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

[stxbuck]

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.

Tressel stayed at YSU for 15 years, and took them to the mountaintop 4 times, and while doing so turned down major programs twice-Maryland,DaU. Also, YSU doesn't have delusions of competing w/ tOSU in football, while Xavier fans have a chip on their shoulder towards big time hoops schools-and I say this as someone who has been a Xavier hoops fan for a lot longer than I have been a Buckeye hoops fan-I remember listening to Ralph Lee and Byron Larkin play on WLW as a kid.
Matta also is not Catholic-I believe-and wasn't around long enough to build up the genuine love in the community that Skip Prosser had towards Cincy and vice versa-he kept a home in Cincinnati even after he took the job at Wake. Tressel, obviously, has that kind of a connection w/ the town of Youngstown, and it shows. It also doesn't hurt that the vast majority of YSU's football fanbase are also tOSU fans, I would imagine.
Basically, Xavier fans are tired of being the good time girl at the fraternity who just doesn't have the pedigree to move up and get a ring on her finger from Mr. Class President.

 

[GrizzlyBuck]

I agree that X fans are tired of being bridesmaids and not brides when it comes to keeping coaches, but there seems to be nowhere near the vitriol or hatred directed at Gillen (RIP) or Prosser as there is towards Thad, it will be interesting to see how Miller's defection is recieved, but by going so far away, Thad will probably retain most of their hatred.

 

[jlb1705]

I agree that X fans are tired of being bridesmaids and not brides when it comes to keeping coaches, but there seems to be nowhere near the vitriol or hatred directed at Gillen (RIP) or Prosser as there is towards Thad, it will be interesting to see how Miller's defection is recieved, but by going so far away, Thad will probably retain most of their hatred.

Just a minor quibble, but Prosser is the one who has passed on, not Gillen.

 

[jlb1705]

That's it, exactly. Thad left for another Ohio school. To some X fans, amazingly, that made it a lateral move. The 2006 comeback and ultimate Final Four run only rubbed salt in the wounds.

Sucks to be them.

With the X fans I talk to, the first reason they cite is that during the process of being courted by OSU he "promised he'd stay". I think it's more about going to an in-state "football school" but people don't seem to say that first. For anyone to feel hurt about what a coach says about his intentions during a search like that - that's just naive. We'll see how X fans really are about something like that when they start reacting to Miller's move because he essentially did the same thing.

 

[GrizzlyBuck]

Just a minor quibble, but Prosser is the one who has passed on, not Gillen.

Thanks, I should have known that, I saw Gillen doing analysis the other day, I think on one of the NIT games on eSpin.

Jib, I agree about seeing what the reaction to Miller leaving will be, he did the same type of thing as Matta and had similar success as Matta while at X, I think the Ohio thing will be the thing that causes the hatred of Matta to continue, but we'll see. The other thing is that Thad is right here in front of them, in their daily paper even, whereas Miller will not be so out front, so he will probably be easier to forget, unless they take a step back with whoever is tapped to replace him. I wonder if Butler is pissed/anxious about maybe losing another coach.

 

[MaxBuck]

... Thad is right here in front of them, in their daily paper ...

You're mistaken, Griz; X is in Cincinnati.

 

[Buckeyefrankmp]

You're mistaken, Griz; X is in Cincinnati.

Yes, but Ohio State basketball still gets in the Cincinnati paper. It does rank behind Kentucky, Cincinnati, Xavier and Indiana(in that order), but well ahead of Arizona.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

Yes, but Ohio State basketball still gets in the Cincinnati paper. It does rank behind Kentucky, Cincinnati, Xavier and Indiana(in that order), but well ahead of Arizona.

cash is king.
glory is queen.

 

[matcar]

The bad thing about that game was that Coach Taylor got no backing whatsoever from the Ohio State Athletic Administration or the Big 10. I think maybe a couple of the guys from Minnesota might have been suspended for a game but I am not even sure of that. This one game took the heart and soul for college basketball out of Coach Taylor. He was never the same coach again:(

Well, I guess we better get back to Coach Matta:)

They were suspended for the remainder of the season, not just a game.

Back th Thad.

 

[matcar]

After the hard foul on Witte by Corky Taylor, Taylor was the guy that kneed Witte in the groin as he was pretending to help him to his feet - that initiated the brawl. During the brawl, Ron Behagen, who had previously fouled out, came onto the floor and stomped on Witte's head. Winfield was running around swinging at Buckeyes after a Buckeye that saw the knee confronted Taylor.

How Taylor didn't get suspended, and how Behagen didn't get suspended for the rest of the season, is simply beyond me.

