Ohio State hiring NC State assistant coach Joel Justus to Jake Diebler's coaching staff
Ohio State has hired Joel Justus as the program’s new associate head coach, the program announced on Monday afternoon. Justus was previously with the NC State Wolfpack and is fresh off a Final Four appearance under Kevin Keatts. Now, he will head to Columbus to work alongside newly-hired Jake Diebler.
“Joel is someone I have known for a while and I’m excited to have him join our staff,” Diebler said in a statement. “He is a well-rounded coach with great experience in the development and recruiting spaces, while winning everywhere he’s been. His vision for building a program and developing a winning culture is something I was looking for and I can’t wait for him to get started.”
Hiring somebody who was playing in the Final Four a couple of days ago is never a bad sign. Justus went on an incredible run with the Wolfpack, winning five games in five days at the ACC Tournament and then winning four NCAA Tournament games.
Arguably none sweeter than taking down in-state rival Duke in the Elite Eight to punch the program’s first Final Four ticket since 1983.
Justus spent just two seasons with NC State and will now coach in the Big Ten for the first time in his career. Previously, Justus was out West with the Arizona State Sun Devils for a season. This will mark his third job in four seasons.
Most well known for being on John Calipari‘s staff at Kentucky, Justus has worked with some of the best players in the country before they eventually were selected in the NBA Draft. His official NC State bio credits him for helping with the developments of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ashton Hagans, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, Tyrese Maxey, and Immanuel Quickley.
Kentucky had an immense amount of team success with Justus on staff too. Deep NCAA Tournament runs and SEC conference championships were brought back to Lexington. Something the Wildcats cannot say too often ever since Justus left following the 2016-2017 season.
A new challenge is ahead of Justus at Ohio State, though. He should wind up being a great hire for Diebler as he experiences being a head coach for the first time in his career. Having a veteran assistant such as Justus should make the process a lot smoother early on.