"Got to be okay being uncomfortable": Ohio State HC Jake Diebler sends clear message to junior year star ahead of new season

Ohio State coach Jake Diebler led the Buckeyes to the first round of the Big Ten tournament championship, where they lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Despite being in the bubble, the Buckeyes fell short of an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament during Diebler's first full season at the helm.

Ahead of his second season in charge, Diebler spoke to the media on Sunday about one of the Buckeyes' top returning players, forward Devin Royal and what he needs to do to go up another level next season.

“Yeah, he’s (Royal) got to be okay being uncomfortable this summer. And, listen, he can do it,” Jake Diebler said (23:30). “The one thing about Devin, he’s got a really high basketball IQ and, at the end of the day, he’s going to find a way to be productive. He’s always done that in his entire career at every level. That production has got to look a little different but we can’t completely go away from some of the things that makes him special."

Diebler further detailed that the difference in Royal's game would need to be defensive and not offensive.

“In fact, I don’t really have a whole of worry offensively," Diebler said. "Defensively, it’s going to be an adjustment for him. You know, he’s been able to wrestle with guys inside most of his career. Now he’s got to be able to be on the perimeter more, identify different – it’s a different type of coverage, right."

During his first season in Columbus, Devin Royal averaged 4.7 points on 50.9% shooting from the floor and 15% shooting from beyond the arc, 2.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists but under Jake Diebler, his production jumped to 13.7 points on 52.5% shooting from the floor and 27.6% shooting from beyond the arc, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

---

Jake Diebler reveals team changes ahead of next season

While speaking to the media on Sunday, Jake Diebler revealed the changes that he will enforce on the Ohio State Buckeyes' team structure next season to take his team to the next level.

“We’re changing up some things,” Diebler said. “They’re not wholesale changes, but we’re adjusting some things offensively that chemistry’s going to be important. There’s going to be a lot more space on the court, which was something we tried to do going into last season but as the season wore on, we weren’t able to do at the level we wanted to."

Ahead of next season, Jake Diebler will welcome back three of his top four scorers from last season, including Devin Royal, Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr.