Thad Matta "Retires" - Fired

[asujbl]

Fairly big news after being at Ohio State for 13 years. While everyone knows it is a "Football school" it's a big time job with big time $$. I'll be very curious who the replacement is

Pete Thamel‏Verified account @SIPeteThamel
List for OSU: Xavier's Chris Mack, Arizona's Sean Miller, Texas Shaka Smart, Cincy Mick Cronin, VT's Buzz Williams, Butler's Chris Holtmann

Gregg Doyel‏Verified account @GreggDoyelStar 2m 2 minutes ago
College basketball coaches have told me for years: Ohio State is one of the most coveted jobs in America. This could get crazy.

Clay Hall‏ @claywsyx6
Insider says OSU wish list includes: Brad Stevens, Tony Bennett, Jay Wright, Sean Miller & Billy Donovan.

Thad Matta out as Ohio State Buckeyes coach after 13 seasons (http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/19550448/thad-matta-ohio-state-buckeyes-coach-13-seasons)

[cookingwine]

This is an odd time to fire him.

Those are some pretty lofty goals for a replacement coach for the Buckeyes as well. Who would be willing to leave their situations at this point in the off season for OSU? Like, why would Miller leave Arizona right now with such a stacked roster for next season? Only way Donovan leaves is if he is really worried that Westbrook leaves before the 2018-19 season.

Maybe they could get one of those coaches after next season, but right now is tricky.

[asujbl]

It is very strange timing. Can't argue that at all. We all said the same thing as rumors started swirling yesterday because everyone had assumed (prior to a few months ago) that Archie Miller was the front runner for when Matta was gone... and then he signed up with Indiana.

It's going to be very interesting.

[Tarheelsfan2012]

Fairly big news after being at Ohio State for 13 years. While everyone knows it is a "Football school" it's a big time job with big time $$. I'll be very curious who the replacement is

Pete Thamel‏Verified account @SIPeteThamel
List for OSU: Xavier's Chris Mack, Arizona's Sean Miller, Texas Shaka Smart, Cincy Mick Cronin, VT's Buzz Williams, Butler's Chris Holtmann

Gregg Doyel‏Verified account @GreggDoyelStar 2m 2 minutes ago
College basketball coaches have told me for years: Ohio State is one of the most coveted jobs in America. This could get crazy.

Clay Hall‏ @claywsyx6
Insider says OSU wish list includes: Brad Stevens, Tony Bennett, Jay Wright, Sean Miller & Billy Donovan.

Thad Matta out as Ohio State Buckeyes coach after 13 seasons (http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/19550448/thad-matta-ohio-state-buckeyes-coach-13-seasons)


OSU can wish for Brad Stevens all day long but theres no chance he would go there. If he goes back to college it will be to a blue blood (UNC or Duke). Sean Miller and Shaka Smart have equal level jobs, they aren't leaving their respective programs either.

[bradjames12]

Wow... That is a short amount of time from the end of the season till now for the AD to do a 180 on Matta...

If IU couldn't land Brad Stevens, I highly doubt OSU would be able to do so. Stevens was a pipe dream for IU in my opinion.

Timing is really weird as mentioned. I don't know how much time their incoming recruits have on staying committed vs reopening their commitment.

[Ferg1945]

Brad Stevens?

Why would he leave Boston? #1 overall pick... really good team... rumors are that Gordon Hayward wants to reunite with Stevens in Boston.

But money talks.

[Cavaliercards]

OSU can dream of Tony Bennett, but tossing his name on that list shows the writer knows nothing about him or what drives him

[SPauthentic84]

Is OSU a better job than Zona? Too bad Archie just went to Indiana

I bet its Mack or Billy D if hes sick of NBA

[dasiegel]

It is very strange timing. Can't argue that at all. We all said the same thing as rumors started swirling yesterday because everyone had assumed (prior to a few months ago) that Archie Miller was the front runner for when Matta was gone... and then he signed up with Indiana.

It's going to be very interesting.

I'm very happy we locked that Arch thing down before this news!

[Rareairx23]

Not a chance stevens leaves boston

[indyguy]

Stevens has stated multiple times that he hates college recruiting all year long. He's not going anywhere.

Sean Miller isn't going anywhere, right now. No way he'd leave Arizona with guys that he got to come back and the classes he has coming in. He has the run of the Pac12 for the next few seasons.

I don't see Shaka leaving. He has some nice pieces coming in. Not sure he'd want to start rebuilding another program. Timing doesn't seem right for him to move on.



