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

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Since the article is premium i will not link it, but there is an article on the front of illinois's scout board with an interview of Eric Gordon. The reason that it is of importance is because in the interview he talks about Indiana calling him and saying that Steve Alford is coming in next year as they are trying to sway him from his illinois commitment.

Just thought i would pass that along.
 
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Would love to see it, but the job Roy Williams has done is truely remarkable.
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I agree that he has done a great job, but obviously, there is not a talent shortage at NC. I sincerely think that Matta should get the award based on where this team was last year and where we are now, to be so close to having an undefeated record, in what many consider the strongest conference in the nation this year and with off the court distractions (ie NCAA investigation), how can he not get it?

I just think he has brought his team farther than Williams to this point. If Williams and NC lose at Duke, there probably is not that many people jumping on the bandwagon.
 
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Dispatch

3/9/06

Tressel sends Matta words of encouragement

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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The right words at the right time from the right person can do wonders for the psyche. Just ask Ohio State men’s basketball coach Thad Matta.

The morning before his team played at Northwestern last week with at least a share of the Big Ten championship on the line, Matta’s cell phone beeped the arrival of a text message. It was from football coach Jim Tressel.

"Basically it just said — and it was awesome — ‘Play Big Ten championship basketball,’ " Matta said.

The message struck a chord with Matta because of the author. Even before moving from Xavier to Ohio State in 2004, Matta said he was an admirer of Tressel.

He had been turned on to Tressel’s approach by Sean Miller, who was an assistant under Matta at Xavier and later succeeded him. Miller met Tressel while interviewing for a job at Youngstown State. Then when Tressel left for Ohio State in 2001, Miller made a prediction.

"He said, ‘I’m telling you this right now, that guy is going to win the national championship. Trust me. Ohio State will win the national championship,’ " Matta said. "And sure enough, in year two . . .

"At that point I kind of became enthralled with him and (tried) to read and study as much as I could about him."

Tressel has become a fan of Matta’s, too.

"I love his intensity. I love his detail," Tressel said. "He’s on top of every single thing. But maybe most important, I love the way his guys play, and that’s a tribute to his staff."

Tressel said he admires the way Matta has overcome some obvious challenges.

"His seniors are a little bit like our seniors (on the past football team) in that they’ve been through a lot, they’ve had some good moments and some tough things," Tressel said. "They’ve had to face the cameras in some discussions (about an NCAA investigation) that you’d really rather not have to talk about, and they did it and did it well.

"Now they are having the opportunity to make some special things happen, and I think Thad and his staff have done a good job navigating them through those tough times and keeping their focus. I admire that."

[email protected]
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IndyStar

3/9/06

Bob Kravitz

There's only 1 real choice for Indiana: Thad Matta

The right man for the Indiana University basketball coaching job will be taking the floor Friday in a Big Ten Tournament game. And his name, counter to conventional wisdom, is not Steve Alford.

If IU athletic director Rick Greenspan is committed to bringing in a guy with the best proven record of producing winners and recruiting this state, he will throw the sun and moon (and another celestial body to be named later) at Ohio State's Thad Matta.

OK, so he's not a member of The Family. Is this basketball, or organized crime? If Matta wins and recruits, he could be John Gotti's love child, for all I care.

Granted, the chances the Hoosiers could grab Matta away from Ohio State are slim, very slim. Unless the NCAA throws the book at Ohio State, it's hard to see him leaving after recruiting the new age Fab Five.

And yet . . .

The door is not closed on this year's Big Ten Coach of the Year. Not completely.

Understand, IU has always been Matta's self-described "dream job.'' In the past, he has told people he doesn't have a clause that frees him for the IU job, but he does have a 30-day window after each season to entertain offers.

You say he's got a deal that goes through the 2011-12 season? Show me a contract that can't be broken. The buyout is said to be a half-million dollars. If IU wants Matta badly enough, and if Matta wants IU badly enough (and is willing to take a public-relations beating), this can happen.

So far, all I've heard from Matta are those fashionable non-denial denials, which are very popular with coaches who want to keep their options open.

Shortly after the Mike Davis resignation, Columbus-area reporters asked Matta if he would return to Ohio State next year. He responded, "I hope so.

Honestly, I hope like heck I'm going to be here. Absolutely.''

Anybody hear the following? "No, I'm not going to pursue the IU job or any other job in the country.''

Until Greenspan hears those words, he's got to take a run at Matta.

And if that doesn't work . . .

The A List

Rick Pitino. OK, it's not going to happen. Pitino is set in Louisville, both personally and financially. But a guy can dream.
Tom Crean. Now we're getting real. Great college resume, and has shown he can recruit Indiana (see Richmond's Dominic James). No on-the-job training required here. Solid, very solid.
Alford. Maybe he is, in fact, born for this job, and he certainly looks and sounds the part. Here's why I hesitate: His overall record at Iowa is no better than Mike Davis' at IU. And his handling of the frequently troubled Pierre Pierce is going to be an issue he must confront somewhere in the interview process.

The B List
John Calipari. Kind of a mystery guest, but Memphis is stuck in the watered-down Conference USA. He built Massachusetts and Memphis; why not IU?
Mike Montgomery. Think he wouldn't love to return to college? He had a terrific program at Stanford, but he'd be a tough sell.
Billy Donovan. By now, he must be tired of working in football country, and is hungering for a shot at playing where people care. Lots of energy for a program that needs it.
Kevin Stallings. He would be a good, solid choice, but not a particularly popular or sexy choice. Greenspan once hired Stallings for a coaching job.

The C List
Randy Wittman. He's Isiah Thomas' choice, which is either a blessing or a curse. We know Wittman can coach -- he had a long NBA career and has coached in the NBA -- and Thomas is convinced his lack of recruiting background will not be a hindrance.
Scott Skiles. Indiana guy. Lives in Bloomington. He recently re-signed with the Chicago Bulls, but that doesn't mean anything.
Mark Few. A couple of years ago, he looked at the South Carolina job, and there's no way Gonzaga, a small private school, can compete financially with an IU offer. My hesitation: IU is a big step up, and Few's predecessor, Don Monson, has struggled at Minnesota. Anyway, family issues might make it a moot point.
Rick Majerus. Six years ago, after IU fired Bob Knight, Majerus was my first choice. Charismatic, a Ball State background, the whole bit. Now, though, his health is an issue. And his decision to accept and then decline the USC job must raise red flags. Greenspan was burned in the same way by football coach Frank Solich, who spurned Army to go to Ohio.
There are a lot of other names out there: former Hoosiers Keith Smart and Mike Woodson, Texas' Rick Barnes, West Virginia's John Beilein, Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt -- and a few more names will likely emerge from the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
My only advice for Greenspan is this: Don't fall in love with keeping it in The Family, and don't become overly enamored with whoever emerges from the tournament as this year's hot coach.
Get the best guy.
Who, until he utters the words, "No, not interested,'' is Matta.
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