Ohio’s nepotism laws have prevented Ohio State men’s basketball coach Jake Diebler from hiring his brother, Jon, to his coaching staff.
There’s no law against coaching against him, however.
On Oct. 25, the Buckeyes will host Butler, where Jon Diebler is an assistant coach, in a public exhibition game at the Schottenstein Center, which will bring back Ohio State’s all-time 3-point shooting leader. It is the second preseason exhibition the Buckeyes have announced. They will also be part of an all-Ohio outdoor doubleheader.
From 2007-11, Jon Diebler scored 1,536 points and made a program-record 374 3s before beginning a professional career. He is now in his fifth year on staff at Butler.
Jake Diebler, Jon’s older brother, is in his third year as Ohio State’s head coach. The two played together in high school, bringing the 2005 Ohio Division II championship to Upper Sandusky while going 27-0. They were inducted into the school’s athletics hall of fame together in 2022.
That isn’t the only tie between the programs. Butler coach Ronald Norad is in his first season replacing coach Thad Matta, who is Ohio State’s all-time winningest coach with 337 career wins from 2005-17. Matta coached at Butler in 2000-01 and then from 2022-26 and is also an alumnus of the university.
Jake Diebler welcomed Matta to Ohio State this summer during the program’s annual “Vet Week” camp, which invites former players back to practice with the current team. Not only did Matta coach Jon Diebler at Ohio State, but he hired Jake Diebler as his video coordinator in 2013.
When Matta retired during the spring, Jake Diebler told reporters that it was “not good for college basketball” to lose him as an active coach.
Ohio State will also play Cincinnati on Oct. 7 as part of the CareSource Invitational that will include a game between Dayton and Xavier. That will be played at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
Broadcast information and the tip time for the Butler exhibition will be announced at a later date. Tickets will be included with all Ohio State season-ticket packages, and single-game tickets are set to go on sale during the fall.
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State to host Butler, former Buckeye Jon Diebler, in exhibition
Reporting by Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