I think the two choices are going to be Mack or Cronin. Not sure Mack would leave Blueitt after he came back for his senior yr though.

[indyguy]

Also, with JaQuan Lyle leaving OSU, there seems to be some other things going on in the program. If I were a prospective coach, I'd be very weary of what else might come along.

[cookingwine]

I kind of want to know when Ohio State became a dream job in basketball.

Michigan, for example, had issues finding a coach and they have a similar amount of overall success as Ohio State. Sure, OSU has been better than Michigan the last ten years overall, but doesn't that speak more to Motta being a great coach than anything?

All I can say is that if Beilein retires at the end of next season, we're not going to hear rumors about a slew of top flight coaches dying to come to Michigan. They're going to have to do exactly what they have done in the past...try to find a good coach at a smaller school and hope they can carry the program for a while.

[Rareairx23]

Stevens has stated multiple times that he hates college recruiting all year long. He's not going anywhere.

Sean Miller isn't going anywhere, right now. No way he'd leave Arizona with guys that he got to come back and the classes he has coming in. He has the run of the Pac12 for the next few seasons.

I don't see Shaka leaving. He has some nice pieces coming in. Not sure he'd want to start rebuilding another program. Timing doesn't seem right for him to move on.



I think the two choices are going to be Mack or Cronin. Not sure Mack would leave Blueitt after he came back for his senior yr though.

Nailed that one on the head.

Also i believe it will be cronin by default of nobody else on the list wanting it

[asujbl]

https://www.landof10.com/ohio-state/thad-matta-potential-replacements-ohio-state

[Art Vandelay]

I kind of want to know when Ohio State became a dream job in basketball.

Only 5 schools have more final four appearances than Ohio State.

[rman112]

Which head coach that recently signed a huge new deal will replace him?

[cookingwine]

I will put this in terms that Ohio State fans will fully understand.

Michigan has 11 national championships in college football, but as most people know, the majority of those championships came before the 1950s, when most schools wouldn't allow blacks to play football. So, as a Michigan fan, I can safely say that the majority of those championships are, well, not that important.

Ohio State had the majority of their final four appearances come before 1968. It falls into the same idea that Indiana is a top flight job because they used to be super relevant in the 1970s. I'm not saying OSU isn't a great school, but I don't think it's a school that gets to pick the best coaches in the world in a bidding war situation. That's officially reserved, at this point, to UNC, Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas.

[Art Vandelay]

I will put this in terms that Ohio State fans will fully understand.

Michigan has 11 national championships in college football, but as most people know, the majority of those championships came before the 1950s, when most schools wouldn't allow blacks to play football. So, as a Michigan fan, I can safely say that the majority of those championships are, well, not that important.

Ohio State had the majority of their final four appearances come before 1968. It falls into the same idea that Indiana is a top flight job because they used to be super relevant in the 1970s. I'm not saying OSU isn't a great school, but I don't think it's a school that gets to pick the best coaches in the world in a bidding war situation. That's officially reserved, at this point, to UNC, Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas.

According to Forbes, Ohio State is the 7th most valuable basketball program (higher than Duke). Looks like they can afford to go after any coach they want. And I am not an Ohio State fan...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2016/03/14/college-basketballs-most-valuable-teams-2016-louisville-kansas-kentucky-on-top-again/#666119513194

[Peties Army]

Is OSU a better job than Zona? Too bad Archie just went to Indiana

I bet its Mack or Billy D if hes sick of NBA

Zona currently may not be a better job but Id rather be in Big 10 for about every sport and Ohio State has silly money.

[Peties Army]

This is an odd time to fire him.

Those are some pretty lofty goals for a replacement coach for the Buckeyes as well. Who would be willing to leave their situations at this point in the off season for OSU? Like, why would Miller leave Arizona right now with such a stacked roster for next season? Only way Donovan leaves is if he is really worried that Westbrook leaves before the 2018-19 season.

Maybe they could get one of those coaches after next season, but right now is tricky.

With a job like this they will pretty much still be able to get whomever they want. Is Miller coming from Zona? Despite what I said above that would be a awkward time for him to leave but if they can get a guy like Mack he should leave in a second. That's a much better job

[asujbl]

At the end of the day people need to be comparing apples to apples.

Is Ohio State on the level of Duke, UNC, etc... when it comes to being a "Basketball School"? Of course not. No one would argue that. It's clearly a Tier 2 program which is fine. How many are really Tier 1? 5? 10?

How will Ohio State get a big name coach if that's what they want? $$ and facilities. They are Tier 1 there across the board. Ohio State can pay anything they want.

