College basketball coaching carousel updates: Long Beach State keeping Monson

If there’s anything to learn from Utah State, it’s that the coaching carousel in college basketball has begun.

Utah State's loss to Boise State in the Mountain West Tournament last Sunday marked the end of head coach Kayla Ard's tenure with the team.

In the days that followed, Long Beach State announced it was parting ways with head coach Dan Monson, and all he did was take the 49ers to the NCAA Tournament via winning the Big West Conference.

Back to Utah State first.

After the Aggies lost 85-49, Ard had a very quick press conference and revealed in stunning fashion that she had been fired moments earlier.

"How do you plan to rebuild for next season?" a reporter asked.

"I'm not going to be rebuilding. I just coached my last game at Utah State," she said. "I spoke with (athletic director) Diana (Sabau) and they are going in a different direction. And I respect the decision and I hope they get a really good coach."

She then turned to a moderator, saying, "I'm assuming that is going to be the last question," before walking off.

Ard spent four seasons at Utah State, including this season where her team went 5-25 and 2-16 in conference play.

'It's time for a change': ASU basketball fans call for head coach Bobby Hurley to be fired

With March Madness just around the corner, it's likely Ard's dismissal will just be the first of many. As the regular season wound down, we took a look at coaches on the hot seat across the country.

Long Beach State in tournament after deciding to split with coach

Five days ago, Dan Monson agreed to leave his position as head coach of Long Beach State whenever its season ended.

He'll still be in charge a few more days.

Monson will coach into next week after the Beach clinched a spot in the men's NCAA Tournament Saturday by beating UC Davis 74-70 in the Big West tournament final, capping off what has been a wild week for Long Beach State.

"When Jim Harbaugh says 'who's got it better than him?' Somebody needs to tell him Dan Monson," Monson said in his on-court interview after the game.

— USA Today

Ohio State officially announces Diebler as men’s head coach

Ohio State has officially hired Jake Diebler as its full-time men’s basketball coach, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

Named the interim coach with six games left in the regular season, Diebler helped lead the Buckeyes to a 5-1 finish, a first-round Big Ten Tournament bye and a win against Iowa that helped put them into the NCAA Tournament conversation.

"Jake Diebler possesses all of the characteristics we were seeking as we conducted a very comprehensive and thorough search for a new head coach," incoming athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement. "Those include coaching ability, passion, energy, program knowledge, character, integrity and ties to Ohio. As an Ohio native, the son of a longtime Ohio high school coach and with deep connections to Ohio State, Jake knows what it takes to lead this program on a championship course."

It is the first head coaching job for Diebler, 37, an Ohio native who is in his second stint with the program. Hired as an assistant for the 2018-19 season, Diebler has been associate head coach for the past two seasons before being promoted to interim coach when Chris Holtmann was fired on Valentine’s Day. Later that day, retiring athletic director Gene Smith said the move was made to give the Buckeyes a spark with roughly a third of the season remaining.

Diebler has signed a five-year contract. He is the first Ohioan to be named the men's basketball head coach since Randy Ayers, a Springfield native, was promoted from assistant to head coach in 1989.

"It’s a blessing and a privilege to serve this program and I’m excited for this opportunity," Diebler said. "I’d like to thank Ross Bjork and President (Ted) Carter for believing in me and the vision that I have moving forward. Ohio State basketball is special and means so much to me and my family. I look forward to serving the entire Ohio State basketball family as best as I possibly can."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: College basketball coaching carousel: Long Beach State keeping Monson