Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler filled out his 2024-25 coaching staff on Monday when he hired Northwestern assistant coach Talor Battle as his fifth and final assistant coach.
Battle, 35, has spent the last four seasons in coaching after a record-setting playing career at Penn State, where he became the program’s all-time leading scorer at 2,213 career points.
“Talor has great experience in the Big Ten both as a player and as a coach and I’m excited to welcome him to the Buckeye family,” Diebler said in a statement. “He is elite at player development which is evident by the success Northwestern has had the past couple of seasons. He has the ability to recruit at a high level and knows what it takes to be successful in this conference. I’ve known Talor for quite a while and I’m looking forward to working alongside him as we take the next step as a pro.”
Battle served as an assistant on head coach Chirs Collins’ staff at Northwestern from 2021-24, helping the Wildcats to a 22-12 record (12-8 in Big Ten) and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons from 2022-24. He was also integral in the development and success of two of the Wildcats’ top backcourt performers during this period, guards Chase Audige and Battle’s younger brother, Boo Buie.
Audige was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year as a fifth-year senior in 2022-23 – the first Wildcat to win the award since 1994 – while also earning All-Big Ten honors, while Buie was named first-team All-Big Ten the past two seasons and became the program’s all-time leading scorer at 2,187 career points.
Before his stint at Northwestern, Battle spent one season as an assistant at his alma mater Penn State in 2020-21, helping the Nittany Lions to an 11-14 overall record and 7-12 mark in the Big Ten.
Battle made his biggest mark at Penn State as a player, however. Serving as the team’s starting point guard from 2008-11, he averaged 16.5 points per game on 40.3 percent shooting while also tacking on 4.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 11 steals per game. He earned an honorable mention All-American honor in 2011 and two All-Big Ten nods in 2009 and 2010, and helped the Nittany Lions secure an NIT Championship in 2009.
Battle, who also played professionally overseas for seven seasons before returning to Penn State, now fills out a versatile and experienced Ohio State staff that includes associate head coach Dave Dickerson along with assistants Joel Justus, Luke Simons and Jamall Walker, each of whom were hired by Diebler earlier this spring.
