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Matta's One and Dones

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What is the goal for tOSU basketball program? To win a NC or be happy with what we have done. I'm totally satisfied with the programs results but I think he can achieve the same results with devloping 4 year talent and not just be an NBA factory.
 
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How do you accomplish that though? It's simple to want it, give me a plan.

Personally, I think people lose sight of where this program is at because of one glory season. Not even Florida's repeat made them an elite program. It takes time to build the tradition, prestige and sway to make top players want to come AND stay.

There's a difference between deciding to return to UNC and OSU. If 2010 & 2011 are strong seasons, that will start building towards that type of program.



Beyond the program prestige, there's also the matter of the potential team they'd be returning to... Kosta Koufos would have returned to a borderline NCAA team. Mullens probably comes back to be a 5-6 seed at best. When the roster becomes deeper (and we get more than 1.2 years out of bluechip PGs in 4 years), there will be more to return for...
 
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I have been watching OSU basketball as long as the football program and the coaches that stick in my memory are Fred taylor, Jim O'Brien and now Thad Matta. We all Knew Williams was going to Maryland the first chance he was given. The other guy, well i just want to forget him. Chuck Taylor brought basketball to its highest level in the 60's and has set the standards ever since. But there is one quality about Thad that i like and that is the way he coaches. I don't know if he is the recruiter that some of his peers in the big ten are but he is holding his own.

Michigan State right now is the top dog in the Conference and they are going to get all the top recruits before Thad will. thad seems to take "diamonds in the rough" and turns them into very
competitive players. There will always be grumblings coming from alot of OSU
fans and thats the way its going to be always. I see so many small mistakes and hitches in ball players today, that it's not funny.... but i am not going in that direction. Thats up to the coaches to bring that up. I think Thad Matta is going to be around for awhile and he will be fine.
 
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But there is one quality about Thad that i like and that is the way he coaches. I don't know if he is the recruiter that some of his peers in the big ten are but he is holding his own.

Michigan State right now is the top dog in the Conference and they are going to get all the top recruits before Thad will.
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I'd say you have that backwards. Izzo is an outstanding coach and a good recruiter. Matta is a good coach and an outstanding recruiter. He certainly has not taken a back seat to Izzo on the recruiting trail.
 
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Onebuckfan;1439290; said:
What is the goal for tOSU basketball program? To win a NC or be happy with what we have done. I'm totally satisfied with the programs results but I think he can achieve the same results with devloping 4 year talent and not just be an NBA factory.
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You can't get to the national championship without NBA talent, and lots of it. To suggest otherwise ignores history.
 
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kippy1040;1440246; said:
I don't know if he is the recruiter that some of his peers in the big ten are but he is holding his own.

Michigan State right now is the top dog in the Conference and they are going to get all the top recruits before Thad will. thad seems to take "diamonds in the rough" and turns them into very
competitive players.
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:confused:

Who has out recruited Matta in the Big 10?

and what "diamonds in the rough are you talking about?? Oden, KK, Cook, Conley, Mullens, Turner, Buford??? Hardly "diamonds in the rough"......
 
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05 - Joseph, Walton ......................... | Bell, Mayes
06 - Herzog, Morgan, Dahlman ............ | Oden, Conley, Cook, Lighty, Hunter
07 - Summers, Allen, Lucas, Thornton .. | Koufos, Diebler, Turner, Lauderdale, Wallace, Hill
08 - Roe, Lucious, Green ................... | Buford, Mullens, Crater, Offutt, Simmons
09 - Nix, Sherman ............................ | none
10 - Byrd, Appling ............................ | Thomas, Sullinger, Smith, Sibert, Wright


Matta destroyed MSU in 06 & 10.

MSU outrecruited Matta in 05, which was Thad's first recruiting class while facing sanctions. As for the rest:

07 -
Turner = Lucas
Diebler > Allen (wash? OSU edge?)
Koufos > > > Summers
Lauderdale > > > Thornton
PJ Hill

edge: OSU

08 -
Buford > Roe
Mullens > Green
Simmons <<< Lucious
Offutt

edge: OSU

09 -
MSU two decent players, no ships for OSU. Mild win as of now imo.
 
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jwinslow;1440266; said:
10 - Byrd, Appling ............................ | Thomas, Sullinger, Smith, Sibert, Wright


09 -
MSU two decent players, no ships for OSU. Mild win as of now imo.
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our 2010 class, will turn the mild win into a big win. Now to take over that nice final 4 run Izzo claims.....
 
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To expand on that point, OSU's problem the last few years has not been the superstars, but the lack of role players or "diamonds in the rough." PJ Hill is the closest thing Thad has had to this, and he was an emergency option. His effort and improvement has been commendable, but his talent level only reaches so high.

MSU brought along sleepers like Travis Walton, Goran Suton, or even Draymond Green. A few years back, Matta maximized the potential of Ron Lewis, JeKel Foster and even Matt Terwilliger. Recently, he has not been able to do that with Wallace, Simmons, Madsen, etc (too early to evaluate Offutt). Is that a coaching problem, a mistake during evaluation (offering), or simply a consequence of circumstances forcing his hand (PG situation, needing bodies in 06 for frontline)? Clearly Matta has shown he can do it, both at OSU and previous stops. It might be as simple as recognizing that most programs go through these peaks and valleys.
 
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I'd like to give jwins a bit of support.

As I watched MSU dismantle Louisville last night, my thoughts were not that they had better players or a better coach, my thoughts were that they had more depth on their bench. The guys got rested. Ours didn't. All year.
 
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Exactly. Depth. Duke has it, North Carolina has it, MSU has it. Some good front line players, but some lesser lights behind them. But MSU, Duke and NC have something that OSU hasn't shown, and that's the ability to retain their players for the four years, or at least three. OSU has had star power (imagine Oden and Conley as juniors this year), but they cannot retain it. No one can call whether a kid will go pro out of high school, or after the minimum year in college, but hey. YOU HAVE GOTTA RECRUIT THE BEST. To heck with whether they go pro or not. Koufos should have stayed (as should have Cook, and probably Mullins), but I have not walked in their shoes, so I don't know.

It's a problem, but a nice one to have. Until there's a lot of depth on the bench, then OSU will do 'OK' but nothing special, and exit the dance after one or two. Unfortunate, but very foreseeable.

How do you think OSU would have done without Jenkins, Laurainitis, Boone, etc. last year? Having those cats back made the team, as they provided essential leadership. A Diebler is good, but not going to jump to NBA, so he'll be a four year program player or better, and provide leadership in his junior and senior years, and help the younger 'stars' fill the gaps. Probably Turner and Bufford go early, but I hope not. Anyway,


:gobucks3::gobucks4::banger:
 
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