Ohio State hires Diebler as permanent coach

Ohio State has removed the interim tag and named Jake Diebler its permanent head coach, the school announced Sunday.

Diebler signed a five-year deal with the Buckeyes.

"Jake Diebler possesses all of the characteristics we were seeking as we conducted a very comprehensive and thorough search for a new head coach," Ross Bjork, Ohio State's senior advisor of intercollegiate athletics, said in a statement. "Those include coaching ability, passion, energy, program knowledge, character, integrity, and ties to Ohio.

"As an Ohio native, the son of a longtime Ohio high school coach, and with deep connections to Ohio State, Jake knows what it takes to lead this program on a championship course."

Diebler led the Buckeyes to a 6-2 record as interim coach following the dismissal of Chris Holtmann on Feb. 14.

Ohio State finished ninth in the Big Ten regular season with a 9-11 record. The Buckeyes lost to Illinois in the quarterfinals of their conference tournament Friday.

Diebler had been the associate head coach under Holtmann for three seasons before being tapped for the interim role. He was the assistant coach at Vanderbilt before joining the Buckeyes' staff.

His brother, Jon Diebler, played four seasons at Ohio State and is the program's all-time leader in made threes.

DePaul recently hired Holtmann as head coach.