Video: Ohio State’s Jake Diebler as Columbus Crew’s “Match Ignitor”
Ohio State coach Jake Diebler is the Columbus Crew’s “Match Ignitor” for a Leagues Cup match against NYCFC on October 17, 2024.
Before he can attack the metaphorical wall that represents his upcoming first season as Ohio State’s head coach, Jake Diebler had to deal with a more tangible wall.
On a muggy Saturday night, Diebler stood next to the official match ball that would be used at Lower.com Field when the Columbus Crew hosted NYCFC in a League Cup quarterfinal match. Wearing a yellow Crew jersey with the number 33 and his last name on the back, Diebler was less than an hour away from serving as the team’s official “Match Ignitor” and getting things started. Just before kickoff, Diebler was scheduled to break through a fake brick wall in the heart of the Nordecke fan block, squeeze a plunger to set off a loud explosion and inflame the home fans even more.
From the field, Diebler looked on with an appreciative eye. Although he had been to the Crew’s former home, now known as Historic Crew Stadium, this was his first foray into the stadium, which opened in 2021.
“I’ve always followed the sport (since I played in high school), and obviously the Columbus Crew is a big deal in this city and our whole state, so I’m happy to be here,” he told The Dispatch. “My favorite (football) memory was the fans and how passionate the fans were. Then when you get a chance to watch the Crew on TV, you see how passionate the fans are. I’m excited to see and feel that passion, and maybe, just maybe, we can bring some of that to the Schott this year.”
Before fans flock to Value City Arena for the 2024-25 season, Diebler and the Buckeyes have a long to-do list that starts today. By the end of the weekend, Diebler said, all 14 members of the roster should arrive on campus and begin the fall semester.
What do Ques Glover and Ivan Njegovan give Ohio State?
It will be the first time the entire roster has been together. Ohio State practiced with a 12-man roster all summer before officially announcing veteran transfer guard Ques Glover and Croatian center Ivan Njegovan in late July. Both were low-profile additions brought in to bolster depth at needed positions: Njegovan gives the Buckeyes another big man to fill the frontcourt, while Glover adds another needed veteran player in the backcourt after Taison Chatman was sidelined by a season-ending knee injury he suffered early in summer practice.
“I’m really excited about the versatility of the lineup that we’re going to be able to work with and I’m excited about the competition that’s going to happen in practice,” Diebler said. “I think it’s something that’s going to give us some really good practices, guys are going to compete against each other and it’s that iron sharpens the iron mentality. That’s how we’re going to continue to grow and improve and I think it’s going to help us grow and improve quickly.”
Not only will the Buckeyes finally have their full roster, but they will be fully healthy, aside from Chatman. Several players have been out over the summer with injuries that Diebler has repeatedly described as minor, noting that most of them could have been played through if we were in the middle of the season rather than in the summer.
“We expect everyone to be available,” Diebler said. “I’ve been planning for some time now what the first few weeks here will look like, and I’m looking forward to having everyone on the court at the same time and, most importantly, healthy. We were a little banged up this summer.”
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Glover comes to the Buckeyes after playing at Florida, Samford, BYU and most recently Kansas State over the past five years. He missed the 2023-24 season due to a knee injury and has made 99 total appearances, scoring more than 1,000 points. Diebler said he first saw Glover at Knoxville (Tenn.) Bearden’s prep basketball practice when he was the coach at Vanderbilt. When recruiting Glover, Diebler said he talked to Kansas State coach Jerome Tang about him.
“Good playmaker,” Diebler said of Glover. “Gifted scorer. Good speed with the ball in his hands and can pressure the ball defensively as well. He definitely established himself as a really good scorer in the college game when he was healthy. I know it didn’t work out at Kansas State, but they were expecting him to really have a big impact for them last year before he got hurt.”
Njegovan is the first international player the Buckeyes have signed since Amedeo Della Valle arrived from Italy in 2012. Described as a talented big man who stands 7’1″ and weighs 250 pounds, Njegovan was discovered by assistant coach Joel Justus, who knew some of the people in the Croatian’s inner circle.
“I really like his skill level,” Diebler said. “We thought that the guys we brought in could really give us more flexibility in the lineup with a little more skill. That came about through some relationships we had certainly internationally, but also with agents.”
While Diebler said he did not travel to Croatia during Njegovan’s recruitment, he hopes to go abroad in the next recruiting cycle – not just to visit, but to give Ohio State an international recruiting exposure.
“This will allow us to look at more players to make sure we find the right ones,” said Diebler. “It’s something we’ll be doing consciously. We’ll see. I don’t know how many there are each year, but we’re definitely focused on evaluating the international environment more thoroughly.”
Bruce Thornton and Meechie Johnson take the lead
Right now, the focus is on starting the 2024-25 preseason as efficiently as possible. Injuries and an incomplete roster meant that Ohio State was not necessarily limited over the summer, but also was not able to accomplish quite as much as the coaches would have liked.
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Before tearing down a wall, Diebler listed three veterans who were particularly influential leaders over the summer and who could be counted on to help the Buckeyes make rapid progress in the fall.
“Bruce (Thornton)’s development as a leader has been really impressive,” Diebler said. “He’s comfortable and I think he knows that I need him as my extension on the court and that I can push him hard. The relationship that Meechie (Johnson) and I have had for so long helps him gain confidence with his voice even though he hasn’t been here for a couple years. A guy like Micah Parrish, I want to continue to challenge him to be a vocal leader because he’s seen a lot, he’s made big plays, he’s been where we want to be and he can bring a lot of value from that standpoint as well. Even though this is his first time in Columbus, we want him to use his voice.
“I’m excited. I believe the leadership role will be a real strength for us.”
Starting today, this will be put to the test.
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