What We Learned From Ohio State Basketball’s Summer Practices

College basketball chatter in the middle of July is rare anywhere, but it’s especially rare in Columbus — a city that spends its summers almost exclusively talking football. Yet here we are: less than two weeks before Big Ten Football Media Days, Jake Diebler has people genuinely excited about Ohio State basketball. And it’s not because of a flashy transfer portal haul. It’s because of what’s happening in the practice gym.

With an international exhibition trip to Puerto Rico on the horizon, Diebler has opened practices to media multiple times this summer, offering a real window into how a retooled Buckeyes roster is coming together. Between an emphasis on defensive discipline, an open competition for leadership, and a roster that finally looks bigger and deeper than in recent years, here’s everything we learned from Ohio State’s summer work.

A New-Look Roster Built for More Size and Depth

Ohio State returns just two starters from last season’s team, which lost to TCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Rather than treat that as a setback, Diebler has used it as an opportunity to reshape the roster’s identity — and early returns suggest he’s succeeded. The Buckeyes’ roster now features eight new players, including four transfers and four freshmen, giving the program a different look than it’s had in recent years.

Diebler didn’t chase a single marquee transfer portal splash the way some fans hoped. Instead, he brought in a mix of proven college veterans and two headline-grabbing freshmen. Five-star forward Anthony Thompson, a 6-foot-9, 219-pound wing from Lebanon, Ohio, has been the centerpiece of the buzz, praised for his combination of size, length, and perimeter comfort. He’s since been joined by five-star guard LJ Smith, who reclassified from the 2027 class to join the Buckeyes a year early after graduating high school ahead of schedule.

On the backcourt front, Justin Pippen — son of Scottie Pippen, a transfer from Cal-Berkeley — is in line to start at point guard, while transfers Jimmie Williams (Duquesne) and Curtis Givens III (Memphis) figure to provide instant scoring off the bench after averaging more than 15 and 9.4 points per game, respectively, at their previous schools. Add in the return of sharpshooting guard John Mobley Jr. and sophomore forward Amare Bynum, and Diebler summed up his outlook simply: he loves the talent, the depth, and the size he now has to work with — a notable departure from where the program has been the last couple of seasons.

Defense Is the Clear Emphasis Early

If there’s one theme that has defined Ohio State’s summer practices, it’s defense. Diebler has been noticeably more intense with his players as the Puerto Rico trip approaches, repeatedly stopping drills to correct errors — particularly on the defensive end — and coaching players up in real time, sometimes sternly.

That focus isn’t arbitrary. Ohio State struggled to defend the rim last season, and fixing that is a clear priority heading into 2026-27. Thompson’s size and length at forward could help address that issue directly, and he’s already said he’s working specifically on his perimeter defense to ensure he can stay on the floor in all situations. In Thompson’s own words, he believes his game is built to guard multiple positions and contribute across the board — exactly the kind of versatility Diebler is looking to build his rotation around.

Leadership Is Being Earned, Not Assumed

With so many new faces in the program, Diebler has made it clear that leadership on this team won’t be handed out by default — it’s something players are actively being evaluated on throughout the summer. John Mobley Jr. has already stood out in that department, but Diebler has been explicit that he needs more players to step into that role alongside him.

That evaluation process is part of the larger strategy behind the Puerto Rico trip itself. Diebler has intentionally limited how much scouting his staff will do on Ohio State’s eventual opponents, preferring to let his players face adversity with limited preparation. The idea is simple: force players to communicate, adjust on the fly, and figure things out together in real time, all of which reveals who naturally rises to a leadership role under pressure.

Why the Puerto Rico Trip Matters

Ohio State will travel to Puerto Rico from July 31 through August 5, playing two scrimmages as part of a foreign tour permitted under a new NCAA rule that now allows international trips every offseason rather than just once every four years. Programs that take these trips are also granted 10 additional practices beforehand — a significant head start on integrating new faces before official fall workouts begin.

For a Buckeyes roster this unfamiliar with itself, Diebler sees the trip as far more than a scheduling formality. It’s a chance to accelerate game-like situations, learn how his new group handles adversity together, and build the kind of organic chemistry that’s difficult to manufacture in practice alone. With the team’s original plans to travel to Israel falling through due to circumstances outside the program’s control, Puerto Rico emerged as a strong late alternative — one Diebler has embraced as a big-time opportunity against unfamiliar competition.

Beyond the on-court benefits, the trip doubles as a bonding experience. Ohio State’s roster already has an organic camaraderie forming through informal team activities, but putting the entire group — players, coaches, and staff — on the road together for nearly a week is expected to deepen those relationships in a way day-to-day practice in Columbus can’t replicate.

What Comes Next

The Puerto Rico trip is just the beginning of Ohio State’s offseason preparation. The Buckeyes will also play three exhibition games ahead of the regular season, including a matchup against Cincinnati as part of the Caresource Invitational, an outdoor event in Mason, Ohio, along with a closed-door scrimmage and another exhibition in front of fans.

Diebler has framed all of this — the practices, the trip, the exhibitions — as building blocks toward a checklist of fundamentals he wants the team to have covered before Puerto Rico, and further refined before Big Ten play begins in earnest. None of these games will count in the standings, but for a coach trying to build real chemistry and identity out of a roster with eight new faces, every rep matters.

Final Thoughts

Ohio State basketball rarely commands headlines in the middle of July, but this summer has been different. Between a five-star freshman class headlined by Anthony Thompson and LJ Smith, a defensively-focused practice environment, an open leadership competition, and a newly permitted international trip to Puerto Rico, Jake Diebler is laying the groundwork for a team that looks bigger, deeper, and more talented than the group that exited the NCAA Tournament early last spring.

Whether that talent translates into results won’t be clear until the games start to matter. But for a program looking to reestablish itself as a Big Ten contender, the foundation being built this summer through defense, depth, and hard-earned leadership — is exactly the kind of groundwork Buckeye fans have been waiting to see.