there were the same questions and concerns when matta was hired. heck, given the scandals, the program was in a far worse situation. regardless, matta recruited at a very high rate. i would not expect the new coach to recruit at the same level, but i do expect that the new coach should pull in players like bazely, hunter, and nance. i don't think the current situation is so dire that the next coach can't sign in-state 4-stars with regularity. it is far easier to turn around recruiting in basketball than it is in football, especially if the coach is willing to play the ugly aau game, which matta was not.
If you have any interest in describing "play[ing] the ugly aau game," and Matta's unwillingness to do so, I'm interested in reading it.
matta would have rather just dealt with the player, the player's high school coach, and the player's family. aau has made that increasingly difficult if not impossible. now coaches who hope to sign the best players usually have to deal with aau coaches, shoe companies, and entourages. as matta recently stated, his ideal recruits were oden and conley... because they didn't want to be recruited.
Thing is, we're not replacing Thad Matta, 2005-12...we're looking to replace Thad Matta, 2013-17. It won't be hard to improve upon the last 4-5 years. Will the new coach replicate what Matta did his first 8-9 years? Probably not. But correcting the downward trajectory Matta has been on the last 4-5 years won't take a lot. Especially considering how things bottomed out this spring. Keeping Matta on with his health issues and damaged recruiting profile would be a dagger. There is zero chance he was turning things around. In fact, all indications are that it was going right in the sewer.
