Football season might be in full swing, but behind the scenes Ohio State basketball is preparing for its first full season under the guidance of Jake Diebler.
The Buckeyes held their first official practice on Monday and opened a portion of the training session for the media to view. Diebler met with the Buckeyes' media beforehand to discuss a variety of preseason topics, saying he and his staff have laid a “good foundation” in the leadup to the start of preseason practice.
Outside of Taison Chatman, who is out for the season with a torn ACL, the Buckeyes are in a good place health-wise. The Buckeyes will need all their pieces healthy and as developed as possible because their early schedule is no joke. They play five Power Conference opponents in non-conference action including a season opener against Texas in Las Vegas on Nov. 4.
"We've got to get ready for Big Ten play," Diebler said. "(It's) not just Power Five but really good Power Five teams (we face). So excited about our non-conference schedule."
Diebler also addressed what he wants his team's year-one identity to be, touched on the adjustment for incoming transfers, talked about how his squad is building chemistry and more in an 11-minute interview that can be viewed at the top of the page.
"I want our former players and the people that have come before us to be really proud of the way we play," Diebler said. "With a toughness, with an urgency, with a togetherness that when people turn on the TV or they come to the Schott to watch us – especially our former players – they look out there and are like, 'Those guys are representing us well.'"
“I want our former players and the people that have come before us to be really proud of the way we play. With a toughness, with an urgency, with a togetherness.”– Jake Diebler
Diebler went straight from that interview to coaching his team in its first practice of the preseason. Only drills and shooting sessions were open to the media so no information about lineups could be gathered, though much of those fine details are still to be determined with more than a month before the Buckeyes' first game.
However, two primary things stood out from watching the practice. First is the pace at which Ohio State is training. There was hardly any time between drills, the team was in constant motion and Diebler coached with energy and intensity.
Second is the focus on shooting. The Buckeyes spent more time on 3-point shooting – combined with some passing and dribbling skills to set shooters up – than any other element of the game during Monday’s open portion of practice and each player on the roster was involved. The final period open to the media was spent working on free throw shooting.
Through it all Diebler stayed hands-on with developing his team, and that is meant literally as he jumped in multiple drills to either guard or be guarded by his players.
Ohio State has a charity exhibition game scheduled with Cincinnati on Oct. 18 before it opens its 2024-25 campaign against the Longhorns on Nov. 4.
