per Brian’s post, is there’s a buyout so big it scared off Ohio State.
March 17th, 2024 at 12:34 PM ^
Didn't they just pay $14M more than we did to get rid of coach? So that $14m could be applied to ISU buyout if we are equal to OSU in money. It's a wash.
I believe - according to Eleven Warriors - that the OSU buyout of Holtmann was $12 million
He is certainly an aspirational choice. I do agree that Medved sounds like a great choice from the more possible options.
I doubt Michigan would want Otzelberger considering his $17 mil buyout clause. You buy his contract out and give him a contract on top of it. Considering Michigan's aversion to paying buyout, he likely isn't on the list.
I just looked him up. Looks like pee wee herman with light hair.
March 17th, 2024 at 10:47 AM ^
Medved should absolutely be looked at but the fact Brian says no to Chris Collins tells me a ton about him as a basketball coach evaluator. You want the closest thing to JB it’s Collins
March 17th, 2024 at 11:16 AM ^
No, thanks. "JB" never did anything like this:
AFAIC the whole Coach K tree is a little tainted. It could be part of the cosmic equilibrium (to make up for all Coach K's cheating and sociopathy).
March 17th, 2024 at 11:17 AM ^
How is Chris Collins the closest thing to JB? I’m genuinely curious, because I don’t see it at all.
But perhaps Brian was pointing out that Collins would not leave NW for us (which I agree with), hence the “no”.
March 17th, 2024 at 12:29 PM ^
Am I taking crazy pills with this Chris Collins stuff?
15–17
13–19
8–23
9–15
15–16
You want a guy with a 5 year stretch of that on his resume?
March 17th, 2024 at 10:00 AM ^
Michigan should not be giving more chances to guys without experience running a college program.
While it's true OSU played better under Diebler, they also experienced dramatic 3-point luck. Other than their loss to Minnesota, their opponents have been missing all their 3s.
In conclusion, Ross Bjork continues to be a dummy. Surprised he didn't give Diebler a 10-year, $95 million contract. That's his go-to.
March 17th, 2024 at 10:29 AM ^
Exactly, you don’t get your first HC position at a place like Michigan or Ohio State. OSU is making a mistake with Deibler.
March 17th, 2024 at 10:41 AM ^
Weird statement since both of our football programs hired first time head coaches.
March 17th, 2024 at 11:49 AM ^
The difference being that both football programs were at or close to a national championship level. Here they're asking Diebler to do better than his own mentor.
March 17th, 2024 at 11:47 AM ^
A month ago, would you have considered Jake Diebler a serious coaching candidate? If not, you're saying that he should get a job based on eight games.
Teams often experience a little "sugar rush" under an interim coach after his precedessor gets fired. Be wary of those results. That kind of thing got us Brian Ellerbe as our head coach.
March 16th, 2024 at 11:36 PM ^
yawn 🥱
March 16th, 2024 at 11:38 PM ^
Seems a bit like the Moore situation here. Probably not quite ready but it just makes too much sense not to see what will happen.
Seems like the opposite of Moore. Instead of continuing the success of his former boss who won a title and went to the pros, he's trying to fix the errors of his former boss who got canned.
March 16th, 2024 at 11:43 PM ^
He's arguably earned it, but a 37 year old first time head coach at any level based on 8 games.. suuuuper risky.
March 16th, 2024 at 11:50 PM ^
It's not completely unlike OSU hiring Randy Ayers back in 1989. OSU was sort of "forced" into that hire because Gary Williams left for Maryland in early summer (Maryland had to find a coach as they had to fire Bob Wade, they were facing NCAA issues and that was on top of being only 3 years removed from Len Bias' death).
But Ayers was only 33, no HC experience, and a Buckeye assistant for ~ 5 years.
Ayers got off to a good start, admittedly w/ Williams' players - he was the HC of the OSU team that lost to the Fab 5 in the Elite 8. But tailed off in later years.
Anyway, as others said: Diebler's low floor, high ceiling. It is a risk.
March 17th, 2024 at 10:09 AM ^
The big difference is that Williams left OSU on his own and Holtmann was fired because his team sucked. Presumably Diebler played some role in the team sucking. This is a big part of the reason I really didn't care if Howard got fired this week or a month ago, that his interim replacement likely wasn't solving the problem.
March 16th, 2024 at 11:45 PM ^
welp, he earned it.
A bit of a gamble on their part but tough to not give him the shot.
I would understand if they had a program changing commit or an elite class that will instantly elevate them, but I don’t think that’s the case. If they lost their entire roster, but landed a top notch coach, it would be worth the risk, but they would probably be better off starting over. Hopefully we take the opposite approach (get an elite coach and let the roster turnover take place) and we’ll see which one worked better in a few years. My guess, (assuming we hire an established, sought after coach) in three years we will be a top five seed in the tournament and they will be looking for a new coach again.
I think it’s been pretty well established that there are no elite coaches that will come here. We’re going to have to with a risky hire as well.
Probably the smart move but I do sort of wonder if this was the easy way out for their AD. OSU was bad for most of last year and then for sort of got hot to end the year (6-2, including a hot BTT run) but that didn't turn into anything sustainable. Maybe Diebler breaks the mood and really does let them bounce back but you also wonder if maybe a team that underachieved for 2 years just bounced back a bit and this is also not the type of team they'll be under him.
I don't blame them and maybe he did great in interviews but they fired Holtmann a month ago and didn't even wait until the end of the year to look at a bunch of candidates.
This is a reason why you don’t fire a coach mid season. The interim may do just well enough to warrant sticking around and now you got a wrench in the coaching search plan. It happens quite often (Clay Helton anyone?) but it seems to rarely work out.
March 17th, 2024 at 11:31 AM ^
Michigan is a pioneer in the concept of the relief coach. It worked with Fisher and Moore. Not so much with Ellerbe.
March 17th, 2024 at 12:39 PM ^
I wouldnt call Sherrone an interim coach that got elevated.
Fischer won a national championship, so hard not to justify that one.
Jake Diebler seems like an all around decent human being. Used to run a mentoring program with junior high students and we did campus visits. Went to OSU and hoped to squeeze in some parts of the athletic campus just for fun (none of our kids were future college athletes from what I could tell). Jake Deibler was their video coordinator at the time. He gave our kids a tour of the basketball facilities and a good mini lecture on what it takes to succeed in general. Kids got to meet Marc Loving, who was working out in the facilities (this visit was in April after the season). Greg Oden was still trying to play and was there too (even though most kids didn’t really know who he was). Great experience and it wasn’t really part of Jake’s regular duties but he volunteered for it. So I will root for him as a person and coach as long as it’s not too much success considering it’s OSU.
I don’t think it’s that bad of a choice for OSU. Probably keeps the recruiting class and roster together. Will be clear within a couple seasons if it’ll be successful and he’d have an OSU friendly buyout considering other power conference schools won’t be knocking on his door.
March 17th, 2024 at 10:05 AM ^
Great! Now, what is the news on Michigan's coaching search?
March 17th, 2024 at 10:13 AM ^
Walking around with a new tag still on is embarrassing.
March 17th, 2024 at 12:38 PM ^
Michigan's new coach will tag and bag him.
Pay Bruce Pearl.
After.losing their RB coach to the good guys, this was a predictable move