Justin Pippen has joined Jake Diebler’s squad at Ohio State. Diebler started his college basketball run with the Michigan Wolverines in 2024. After just one season, he transferred to the California Golden Bears.
Pippen is the son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen and the younger brother of the Memphis Grizzlies’ Scotty Pippen Jr. Last season with the Bears, he averaged 14.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.
Even though Pippen played 28 games for the Wolverines, he was limited to just 6.6 minutes per game coming off the bench. He had a bigger responsibility with the Golden Bears, starting all 32 games while averaging over 30 minutes per outing.
Now with the Ohio State Buckeyes, he is expected to play a huge role. As a combo guard who can play at both ends and facilitate well for the team, Pippen will have bigger responsibilities under Jake Diebler’s leadership.
Buckeyes star Devin Royal is leaving this year, and that will only create more space for Pippen. He will be expected to fill a similar role. At 6’3, Pippen has the right frame, and he has spent two years playing for good programs, so the Buckeyes will benefit from his experience as well.
The Ohio State Buckeyes didn’t have a good run this season. They went 12-8 in the Big Ten Conference and 21-13 overall. They lost to the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Tournament.
Their NCAA Tournament run was also a disaster. The Buckeyes faced the TCU Horned Frogs in the first round of the tournament and lost 64-66. At the time, there was a huge uproar about Diebler being the program’s head coach.
As of now, it’s clear that Diebler will return with the Buckeyes next season.
Jake Diebler’s Emotional Message for Bruce Thornton
Diebler has been with the Ohio State Buckeyes since 2019. He initially joined as an assistant coach and became the head coach of the program in 2024. At the end of the 2025-26 season, Diebler had to bid farewell to Bruce Thornton.
Thornton joined the program in 2022. The 6’2 guard was a four-star recruit, and he played his last game for Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. After his last game, Diebler was asked what he would like to say to Thornton.
“That I love him,” he said. “That he’ll always be a part of our family. And I think it’s not just him, it’s all those guys. Like those guys bought into what we wanted to do, and we took an important step for our program. And he was a huge, huge reason for that.”
Diebler will be under pressure to deliver next season. After back-to-back disappointing seasons, he has to rebuild a great roster to compete for the national title.
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