1 day ago
There was no mistaking the message being emphasized to the Ohio State men's basketball team.
Starting with a July 20 practice, the Buckeyes were spending a full week focusing on one side of the court. It's the end where opponents have gotten what they have mostly wanted for the past several seasons, and it was the primary focal point as coach Jake Diebler looked ahead to a looming exhibition trip to Puerto Rico.
Defense topped the plans, an emphasis that even carried over to the weight room.
"At any moment, (Diebler) makes us drop down, get in a stance and hold it," guard Curtis Givens III said after a July 21 practice. "This week we're just trying to get better at defense and understanding our defensive concepts better."
That emphasis is not just for the two games the Buckeyes will play in Puerto Rico. It wasn't until the end of the week that Ohio State even got copies of the rosters for its forthcoming foes.
#diebler #rico
Starting with a July 20 practice, the Buckeyes were spending a full week focusing on one side of the court. It's the end where opponents have gotten what they have mostly wanted for the past several seasons, and it was the primary focal point as coach Jake Diebler looked ahead to a looming exhibition trip to Puerto Rico.
Defense topped the plans, an emphasis that even carried over to the weight room.
"At any moment, (Diebler) makes us drop down, get in a stance and hold it," guard Curtis Givens III said after a July 21 practice. "This week we're just trying to get better at defense and understanding our defensive concepts better."
That emphasis is not just for the two games the Buckeyes will play in Puerto Rico. It wasn't until the end of the week that Ohio State even got copies of the rosters for its forthcoming foes.
#diebler #rico
2 days ago
We are deep into the offseason for the Ohio State basketball team, but the incoming freshmen have joined the fray and are going through workouts with all of the other pieces that have returned or were a part of the transfer portal haul. One of those freshmen is guard Alex Smith, a local product just a few miles from campus in Upper Arlington.
Many know about five-star freshman Anthony Thompson, but Smith is a bit of an unknown to most casual OSU fans, so the Ohio State Hoops X account decided to share a short video for you to get to know the 6-foot, 9-inch, power forward with a deft shooting touch.
"Alex showed up on campus ready to work. The one thing I know about Alex is his shooting will translate from Day 1," Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler said ... "I love the fact that Alex is from close by. He's a Buckeye fan. Has been his entire life, and this program means something to him, and you can't have too much of that in your locker room."
Buckeye Nation should expect a high-energy, high-character player who can shoot the ball and has a high IQ," Smith said about himself ... "Growing up just down the street, it means a lot to be a Buckeye. I know what it takes to be a Buckeye, and I know the basketball fan base was always really strong, so it really does mean a lot. I take pride in being a Buckeye."
It's great that Ohio State is sharing these videos to give Ohio State fans a taste of what the newcomers are all about as they begin their careers in Columbus. We're sure there will be more, and as they are dropped, we'll have them for you.
#know
Many know about five-star freshman Anthony Thompson, but Smith is a bit of an unknown to most casual OSU fans, so the Ohio State Hoops X account decided to share a short video for you to get to know the 6-foot, 9-inch, power forward with a deft shooting touch.
"Alex showed up on campus ready to work. The one thing I know about Alex is his shooting will translate from Day 1," Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler said ... "I love the fact that Alex is from close by. He's a Buckeye fan. Has been his entire life, and this program means something to him, and you can't have too much of that in your locker room."
Buckeye Nation should expect a high-energy, high-character player who can shoot the ball and has a high IQ," Smith said about himself ... "Growing up just down the street, it means a lot to be a Buckeye. I know what it takes to be a Buckeye, and I know the basketball fan base was always really strong, so it really does mean a lot. I take pride in being a Buckeye."
It's great that Ohio State is sharing these videos to give Ohio State fans a taste of what the newcomers are all about as they begin their careers in Columbus. We're sure there will be more, and as they are dropped, we'll have them for you.
#know
20 days ago
Well, what do we have here? Based on multiple reports, the cows have come home, ******* has frozen over, and pigs have flown. That's because somewhere, somehow, the four most historic Ohio basketball programs are getting together to play an event on the same court. That's right. Ohio State, Cincinnati, Xavier, and Dayton are all set to play in the CareSource Invitational, an exhibition event to raise awareness and funds for mental health and suicide prevention.
So which of the other three teams will the Buckeyes play? They will be matched up with Cincinnati, while the other game will pit Dayton vs. Xavier. To add a little intrigue, the game will take place outdoors at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, home of the Cincinnati Open, on October 7, very early on in the preseason. If the weather becomes an issue, the event will be moved to UD Arena in Dayton. However, the preference is clearly to have this thing be an outdoor event to add to the atmosphere.
“I think this is great. This is great for the basketball community in Ohio. And it’s been a long time coming,” Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler said on Thursday. “I’ve been vocal about this since I first got the job and wanted something like this to happen. There are so many moving parts. There are so many moving parts to make something like this happen. It takes a lot of people. And I’m just excited. Everyone got together to make it happen.”