They were suspended for the remainder of the season.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ue...X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#PPA128,M1

 

[BB73]

They were suspended for the remainder of the season.

Thanks, I should have done research before making that statement.

This is an SI pic of Witte after he was stomped.

 

[Buckskin86]

Matta to talk on status of hoops at Defiance's K of C Hall
By MIKE VERNOT
[email protected]

It was a scarlet and gray kind of night when Ohio State University head men's basketball coach Thad Matta talked to a group of Ohio State alumni and other supporters at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Defiance on Tuesday evening.

"I feel like the luckiest man in the world to wake up every day and coach at The Ohio State University," explained Matta.

In his five seasons at Ohio State, Matta has used more than luck to compile a record for Buckeye coaches with 20 or more wins in each season, including never winning less than 20. In his career, Matta is 229-76 in nine seasons (Butler, Xavier and Ohio State) with seven of his nine teams having played in the NCAA Tournament.

Along the way, Matta has coached the Buckeyes to a Final Four appearance which culminated in his team finishing as national runner-up, while also leading his teams to four conference titles, with seven of his players drafted into the NBA.

"We have five core values at our university that we try to base everything else on," said Matta. "They are humility, passion, unity, servanthood and thankfulness. When all are combined, these can be keys to not only a team, but life as well."

Before his speech to all in attendance on Tuesday, Matta spent a few minutes answering questions concerning the current state of college basketball and his Buckeyes.

Q: With the current environment of players leaving early for the NBA, how does a college team cope with the losses while trying to rebuild for down the road?

Matta: "The hardest part is just to get some kind flow and continuity. There's always a risk when you recruit the best players in the country that they will leave early. But for us, we just have to continue to recruit no matter how hard it is."

Q: How does the commitment process help or hinder recruiting?

Matta: "The landscape has definitely changed in college basketball, with kids committing at such an early age. You know, I think there's a lot of good to it from the standpoint that you get to know the kids and their families, but the downside is that they have the right to change their mind. But that's the way it's done so we have to adapt to it."

Crescent-News.com - Matta to talk on status of hoops at Defiance's K of C Hall

 

[Buckskin86]

Updated: September 15, 2009
Matta has something going at Ohio State
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Vitale By Dick Vitale
ESPN.com


When you take a look at the basketball landscape, many of the elite programs have been hit hard by early departures on star talent.

North Carolina has won two championships in five years, yet Roy Williams has lost several players to early entry. That is why the former Kansas coach is in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.

Let's talk about another program that has been hit hard by stars leaving early. I am talking about guys with potential, potential, potential, and they left Buckeye Country early for the shot at the green, the lure of NBA money, baby!

I am talking about Thad Matta and Ohio State. Has any school lost more quality big men in recent years? Greg Oden, Kosta Koufos and B.J. Mullens all left early for the pros. Then throw in guys like Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook and you see what could have been if these guys stayed four years ... wow!

Ohio State simply reloads and puts a quality team on the court, year in and year out. Fans in Columbus have a lot to be proud about when looking at this program. The Buckeyes play solid defense and work on getting good shots on the offensive end. Matta makes no alibis and competes in the Big Ten.

That discipline in shot selection and defense always gives Ohio State a chance to make it to the winner's circle. It will be no different this year.

The Buckeyes return one of the premier players in the Big Ten in Evan Turner. He has talent and multiple skills, plus he has shown improvement from day one stepping on the court in Columbus.

Matta will also count on big things from guard William Buford. He showed a world of potential last year and he will get better with experience.

The bottom line is, it starts with the leadership on the sidelines. Matta gets the most out of his people. When talking about coaching, isn't that what it is all about, getting the maximum from its talent, getting the players to perform up to their potential.

That fits Matta to perfection. He has developed a lot of talented assistants too.

In the Big Ten, people are talking about Michigan State and Purdue dominating. Schools like Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota are getting solid reviews. The Wolverines could be a top 15 team under John Beilein this season. Bo Ryan always has his Badgers well-prepared.

This conference will have a lot of energy and enthusiasm, bringing a smile to the face of commissioner Jim Delany. My friends, don't forget about Ohio State in this equation. Matta will have the Buckeyes fighting and clawing; his leadership skills will get Ohio State into that upper echelon of the league.

Thad Matta is building a strong tradition in Columbus - ESPN

 

[LitlBuck]

I can't believe it. The Ohio State basketball program:) actually got props from Dickie V.

 

[schwab]

...Has any school lost more quality big men in recent years? Greg Oden, Kosta Koufos and B.J. Mullens all left early for the pros. Then throw in guys like Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook and you see what could have been if these guys stayed four years ... wow!

Four years? Two would have been nice...