When Ohio State head coach Thad Matta reached out to Chris Jent to see what his thoughts were about a potential return to the Buckeyes' coaching staff, Jent responded rather quickly with an answer that left little doubt about his level of interest.
"I'll walk there if you want me to," Jent said he told Matta.
Say no more. The deal was all but finished at that point.
Jent was officially added to Ohio State's staff as an assistant coach last Thursday. He replaced Jeff Boals, who took the head coaching opportunity at Stony Brook after seven years on Matta's staff as an assistant.
And on Wednesday, Jent met with the media for the first time since his return. He was an assistant with the Buckeyes under Matta during the 2012 and 2013 seasons before leaving to become an assistant coach with the Sacremento Kings in the NBA. He spent the past year as the head coach of the Bakersfield Jam in the NBA's Developmental League.
When Matta reached out about a potential return, though, Jent couldn't pass it up.
"It just, when leaving [the first time] I kind of had mixed feelings about leaving and then having the opportunity to come back, it made all the sense in the world and I was really happy when Thad had talked to me about coming back," he said. "I couldn’t get here quick enough. It was great.
“whatever it might be, I want to make sure I’m doing my best every single day to get that 1960 [national championship banner], get it some company up there on the wall.”– Chris Jent
“It was a quick decision. Thad asked me if I would be interested and I immediately said yes. ... It was a quick decision and I’m just very happy, I feel very much at home."
That last part of Jent's response is important. He played for Ohio State from 1988-92 and Matta referenced Jent's love for the school and the program when he discussed the decision last week.
It's something that's been discussed a ton recently. After four players transferred from the program following last season, Matta referenced the need to have players who want to play for Ohio State. The hope is that Jent will help instill that in the players and he'll recruit players who want to do just that, as well.
He will do it because he truly cares.
“I love the fact that [Jent's] appreciation for his university is second to none," Matta said. "This place being successful means a great deal to him. You go to school here, you play here, you meet your wife here, all those things."
Jent says he has learned from his previous experiences both at Ohio State and at the NBA level and he hopes to use those for his second go-round on Matta's staff. It's obvious Ohio State is important to him and his biggest goal is for his players to have that same sense of pride for the program.
"I’m going to bring an expectation of pride of school and a level of play," he said. "The way I played, I don’t coach the same way outwardly, but inside when we’re in the practice gym, I make my message pretty clear and it’s nice that Coach allows us to voice those opinions and have some freedom as assistant coaches.”
Many people viewed Ohio State's hiring of Jent as a coach-in-waiting type of deal, that he would replace Matta whenever Matta's time comes to an end as the head coach of the Buckeyes. He certainly didn't deny that interest, but also stated he's firmly committed to getting Ohio State back to what it was during his first stint on the coaching staff.
"To say that you wouldn't want to be the head coach at Ohio State, I don't think there's too many people who would say no, I don't want to be the head coach at Ohio State," he said. "But my job is to help Thad Matta and to get better in every facet of the college game. ... I'm here to get better and I'm here to help the program succeed as it has in the past."
Jent was a key part of the program's past both as a player and as a coach. He's now hoping to be just as big a part of its future, as well.
“I want to attack every day," Jent said. "I really want to help this program every day and whether it be recruiting, having a conversation with one of the guys, helping them understand their academic responsibilities, whatever it might be, I want to make sure I’m doing my best every single day to get that 1960 [national championship banner], get it some company up there on the wall."
