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Thad Matta (OSU's All Time Winningest Coach & 3x B1G COY, Butler HC)

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wigmon said:
I don't think you see a lot of public grumblings because a lot of people really respect Thad as a person and have empathy for him. I don't believe just because their aren't a lot of things being said publicly that they aren't being said in private.

There is always going to be some questions about any new hire. There were a ton of people scratching their head when Matta was hired here. IT worked out OK, until the health issues arose. There were questions when Ayers was hired. That didn't work out so well. There will most likely be questions when the next coach is hired.

I agree with your point and have stated previously that if you don't plan to extend his contract in 2 years, its best to cut ties now.
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I agree with most of this, but not the bolded part. I remember that widely being lauded as a great hire, especially considering the mess O'Brien left in his wake. He was young and had been successful at his two previous stops, Butler and Xavier.

And a guy like Matta, who has some success at a smaller program and has Midwest ties, is probably what we should aim for. *cough* Archie Miller *cough*.
 
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The thing about Ohio State basketball is that you do not need to be a national recruiter to succeed. Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan are strong enough recruiting grounds that you can have a top-notch team without venturing far from Columbus at all. Maybe an occasional Illinois stud or something, but you can be top-ten every year with just some of the best from the midwest. You only need six or seven stud recruits per roster to thrive at basketball, provided you get some nice complements to surround them (hustle guys, bangers, ball-handlers, or sharp-shooters). I have no problem recruiting the Funderburks, David Bells, or Beverlys of the world, as long as they aren't your core.
 
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I have such deep respect for him. Try to face such challenges and succeed as he has. He will go down in history with Fred Taylor as one of the greatest Buckeye basketball coaches.

Sadly, Ohio State needs more. The decline is indeed six years and it has now reached rock bottom. I would be very surprised if he is here next year if they do not make even the NIT, and I think he will be the guy to make the decision.
 
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HabaneroBuck said:
The thing about Ohio State basketball is that you do not need to be a national recruiter to succeed. Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan are strong enough recruiting grounds that you can have a top-notch team without venturing far from Columbus at all. Maybe an occasional Illinois stud or something, but you can be top-ten every year with just some of the best from the midwest. You only need six or seven stud recruits per roster to thrive at basketball, provided you get some nice complements to surround them (hustle guys, bangers, ball-handlers, or sharp-shooters). I have no problem recruiting the Funderburks, David Bells, or Beverlys of the world, as long as they aren't your core.
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Yep. Matta's best players typically came from Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois with a couple of exceptions.
 
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LitlBuck said:
Well, for the first time not on this site, I have heard someone reputable, sort of, call for Matta's firing.

This morning on WTVN in Columbus, Tony White said that as much as he loves Thad Matta, Gene Smith needs to pull the plug on him.
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I spent an entire quarter arguing with Tony White in a Poli Sci class. He was no dumb jock. Fortunately for me, since he's a bigger guy, he didn't have a temper. Good times. :lol:

I have not seen anyone on other websites or on the radio call for Matta's dismissal and I think that that will have to be quite a bit more chatter before Smith pulls the plug.
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Who outside of Buckeye Nation is looking at Matta's decline to this degree? Probably no one. They know who he is, the ESPN TV guys just call him "a great coach" - a title he earned - but they're not commenting beyond this season because they're really not looking at it. We're not a major player in the sport right now, part of the problem, so other teams are getting the bulk of the attention. It's hardly coincidence that Tony White is a Buckeye. He's looking like the rest of us.

Maybe I am blinded by my appreciation for Thad because it seems I am in the minority but maybe a new face on the program is needed. Just do not know where that new face is going to come from.
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Keeping a coach, who is the 7th highest paid in the country by the way, because you appreciate what he did years ago is a recipe for mediocrity. Attendance is down, the program is in decline, and there are no stud recruits coming to the rescue. It's about what is happening now and going forward. The evidence suggests Thad isn't the guy to suddenly turn around a problem that has developed and grown under his watch for years.
 
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Steve19 said:
I have such deep respect for him. Try to face such challenges and succeed as he has. He will go down in history with Fred Taylor as one of the greatest Buckeye basketball coaches.

Sadly, Ohio State needs more. The decline is indeed six years and it has now reached rock bottom. I would be very surprised if he is here next year if they do not make even the NIT, and I think he will be the guy to make the decision.
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Part of me wishes Matta just says "Fuck it", pulls a Calipari, and pays 5 or 6 one and done's to come here and win him a title so he can at least ride off into the sunset a winner. He honestly deserves it. By all accounts Matta runs one of the cleanest programs in the NCAA.
 
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Jake said:
I think it's too easy to suggest the teams who win cheat and we're middle of the pack but clean. Forget Kentucky, we've fallen behind the likes of Wichita State and Creighton. Even the Nerds have crawled past us this season.
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Quite a few teams have fallen behind Wichita State and Creighton and it was only a matter of time that the Mildcats finally showed some improvement. They have been getting progressively better over the years. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out. Maybe Matta will surprise you:wink:
 
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Certainly don't have the answer to tOSU's BB woes. Have talented players, probably more so than other B10 teams, but they don't play very cohesively against anyone. Maybe they do against the best bball teams, but never seem to get over the hump. Senior leadership? Only one, and he's too laid back, and only part time involved. Assistant coaching? Well, we don't see how they work in practice, so really cannot judge. Thad knows that the 'seat' is getting hot, so the first thing is to purge your assistants in hopes of finding the answer.

Am long enough in the tooth that I remember watching Fred Taylor's teams, and he'd have one or two exceptional players that could carry a team on a down night. Consistently. And then he didn't, and he was demoted to signing gym passes (I still have mine from grad school). Then he was gone, because he couldn't recruit the exceptional player anymore. History repeating itself? Anyway and always, Go Bucks!
 
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After blowing a 7 point lead in the final 3 minutes at home to Nebraska, the 15-13 Bucks need to win their final three regular season games and 2 B1G tournament games to keep Thad's 20-win streak alive. Good luck with that.

Maybe we can get in the prestigious CBI tournament this year? Is that still a thing? :roll1:
 
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Jake said:
After blowing a 7 point lead in the final 3 minutes at home to Nebraska, the 15-13 Bucks need to win their final three regular season games and 2 B1G tournament games to keep Thad's 20-win streak alive. Good luck with that.

Maybe we can get in the prestigious CBI tournament this year? Is that still a thing? :roll1:
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Any postseason will just prolong the misery. This team stinks and it's gonna get worse before it gets better. Each time they go out and run around directionless for 40 minutes just plunges the program further into irrelevance.
 
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