OSU Basketball Adds New, Familiar Face

Former Ohio State forward Chris Jent is proving you can go home again. In fact, he's showing you can do it over and over again.

The lanky 41-year old, best remembered for being the 'Charlie Hustle' of Ohio State basketball  from 1988-92, was unveiled Thursday as the newest assistant basketball coach under Thad Matta--replacing the resigned Brandon Miller. Miller stepped down a few weeks ago unexpectedly, citing burnout and the desire to spend more time with his family.

Jent was one of the most popular Buckeyes of his generation. The 6-6 lefthander energized the crowd with his frantic style and his teeth-gritting floor burns. He was the Robin to former OSU All-American Jim Jackson's Batman. 

After 10 years spent playing professionally, including a cup of coffee in the NBA and a championship ring for the 1994 Houston Rockets, Jent entered the coaching ranks where he was an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic. In 2005, he spent 18 games as the interim head coach of the Magic, before losing the job on a permanent basis to Brian Hill.

That season, Jent returned to Ohio State to finish his degree in communication. He also volunteered as an unpaid assistant for Matta, though NCAA rules prohibited the extent to which he could provide hands-on coaching. 

"We formed a relationship - a friendship," Matta said Thursday at Jent's introductory press conference. "He's somebody I've leaned on throughout the course of time."

Despite Matta's efforts to retain Jent on a permanent basis, he was offered -- and accepted -- a job with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jent spent the last five seasons with the Cavs as an assistant, earning the distinctive honor as being the personal shooting trainer of LeBron James until James left for Miami this past season. Jent meant so much to James, he reportedly asked Jent to follow him to Miami and transplant his coaching talents to South Beach. 

Loyal to the organization, however, Jent remained in Cleveland.

When Miller stepped down, reports surfaced that Ohio State had an interest in Jent once again. Though Jent was reticent to accept the offer, as he would have to also take a bump in pay, he listened to Matta's sales pitch. Matta made a personal trip to Cleveland to lure Jent face-to-face.

"When this job opened, he's the one guy I sought-out to try to persuade to leave the NBA," Matta added.

After it was all said and done, seeking out advice from friends, family and colleagues, Jent determined his heart was in Columbus. 

"It's my alma-mater--a place I have a strong tie to, a strong feeling for and great passion to," Jent said. "It made it easy."

Matta said in 2005 that Jent matched his own upbeat, energetic style which is precisely what Buckeye fans remember most about Jent on the hardwood. But while he hasn't experience in recruiting, most experts feel his energy, passion and persona will lend itself to recruiting success.

An NBA ring and stories of being LeBron's shooting coach can't hurt either. 

"I think it's no secret, Chris was one of the best guys in the NBA at making people better," Matta said of getting Jent out on the recruiting trail. "The type of kids we're trying to recruit and we're trying to make them as players and make them as teammates, I don't know if I could have gotten anybody better in the country than what (Jent) is going to bring to the table in that regard."

With Jeff Boals flirting with a few mid-major jobs this past season, and Dave Dickerson making inroads in the southern recruiting base, Ohio State will now have three valuable commodities on staff as assistants. Jent's hire is significant because he's an alum and left an NBA job to return to the college ranks, suggesting he might make a more permanent dwelling at Ohio State -- a home that keeps calling his name.

In his career, Jent scored 1,007 points at Ohio State including a 38 percent clip from 3-point range. The native of Sparta, N.J. scored 12.6 points and averaged 5.3 rebounds per game his senior year at OSU before a heartbreaking overtime loss to rival Michigan in the Regional Finals ended his career. 

He is the second addition to the OSU staff this offseason. Former Duke point guard Greg Paulus was named as the new video coordinator a few weeks ago, taking over for the departed Kevin Kuwik who landed a permanent assistant coaching job at Dayton. Paulus spent the 2010-11 year as an assistant at Navy. 

With Jent's energy and shooting expertise, he promises to be the perfect fit for Matta's system. Matta has always put a premium on hustle and putting the ball in the basket. One only wonders if between these two and Boals there won't be paths worn down on the OSU sidelines inside of Value City Arena.

They say home is where the heart is. That's apparently another tireless cliché of which Jent is living proof. 

"The Cavaliers run such a quality organization. I loved every day I went to work," Jent said of leaving Cleveland. "For me to leave that, it could have only been this type of situation--where I'm basically going back to a home."

Let's just hope if he leaves, he takes it with him. We wouldn't want him to wear out his welcome.