So we can talk about Titles, Final 4's, when they happened, recent success etc...

At the end of the day if Ohio State decides they want to double someone's salary and give them access to the best facilities and benefits around to help with recruiting etc... they simply write the check.

Ohio State needs to decide what philosophy they want to go with first (young guy, up and comer, proven, big name, combination, etc... who knows what they want) and then decide how they want to approach it from there.

No one is going to hang up if Ohio State calls. They might decline but they'll all listen.

[cookingwine]

According to Forbes, Ohio State is the 7th most valuable basketball program (higher than Duke). Looks like they can afford to go after any coach they want. And I am not an Ohio State fan...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2016/03/14/college-basketballs-most-valuable-teams-2016-louisville-kansas-kentucky-on-top-again/#666119513194

And Tennessee was #11 while #12 was Michigan State. In no world would I ever see Tom Izzo leaving MSU to go to Tennessee when that job opens up again. Sometimes the desirability of a job goes beyond how much money the program makes in a year.

I don't doubt that Ohio State could afford any coach in the country, that school prints money. It's the idea of leaving a top school like Arizona to go to Ohio State.

With a job like this they will pretty much still be able to get whomever they want. Is Miller coming from Zona? Despite what I said above that would be a awkward time for him to leave but if they can get a guy like Mack he should leave in a second. That's a much better job

This is a much more realistic proposition.

Everything can generally be broken into tiers. A coach like Chris Mack should absolutely want the Ohio State job, as should any coach from that tier. As should Mick Cronin. But to presume someone would leave a school like Arizona that can get top recruits just based on location (Miller is a great coach as well, don't get me wrong) to go to OSU just doesn't make sense. That would, at best, be a lateral move. Except the recruiting there wouldn't be as easy. And the competition would generally be tougher than what you traditionally face in the Pac-12.

[IndyKMB]

Whew...thank goodness this didn't happen in March. Indiana would probably not have landed Archie Miller had Matta been fired first.
Then we would have endured many more weeks of the Stevens/Donovan rumors.

[CC_123]

Fairly big news after being at Ohio State for 13 years. While everyone knows it is a "Football school" it's a big time job with big time $$. I'll be very curious who the replacement is

Pete Thamel‏Verified account @SIPeteThamel
List for OSU: Xavier's Chris Mack, Arizona's Sean Miller, Texas Shaka Smart, Cincy Mick Cronin, VT's Buzz Williams, Butler's Chris Holtmann

Gregg Doyel‏Verified account @GreggDoyelStar 2m 2 minutes ago
College basketball coaches have told me for years: Ohio State is one of the most coveted jobs in America. This could get crazy.

Clay Hall‏ @claywsyx6
Insider says OSU wish list includes: Brad Stevens, Tony Bennett, Jay Wright, Sean Miller & Billy Donovan.

Thad Matta out as Ohio State Buckeyes coach after 13 seasons (http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/19550448/thad-matta-ohio-state-buckeyes-coach-13-seasons)


There is no way that Brad Stevens, Jay Wright, Sean Miller, Billy Donovan, or Shaka Smart are going to OSU. OSU might have a shot at Mick Cronin, Buzz Williams, or Chris Holtmann, but the others are just a dream for OSU fans.

With the recruiting that Sean Miller has done in Arizona, he will be there for awhile. He is having success there and will continue to. Billy Donovan and Brad Stevens aren't leaving the NBA unless they get a job like UNC, Duke, Kentucky, Florida, etc. Jay Wright is two years removed from winning a NCAA Title at Villanova and is still pulling in strong recruits. They will be good for awhile as well. Shaka Smart is one who COULD end up leaving Texas, but he really hasn't gotten "his guys" in there yet and I don't think he'd want to restart the process at OSU.

It'll definitely be interesting to see who OSU lands, especially being a Gophers fan, but it likely isn't going to be the cream of the crop, especially at this point of the year.

[MyckKabongo]

This strikes me as a terrible move. For quite some time, OSU was one of the most consistently strong programs. Top 10 every year. Maybe he fell off but what are the odds that any coach that follows him will do as well as he did. Not good, if we're being honest. Same mistake Texas made firing Barnes.

Also, Miller and Bennett aren't going anywhere until one of the big 4 blue blood jobs open.

[rcmb3220]

OSU can dream of Tony Bennett, but tossing his name on that list shows the writer knows nothing about him or what drives him

Nobody dreams about tony bennett.

[Cavaliercards]

Nobody dreams about tony bennett.

