Under the radar Diebler quickly gaining attention

	Jon Diebler, who will be headed to Ohio State next season, already has games of 77 and 60 points. Randy Roberts/The Courier

Jon Diebler, a 6-foot-7 senior point guard at Upper Sandusky (Ohio), may be one of the best kept secrets in high school basketball, but if he keeps exploding for 60-point outbursts, that won't last long.

Having already scored 77 points in a 105-100 overtime victory against Tiffin Columbian (Ohio) last season, Diebler had 60 points in a wild 100-98 loss to Xavier (Cincinnati) last week against Xavier's imposing frontline that stands 6-9, 6-6, and 6-5. Through five games, he is averaging 42.8 points and 15.8 rebounds while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 84.9 percent from the free throw line.

Though flying under the national radar so far this season, the versatile Diebler long ago caught the attention of Ohio State coach Thad Matta, who signed him in November, and Diebler thinks his game will fit in with the Buckeyes. "We press a lot and trap," Diebler says of Upper Sandusky's high-octane style. "Our goal is to shoot 30 threes per game as a team. We love to run. Our defense helps create the running game because we force 20 to 30 turnovers per game."

A coach's son and a gym rat, the versatile Diebler was destined to be a basketball player. "I remember always going in the gym," says Diebler, whose father, Keith, is his head coach. "I remember dribbling a little ball around when I was two years old."

As a second grader, Diebler began to make his presence felt on the court. His father appointed him to be a team manager and charged him with preparing water bottles and other tasks. Before he got to the bottles, though, he began shooting on the sidelines and generally neglected his team duties. As a third grader at Hilfiker Elementary, Diebler started at point guard for the fifth grade team. When he was a ball boy in third, fourth and fifth grades, Jon became a celebrity at varsity games during the halftime shooting contests. People would pay a dollar to shoot a three-pointer to win $3. He was a popular choice to serve as the designated shooter and often made the shot.

"He always gave it [the prize money] back," his father says. "He just wanted to shoot."

Toward the end of his eighth grade season, Jon was given a wakeup call by his older brother, Jake, who told him if he wanted to make the varsity as a freshman he had to put in the hours. "I give all the credit to my brother and dad because they pushed me," Diebler says.

His father took notice, too. "When he got the work ethic, he just exploded," says the elder Diebler. "Once he developed that explosive first step to get to the rim that was the full package."