‘Other Diebler’ delivers in emergency promotion

Jake Diebler spent his entire adult life wearing a whistle, but the 35-yearold Ohio State men's basketball assistant coach had never been the guy in charge until Sunday.

Well, at least not technically. “I thought I was a head coach when I played, probably to the dismay of some of my teammates. I acted like it a little too much,” Diebler said, smiling after the Buckeyes defeated Northwestern 95-87 at Value City Arena.

This time, Diebler was the actual acting head coach, called upon to run the show after Chris Holtmann and top assistant Ryan Pedon were ruled out for the game due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Holtmann told his staff and players Saturday via Zoom that he tested positive twice and that he and Pedon would miss the game. Diebler would need to step in against Northwestern, supported by assistant coaches Tony Skinn and Mike Netti.