Indiana (twice) Stanford, LSU and many others have disproven that statement, he is a dreamy man and a great coach.

[tnvolfan16]

at least there was some good news today. good to see him unemployed

[Cavaliercards]

at least there was some good news today. good to see him unemployed

Ouch!!!!

[indyguy]

All that money and facilities amounts to....

Creighton's coach

Well played Ohio State!

[Cavaliercards]

All that money and facilities amounts to....

Creighton's coach

Well played Ohio State!

ROFL, well played OSU well played.

Should have just kept Thad

[Kelper7]

Lol. McDermott. Wow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[indyguy]

Must've burned through that dream list pretty fast. Worlds shortest phone calls?

"Hey Brad, Ohio Sta" (click, dial tone)
"Hey Billy, Ohi" (click, dial tone)
"Hey Sean, money and facil" (click dial tone)

"Screw it, get me the Rolodex"

176 calls later:
"Is this Doug McDermute?"
"Uh, Greg...McDermott"
"That's great Glenn. Do you know basketball? Specifically coaching. Let me rephrase. Do you like money and facilities?"
"Sure"
"You're hired"

[bradical]

Tough crowd in here.

McDermott is an excellent coach. If he ends up signing with OSU it will be a great fit and hire.

[cnewby]

Must've burned through that dream list pretty fast. Worlds shortest phone calls?

"Hey Brad, Ohio Sta" (click, dial tone)
"Hey Billy, Ohi" (click, dial tone)
"Hey Sean, money and facil" (click dial tone)

"Screw it, get me the Rolodex"

176 calls later:
"Is this Doug McDermute?"
"Uh, Greg...McDermott"
"That's great Glenn. Do you know basketball? Specifically coaching. Let me rephrase. Do you like money and facilities?"
"Sure"
"You're hired"

Gold. :)!

[indyguy]

Tough crowd in here.

McDermott is an excellent coach. If he ends up signing with OSU it will be a great fit and hire.

Don't get me wrong, I think he's a good coach, but he's not anyone that was such a hot commodity that OSU had to make the move now.

Part of the reason Thad was being let go (retired/resigned/whatever) was because of recruiting (allegedly). I don't think they really solved that issue if McDermott is the guy.

[LC2nine10]

...and no McDermott

[Cavaliercards]

Maybe they can get an assistant like Jon Scheyer

[Kelper7]

...and no McDermott



Lol. Even funnier than settling for Greg McDermott? Being turned down by Greg McDermott! LMFAO


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[zonacats8]

I think it's just funny that Miller was ever mentioned for this job given the timing of it.

I can tell you as an avid Arizona hoops fan, OSU is one of only a few schools (UNC and Kansas being really the only other 2) that would scare us if the jobs ever opened up.

But he has the #1 team going into the season next year and wants nothing more than to finally make his first Final Four.

Had this been right at the end of the season, before Trier and Alkins came back and before a big time 2018 recruit re-classified to 2017 to play next year, then yea I think they'd have a legit shot at stealing him.

But I don't think anyone has ever left the no questioned pre-season #1 going into that season before

[asujbl]

Gary Parrish‏Verified account @GaryParrishCBS 49m 49 minutes ago
SOURCE: Chris Holtmann is in negotiations to become Ohio State's coach. Still not 100% done. But could finalize today barring a breakdown.

[indyguy]

Replace a Butler guy with another Butler guy.

He had a great class coming into Butler this season. Maybe the best class Butler had ever seen.

[sportzluvr1]

Great news for the beloved.

[bdrr]

Holtmann is a good pick. Interesting that McDermott turned them down first. I wonder if Creighton convinced him they're going to act like a Power Conference school going forward.

[indyguy]

Holtmann is a good pick. Interesting that McDermott turned them down first. I wonder if Creighton convinced him they're going to act like a Power Conference school going forward.

My guess is that he is happy with the amount of money vs the amount of stress of being the head coach at Creighton.

Going to a power conference school, the pay will be higher, but so will the demand.

At Creighton, making the tournament is a big deal. At Ohio State, if you don't make the 2nd round/Sweet 16, then your year is typically looked at as a failure.

[bradical]

Holtmann is a good pick. Interesting that McDermott turned them down first. I wonder if Creighton convinced him they're going to act like a Power Conference school going forward.

McDermott has always preached playing for the school for 4-years. Most of his programs have historically high graduation rates. A one-and-done program like OSU may not have been a right fit for his style.

[LC2nine10]

I'm slow

[indyguy]

I'm slow

You'll fit right in on the basketball forum then! Welcome!