We've been calling for an annual event like this for a while here on Buckeyes Wire, and we'll have more on that later, but for now, the only way you can see the CareSource Invitational is to purchase tickets because it will not be televised. When information on how to get your hands on some tickets becomes available, we'll bring that information to you.
Contact/Follow us BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
So which of the other three teams will the Buckeyes play? They will be matched up with Cincinnati, while the other game will pit Dayton vs. Xavier. To add a little intrigue, the game will take place outdoors at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, home of the Cincinnati Open, on October 7, very early on in the preseason. If the weather becomes an issue, the event will be moved to UD Arena in Dayton. However, the preference is clearly to have this thing be an outdoor event to add to the atmosphere.
“I think this is great. This is great for the basketball community in Ohio. And it’s been a long time coming,” Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler said on Thursday. “I’ve been vocal about this since I first got the job and wanted something like this to happen. There are so many moving parts. There are so many moving parts to make something like this happen. It takes a lot of people. And I’m just excited. Everyone got together to make it happen.”
We've been calling for an annual event like this for a while here on Buckeyes Wire, and we'll have more on that later, but for now, the only way you can see the CareSource Invitational is to purchase tickets because it will not be televised. When information on how to get your hands on some tickets becomes available, we'll bring that information to you.
Contact/Follow us BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
23 days ago
Jake Diebler and the Ohio State basketball team may be in the middle of summer, but things are cooking for the Buckeyes. With the return of John Mobley Jr. and Amare Bynum, along with the additions of two five-star freshmen, OSU is hoping to make a run in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament this year. Diebler is trying to rebuild a program that hasn't had much success in recent years, and to do so, he'll need to keep adding talent to the roster.
The Henry name has become a fixture for Ohio State athletics. The Buckeyes welcomed Chris Henry Jr. to the football team earlier this year, and sister Seini Henry is a redshirt sophomore on the women's basketball team. Next in line is five-star forward DeMarcus Henry, whom Diebler hopes to lure to Columbus. He has held an offer from OSU since May of 2025. The younger brother is ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect by 247Sports, but has jumped up to the No. 3 player according to both Rivals and ESPN. He is the No. 1 small forward in the 2027 class.
There is no guarantee that the youngest son of former NFL star Chris Henry Sr. will come to Ohio State. However, having two older siblings already on campus can't hurt. For now, DeMarcus keeps rising up the rankings and could be another key piece in Diebler's rebuild of the Buckeyes.
Contact/Follow us BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Younger sibling of Chris Henry Jr. rising up the basketball rankings
The Henry name has become a fixture for Ohio State athletics. The Buckeyes welcomed Chris Henry Jr. to the football team earlier this year, and sister Seini Henry is a redshirt sophomore on the women's basketball team. Next in line is five-star forward DeMarcus Henry, whom Diebler hopes to lure to Columbus. He has held an offer from OSU since May of 2025. The younger brother is ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect by 247Sports, but has jumped up to the No. 3 player according to both Rivals and ESPN. He is the No. 1 small forward in the 2027 class.
There is no guarantee that the youngest son of former NFL star Chris Henry Sr. will come to Ohio State. However, having two older siblings already on campus can't hurt. For now, DeMarcus keeps rising up the rankings and could be another key piece in Diebler's rebuild of the Buckeyes.
Contact/Follow us BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Younger sibling of Chris Henry Jr. rising up the basketball rankings
1 month ago
There’s a standard Jake Diebler consistently references when he talks about the future of Ohio State men’s basketball.
On June 24, the man who laid that groundwork was back where it all took place. As the Buckeyes welcomed back former players to the Schottenstein Center for their annual “Vet Week” to practice against and help train the members of the current roster, former coach Thad Matta was also on hand to spend some time back with the program where he won a school-record 337 games from 2004-17.
Ohio State's early summer practices: 5 observations from Ohio State's early summer practices
Getting Matta back into the building had been a priority for Diebler, who got his official start with the program when he was hired by Matta as the program’s video coordinator in 2013.
“That’s been a long time coming,” Diebler said. “His influence on me as a coach and as a man, I’ve spoken about that before: he means the world to me and our family and he means a ton to our basketball family. Being able to get him back here says something about just how close this basketball family is.”
On June 24, the man who laid that groundwork was back where it all took place. As the Buckeyes welcomed back former players to the Schottenstein Center for their annual “Vet Week” to practice against and help train the members of the current roster, former coach Thad Matta was also on hand to spend some time back with the program where he won a school-record 337 games from 2004-17.
Ohio State's early summer practices: 5 observations from Ohio State's early summer practices
Getting Matta back into the building had been a priority for Diebler, who got his official start with the program when he was hired by Matta as the program’s video coordinator in 2013.
“That’s been a long time coming,” Diebler said. “His influence on me as a coach and as a man, I’ve spoken about that before: he means the world to me and our family and he means a ton to our basketball family. Being able to get him back here says something about just how close this basketball family is.”
