LitlBuck;1438152; said:
Hey Xavier Fans...Ron Lewis says hi...
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE0c-TzO7d4]YouTube - Ron Lewis[/ame]
Upvote
0
-
Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
- Thread starter Golferdow01
- Start date
Hey Xavier Fans...Ron Lewis says hi...
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE0c-TzO7d4]YouTube - Ron Lewis[/ame]
BrutusBobcat
Icon and Entertainer
What seems odd to me is how Xavier fans feel about Matta versus how Youngstown State fans feel about Tressel. The Y-Town fans rooted for him to get the job and have applauded his success since. Xavier fans seem to be a little more bitter, which I don't get. Sean Miller is a terrific coach and has had a lot of success, while both Matta and Prosser moving on to other jobs (and doing well) has confirmed X's place on the basketball map. Things have worked out for them, and when Matta does well, it tends to reflect positively on their coaching tree. I mean, it's not as if he left under the kind of cloud that RR did at WVU. THAT, I can understand.
Upvote
0
Colvinnl
Heisman
BrutusBobcat;1438158; said:
I don't find Xavier fans to be THAT upset but for those that are I think it is simply the misleading circumstances underwhich Matta left. Imagine if Tressel to the NFL rumors started churning, Tressel denied any interest at all, and all the time he was interviewing for the NFL job. If he took the job I think a fair number of OSU fans would be pretty darn bitter, even if it "happens all the time."
Upvote
0
Cincinnati is more University of Kentucky country than Buckeye country as basketball goes.MaxBuck;1438304; said:
Upvote
0
BuckeyeMafia
A Leaf on the Wind
Colvinnl;1438746; said:
I won't lie, I would be bitter- especially at first. Great college coaches rarely translate to the Pro circus, especially football. Xavier fans are probably bitter about his leaving, but more so Ron Lewis. Matta is their only way to take out the hate though.
I can't imagine how long Thad has waited for this 2 year minimum in college thing... nightmares of the 2nd year Oden & Conley.
Upvote
0
generaladm
Legend
I was hanging out with a friend, who used to coach AAU ball, earlier in the week (before the UK loss to ND), and he told me that he heard thru the grapevine that Gillespie was going to be done, even if UK won the NIT. We were talking about possible replacements (Sean Miller came up), and he said he didn't think Matta would take the job, but it wouldn't be a bad move for him. I said it would be a lateral move, at best, and really a step down, considering the current state of the programs. He vehemently disagreed, saying Matta would probably make more dough, but I still stand by my assessment. I remember when UK was on the same level as UNC, Duke, UCLA, etc. in the pantheon of CBB programs, but since Tubby's first couple years, I think they have really underachieved in recruting. I think Tubby was and is a good coach, but he failed to bring in the talent to compete at the top level. For a program with as much prestige as UK, that tells me that the luster of the brand has diminished significantly. I do think that Matta would do a good job at building UK back to its former level, but considering the talent returning to OSU next year (and the recruits already set up for '10 and beyond) I think Matta would be a fool to give up what he already has for the name recognition of UK Bball. In my mind, it would be like Tressel leaving OSU for Miami or ND, programs that have great resumes, but are not in a state to compete for a NC any time soon, when the future at home looks very promising. I see no problem with Matta testing the waters, but can't imagine him taking on a rebuilding project when he has a better situation locked up for the forseeable future. Just wondering what other people's opinions are. Would Matta leaving OSU for UK be a step up for him?
Upvote
0
billmac91
Head Coach
I just don't see a ton of upside in the Knetucky program right now. It is NOT a recruiting hotbed, and the expectations are through the roof.
Outside of money, I justy don't see a huge draw to g to UK right now. The om;y coaches that turn the ship around in 2 years or less are Callipari, Pitino, and maybe Donovan.
Outside of that, UK is elbow deep......No homeristic attitude here at all, but the tOSU job is probabaly a better gug fir THad than UK on muliple levels.......including recruiting, which just was impossible 7-10 years ago.
Outside of money, I justy don't see a huge draw to g to UK right now. The om;y coaches that turn the ship around in 2 years or less are Callipari, Pitino, and maybe Donovan.
Outside of that, UK is elbow deep......No homeristic attitude here at all, but the tOSU job is probabaly a better gug fir THad than UK on muliple levels.......including recruiting, which just was impossible 7-10 years ago.
Upvote
0
generaladm
Legend
The first coach I thought of when the UK job was brought up was Crean. My friend thought that Crean had a great situation, with a storied program and low expectations (again, money was the main factor). I agree with you, Bill, OSU is now a better position than UK, which would have been unthinkable 10 years ago, and I think Matta had a hand in that (along with UK's slide). I just think that at this time, the only reason a coach would want to leave OSU is if they had a chance to go to their alma mater, if that was a top program. OSU's athletic department has so much to offer right now, in everything from FB to tennis to wrestling to hockey, that I don't see how any other school can be seen as a step up, except for maybe a couple specific sports (UCONN or UT WBball, Iowa wrestling, and those jobs aren't open). There are a select few schools that can claim a perceived advantage over OSU in specific sports (USC, Texas, UNC, Duke, one or two others), but in terms of an overall dedication by the AD, I don't think any OSU coach can say any other school would give them more dedication than OSU.
Sorry if I'm derailing Coach Matta's thread. To put it back on track, my thoughts of this past season, and the "one and done" issue: freshman leaving is only bad in terms of graduation rates. The players who left after one season would have done so at any other school, so why not have them play for us? 7 footers are going to get drafted if they show any skill at all, so I can't blame Matta for not keeping them. Conley and Cook were somewhat of a surprise, and both would have arguably benefitted from staying in college, although I can't second guess them. Conley definitely hurt OSU by leaving, but he was a stud, and he went to a team that wanted more from him than was reasonable. Cook didn't get the minutes he wanted because he was a defensive liability, and was not consistent enough offensively. Both are good players, and will grow in the NBA.
