Belief, momentum, the connectedness a shared hardship brings, those things can only carry a program so far. Jake Diebler experienced all three of those edges in his first 11 games after taking over as Ohio State basketball head coach.
That’s not to say he can’t build long-term success for the Buckeyes. Incoming athletic director Ross Bjork wouldn’t have hired him over the selection of outside candidates available if he didn’t believe that to be the case.
But it’s irrefutably something the first-year head coach still needs to prove.
Diebler delivered his first evidence of long-term viability in a 22-hour stretch from 8:16 p.