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Ross Bjork Says Promoting Jake Diebler to Head Coach Was a “No-Brainer”

Jake Diebler seemed to be the answer to every question Ross Bjork had during Ohio State's search for its next men's head basketball coach.

When Bjork was named Ohio State's new athletic director on Jan. 16, a position he will officially step into when Gene Smith retires on July 1, his first major decision came quickly: Who will lead the OSU men's basketball team going forward?

On Feb. 14, following a loss at Wisconsin, the Buckeyes fired Chris Holtmann. A little over a month later, Ohio State promoted Diebler from interim coach to its full-time head coach, a decision Bjork said was quite easy after seeing what the former Ohio State assistant did on and off the court and the praise and cheers he received from others.