As far as this year, I think Matta did a good job adjusting from what he thought the roster would be preseason to what he ended up with. Everyone talks about what could have been if Lighty had not been injured, but, even more so, what would this team have looked like without the losses of Eric Wallace, Kecman, and Crater? Right away, you go from 11 deep to 7 deep. Not that any of those besides Lighty would have been guaranteed impact players, but each of the ones named could have played meaningful minutes throughout the season. Even though the Buckeyes didn't have a lot of games that made it easy to give the top players rest, my biggest criticism of Matta this year was that he shortened the bench too much. I wouldn't count on Offutt or Madsen to win games for us, but I would have liked to have seen Matta trust them to steal some minutes from the starters without losing the game. Players are not going to develop much without seeing the floor, and the minutes from our subs were extremely low. Granted, the more minutes ET is on the floor, the better chance we have to win, but he played so much this year, it was amazing he had anything left in the tank (much like Butler last year). But, as Matta said, with all the injuries and defections suffered this year, the goal was just to make the 20 win/NCAA tourney plateau. Losing to Siena sucked, but it took a respectable effort on the coaching and playing aspects just to get to that point. This season should be viewed as a success, considering all the unfortunate circumstances, and next season looks very promising.
Sorry if I'm derailing Coach Matta's thread. To put it back on track, my thoughts of this past season, and the "one and done" issue: freshman leaving is only bad in terms of graduation rates. The players who left after one season would have done so at any other school, so why not have them play for us? 7 footers are going to get drafted if they show any skill at all, so I can't blame Matta for not keeping them. Conley and Cook were somewhat of a surprise, and both would have arguably benefitted from staying in college, although I can't second guess them. Conley definitely hurt OSU by leaving, but he was a stud, and he went to a team that wanted more from him than was reasonable. Cook didn't get the minutes he wanted because he was a defensive liability, and was not consistent enough offensively. Both are good players, and will grow in the NBA.
As far as this year, I think Matta did a good job adjusting from what he thought the roster would be preseason to what he ended up with. Everyone talks about what could have been if Lighty had not been injured, but, even more so, what would this team have looked like without the losses of Eric Wallace, Kecman, and Crater? Right away, you go from 11 deep to 7 deep. Not that any of those besides Lighty would have been guaranteed impact players, but each of the ones named could have played meaningful minutes throughout the season. Even though the Buckeyes didn't have a lot of games that made it easy to give the top players rest, my biggest criticism of Matta this year was that he shortened the bench too much. I wouldn't count on Offutt or Madsen to win games for us, but I would have liked to have seen Matta trust them to steal some minutes from the starters without losing the game. Players are not going to develop much without seeing the floor, and the minutes from our subs were extremely low. Granted, the more minutes ET is on the floor, the better chance we have to win, but he played so much this year, it was amazing he had anything left in the tank (much like Butler last year). But, as Matta said, with all the injuries and defections suffered this year, the goal was just to make the 20 win/NCAA tourney plateau. Losing to Siena sucked, but it took a respectable effort on the coaching and playing aspects just to get to that point. This season should be viewed as a success, considering all the unfortunate circumstances, and next season looks very promising.
Upvote
0
Fans thinking about Thad Matta continuing as Ohio State's coach also need to think about the physical challenges he has faced in recent years. You don't mess around with back problems or lightly move away from your doctors because it is painful to travel.
US News and World Report ranks Ohio State's medical school 30/31 (research/primary care) and Kentucky's medical school 40/61. So, it is not like Kentucky is going to present a compelling argument in respect of back health. However, neither school is ranked very high on osteopathic medicine.
That said, perhaps the big competitor that Ohio State fans need to think about is retirement, if Matta's problems don't get sorted out sooner rather than later. Doesn't seem to be very likely now, but time can change that.
In short, not worried about Kentucky.
US News and World Report ranks Ohio State's medical school 30/31 (research/primary care) and Kentucky's medical school 40/61. So, it is not like Kentucky is going to present a compelling argument in respect of back health. However, neither school is ranked very high on osteopathic medicine.
That said, perhaps the big competitor that Ohio State fans need to think about is retirement, if Matta's problems don't get sorted out sooner rather than later. Doesn't seem to be very likely now, but time can change that.
In short, not worried about Kentucky.
Upvote
0
BrutusBobcat;1438158; said:
Why should X fans feel anymore upset than Butler fans about Matta leaving. In both cases Matta left to got what he felt was a better position and opportunity for him. And, in both cases each school has landed quality coaches who have continued to build their respective programs.
Upvote
0
LitlBuck
Kevin Warren is an ass
Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog
With Miller going to Arizona, this might have implications on the Ohio State coaching staff according to this link
With Miller going to Arizona, this might have implications on the Ohio State coaching staff according to this link
Upvote
0
I don't know but if Miller does join Miller at Zona, I would sort of like to see Thad go outside of his normal group for an assistant. I think maybe it would expand tOSU's ability to recruit outside of the regoin. But Thad has done a fine job following his pattern of hiring young guys who he is familiar with both in personality and coaching, so either way tOSU will be fine.
I just wish maybe he could find a Coach/Player ala Cousy who still had a few years of eligibility left who could help out at the point :tongue2:
I just wish maybe he could find a Coach/Player ala Cousy who still had a few years of eligibility left who could help out at the point :tongue2:
Upvote
0