Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler made yet another addition to his 2024-25 staff on Thursday, hiring former Baylor director of basketball operations Luke Simons as an assistant coach. Simons, 46, joins the program with eight years of collegiate experience and an additional seven years of international coaching.
“I’m excited to welcome Luke as he’s going to be a great addition to our staff,” Diebler said in a statement. “He has the ability to connect with players at every level and his versatility is really important. He’s been on staff at the collegiate level, and he has international coaching experience as well. Those experiences are going to be valuable for our program as we move forward.”
Simons has spent the last two seasons as the director of basketball operations under head coach Bryce Drew’s staff at Baylor. In those two years, the Bears amassed a 47-22 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in both seasons. He also held the same position at both Boston College in 2021-22 and College of Charleston from 2019-21.
Like many coaches on Diebler’s new-look staff, Simons has connections with the Buckeyes’ leader in previous college basketball coaching stints. Diebler and Simons were on the same staff at Vanderbilt from 2016-19, with Diebler serving as an assistant coach under Scott Drew and Simons serving as director of scouting. The two also were on the same staff and had the same roles at Valparaiso during the 2015-16, where the two helped lead the Crusaders to a program-record 30 wins and a Horizon League Championship.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Simons also brings some international flair, having served as an assistant coach and director of player development for the Mongolian National Team from 2012-15. There, he helped guide the team to the final round of the 2015 Asian Games.
A Shelbyville, Ind., native, Simons graduated from Purdue with a bachelor’s degree in movement and sports science.
Simons is the fourth hiring Diebler has made to his staff since he was named full-time head coach on March 17. He first hired former USC Upstate head coach and longtime Thad Matta assistant as an assistant coach on March 25, then grabbed Joel Justus from NC State following its Final Four run on Monday to serve as his associate head coach. Diebler also hired former Grand Canyon University’s Jamall Walker as an assistant on Wednesday.
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