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

[Steve19]

I still think this team has national championship potential. I still think this coach can get them there. Likely? No. Possible? Yes.

 

[Buckeye86]

I'd argue that OSU has been one of the 10 (maybe even 5) best basketball programs under Matta. How much better can they get?

I agree with that and thought about mentioning it but didn't want to dilute my main point with too many sidebars.

My problem is that I bring football expectations (physically beat the hell out of every team you play and don't lose a single game) to basketball, which inevitably leaves me disappointed.

As I said, when I thought about it, I realized that what Matta has brought to Columbus is the realistic pinnacle of Ohio State basketball- despite the fact that I am continuously disappointed... which is, once again, likely due entirely to my unrealistic football based expectations rather than anything wrong with Matta or the team.

I just hope that other football-first fans like me (which I suspect are a majority of Ohio State fans) don't get restless and demand something stupid (like firing Matta for not winning a championship) in the coming years.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

I just hope that other football-first fans like me (which I suspect are a majority of Ohio State fans) don't get restless and demand something stupid (like firing Matta for not winning a championship) in the coming years.

Ditto. If they day ever comes, I hope they stop and really ask themselves who they would rather have.

There are only a handful of guys I would trade Coach Matta for. And those guys would NOT be leaving their current posts to come to Ohio State.

 

[OhioState001]

Ditto. If they day ever comes, I hope they stop and really ask themselves who they would rather have.

There are only a handful of guys I would trade Coach Matta for. And those guys would NOT be leaving their current posts to come to Ohio State.

Izzo and Coach K are the only ones I would take right now

 

[Buckeye Maniac]

I can't even find where you vote at:!

It's included in the quote, unfortunately you need to have an ESPiN login.

EDIT: The page linked is the score, there's a tab at the top that says vote now.

Also, the site to vote is: http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/infiniti/2012/index

 

[Systems_id]

Izzo and Coach K are the only ones I would take right now

Yup and even then, I don't think Izzo and Coach K are a monumental step up from Thad. The fact is that if the Buckeyes weren't playing arguably the best team of the 2000s in Florida, Thad probably has his championship by now.

I'm really rooting for Thad, if only to shut up all the haters who are saying he isn't an elite coach.

 

[Bill Lucas]

I just want him to recruit some 3-point shooters. We need another Diebler!

We need another best 3 point shooter in Ohio Statw history.

Well, no (Mark May) but you may have noticed that those guys are once in a lifetime.

While you're at it please find me the next Orlando Pace.

 

[daddyphatsacs]

based on what exactly? last years team went 35-3 and didnt even advance past the sweet 16. I love Matta as our coach (and do not want him to leave) but maybe we as Buckeye fans just need to realize the chances of us ever winning a national title in bball (1 title in almost 100 years and that Uywas 42 years ago) might be far fetched? maybe Im just still sour from yesterdays game.....

You just quoted me quoting someone else. Thanks for making my point.

I'm on board with you others as being a huge Matta fan, one with realistic expectations and gratefulness for what he has done to this program..

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMIG42Nz_BA"]Thad Matta talks Ohio State basketball - YouTube[/ame]

 

[BuckeyeMike74]

I'm assuming this video was made before he kicked some of the players out of practice on Saturday... Trying to piece the puzzle together, I wonder who he kicked out? Sounds like he's pretty happy with Lenzelle's effort based on a tweet from earlier today. He also was happy with the freshmen. So who was booted, I wonder...

 

[Buckeye513]

based on what exactly? last years team went 35-3 and didnt even advance past the sweet 16. I love Matta as our coach (and do not want him to leave) but maybe we as Buckeye fans just need to realize the chances of us ever winning a national title in bball (1 title in almost 100 years and that was 42 years ago) might be far fetched? maybe Im just still sour from yesterdays game.....

I was just thinking about this yesterday.

Expecting Ohio State basketball to win National Championships is not realistic. Getting a better coach than Thad Matta in Columbus would be next to impossible.

In that regard, I look at it in a similar light to how I viewed Minnesota and Glen Mason.

We are at a level now that is about the peak of what we can realistically expect. Let's not get greedy, try to reach the "next level" and do something stupid that sets us back to the stage that we were so fortunate that Matta brought us out of in the first place- which is exactly what Minnesota football did by firing Glen Mason.

I realize that no one is talking about firing Matta at this point... but getting restless over these seasons, considering the long history of Ohio State basketball, seems extremely short sighted.

Brad Stevens thinks both of you are sackless bitches.

 

[Bestbuck36]

For me its not the wins and losses really, its the way they are playing. When they look like they don't know how to play basketball other than on some backwoods playground, I get agitated. If the effort is there, they run their offense and use their heads on defense, I can live with an occasional loss. It happens. I just hate watching teams that look clueless and in some of the games recently they looked like just that.

In that case who is to blame? Coach doesnt use all of the bench so we have to assume the guys over there arent able to get it done either. Thats frustrating for us fans. I havent given up but I'm already hoping Craft stays for his Senior year and allows us to watch how he gets it done then. I don't think Sully is going to do that well in the pros, just not as explosive as I thought he would end up being. In college he is smarter than all of the guys he's playing against and his body allows him to move people easily. Hope he stays one more year.

Coach has a tough job to do, I realize that. This era of basketball is too tough to gauge what is going to happen from one year to the next.

 

[brodybuck21]

Brad Stevens thinks both of you are sackless bitches.

Ha! Point well taken

 

[Bill Lucas]

For me its not the wins and losses really, its the way they are playing. When they look like they don't know how to play basketball other than on some backwoods playground, I get agitated. If the effort is there, they run their offense and use their heads on defense, I can live with an occasional loss. It happens. I just hate watching teams that look clueless and in some of the games recently they looked like just that.

In that case who is to blame? Coach doesnt use all of the bench so we have to assume the guys over there arent able to get it done either. Thats frustrating for us fans. I havent given up but I'm already hoping Craft stays for his Senior year and allows us to watch how he gets it done then. I don't think Sully is going to do that well in the pros, just not as explosive as I thought he would end up being. In college he is smarter than all of the guys he's playing against and his body allows him to move people easily. Hope he stays one more year.

Coach has a tough job to do, I realize that. This era of basketball is too tough to gauge what is going to happen from one year to the next.

Chemistry and accountability. Teams without senior leadership (and I mean plural in terms of seniors on the team) tend to lack chemistry and accountability.

 

[Oh8ch]

2005-2006: 8-8 in the Big Ten
2006-2007: 8-8 in the Big Ten
2010-2011: 9-9 in the Big Ten

In those three seasons didn't finish above 4th in the Conference and never made it out of the second round of the NCAA.

Wish those bastards in East Lansing had as little patience as some Buckeye fans.