Tag: Thad Matta

On this date 16 years ago, No. 1 Ohio State basketball gave us a game for the ages

Does this make you feel old Buckeye fans? #GoBucks

Since the Ohio State basketball season has been over for some time for all intents and purposes, let’s take a look back on some better days. Back to a time when the shorts were much longer and the Buckeyes were on top of the basketball world and the polls with the “Thad 5.”

On Feb. 25, 16 years ago to the day, Thad Matta’s No. 1 Ohio State squad took on No. 2 Wisconsin at Value City Arena. It was a back-and-forth affair seeing OSU in unfamiliar territory, down a point with just 16 seconds left on the clock.

The ball ended up in eventual first-round pick Mike Conley Jr’s. hands. Conley split a pair of Badgers to put a running floater in the air that rattled home to give the Buckeyes the win.

With not much in the way of highlights this year, you can relive the exciting moment below.

Ivan Harris led the young Buckeyes that day with 13 points, while Conley and fellow freshman phenom, Greg Oden, each added 11 points.

It’s hard to believe this game was played almost two decades ago. Here’s hoping Ohio State can get back to dominating on the hardwood sooner rather than later. Until then, we can reminisce about the good ol’ days.

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Ranking the all-time winningest head coaches in Ohio State basketball history by number of wins

Here’s a ranking of Ohio State basketball coaches by the number of wins with winning percentage also noted. You probably know who is on top, but how does it stack up from there?

The Ohio State basketball program may not be known as a blue blood on the hardcourt like it is on the gridiron, but it’s still got a history many programs would be jealous of. In fact, OSU is among the leaders in Final Four appearances and Big Ten championships.

To reach those ends, the Buckeye program has had to be led by some pretty talented coaches throughout history. Whether it be Fred Taylor, Thad Matta, or the current guy pulling the strings, Chris Holtmann, there’s been some pretty good coaches putting together some pretty memorable seasons on the banks of the Olentangy.

But when you put the list of head coaches together at Ohio State, who leads in all-time wins and winning percentage? We know you have a pretty good idea of the top two, but what other coaches are up there, and how does a place known more for slinging the pigskin around line up?

Here’s a look at Ohio State basketball coaching history and who leads the way in all-time wins. We rank from the least amount of wins to the most with winning percentage also noted.

Thad Matta reportedly set to hire two former Ohio State greats at Butler

How do you feel about these two Buckeye greats headed to Butler to assist Thad Matta?

Former Ohio State basketball head coach Thad Matta is already pulling guys from his time on the banks of the Olentangy. As first reported by David Woods of the Indy Star, Matta is all set to add Buckeye greats Greg Oden and Jon Diebler to his staff.

The two need no introduction for OSU fans. Oden burst onto the scene as a freshman as the most coveted big-man coming out of high school and quickly made good on that promise, nearly helping lead Ohio State to a national title during the 2006-2007 season. Injuries derailed his NBA aspirations, but he eventually found his way back to Ohio State on Chris Holtmann’s staff as a graduate assistant last season.

Diebler is still the program’s all-time leader when it comes to three-point baskets made and left as the best all-time in the Big Ten (since surpassed by Jordan Bohannon of Iowa). He too competed on some of the best teams Matta ever ran out on the court from 2007 to 2011. He was a late NBA draft pick but never elbowed his way in the league, instead enjoying a long career overseas. This will be his first foray into the official coaching ranks.

There has been no formal announcement on what roles the two will have on Matta’s staff, but it will more than likely be in a support role since his three full-time assistant positions have already been filled by Mike Pegues, Kevin Kuwik, and David Ragland.

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WATCH: Thad Matta introductory press conference at Butler

What Thad had to say during his Butler introductory press conference on Wednesday.

Former Ohio State basketball head coach Thad Matta is back on the sidelines and he’s looking to restore some glory to his former team and alma mater, Butler.

We kind of lost track of Matta after he exited Ohio State with health and performance issues, but every once in a while you’d hear his name surface with coaching vacancies only for it to be a bit of afterthought. Not this time though.

The pull of Butler was too much for a guy that is an Indiana native and makes his home just down the road from campus. He’s back in the fray and it’ll be interesting to see how the grind of recruiting, game days, practices, and other functions are handled by what looked like a tired and pained head coach when he left the game in 2017.

Nevertheless, we’ll be rooting for him except for when the paths of Ohio State and Butler cross.

Matta was formally introduced to the Butler media on Wednesday, and of course, we were interested in what the former Buckeye great had to say to the Bulldog faithful. You might be too. If you are, you’re in luck because we have the video thanks to the YouTube Channel of Butler Athletics.

Watch the below and listen to Matta discuss what it means for him to come home to Butler, how he’s feeling healthwise, and even some of the things he’ll bring from his time at Ohio State.

We’ll be very interested observers when Butler kicks off its season in November. Stay tuned …

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All of Thad Matta’s NBA draft picks while at Ohio State

Going back through the players Thad Matta put in the NBA as draft picks.

In case you’ve been away from the sports news cycle for a bit, we’re here to let you know that former Ohio State basketball head coach Thad Matta is back in the game. One of his former schools, and alma mater, Butler, announced the hiring of Matta to be the Bulldogs’ new head coach last week.

Hopefully, Matta has gotten to the point with his health that he’s ready to get back in the game at the level he was while patrolling the sidelines in Columbus, and we for one, will be rooting for his success.

The whole thing did get us reminiscing though. Simply put, Matta’s time at Ohio State is hands down the best era in Buckeye basketball history. During his time wearing the scarlet and gray, Matta won five regular season Big Ten titles, four Big Ten Tournament championships, went to two Final Fours, including one where OSU finished runner up, and took Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament nine times.

Matta also sent a lot of players to the NBA, including multiple first-rounders. And that’s what we’re focusing on here with the news of him back in the coaching game. Here is every Ohio State player that was selected in the NBA draft while Thad Matta was the coach at OSU.

We’ll go in chronological order from earliest to most recent.

Ranking Big Ten basketball coaches by all-time Big Ten Touranment winning percentage

Which Big Ten basketball coaches have had the most success in the history of the Big Ten Tournament?

The 2022 version of the Big Ten Tournament is underway. It always brings with it physical play with a ton of drama as one of the most competitive and most-watched college basketball tournaments in the country.

There have been some iconic coaches in the history of the tournament as well that goes back to 1998. From Tom Izzo of Michigan State to Ohio State’s Thad Matta, to Illinois’ Bill Self, there have been some personalities roaming the sidelines and bench area in the Big Ten Tournament.

But which coaches have had the most success? You can probably guess some of the guys that have been highly successful in the postseason of the Big Ten, but some might surprise you.

We rank Big Ten head coaches’ records based on the best all-time winning percentage (minimum of five wins) for your entertainment as you soak in another version of all the March madness in the heartland.

* Heading into the 2021 tournament

Thad Matta to be hired by Indiana, but not as head coach

Indiana is indeed hiring former Ohio State head coach Thad Matta, but not as head coach. Instead, he will be an associate athletic director.

It appears former Ohio State head coach Thad Matta is indeed headed to Indiana, but not as its next head coach. Instead, according to the Indy Star, Matta is being hired by the Hoosiers as an associate athletic director of basketball administration, tasked with assisting new head coach Mike Woodson off the court.

Matta’s role will not include an assistant position on Woodson’s staff and appears to be completely aligned with helping put a staff together and providing support in an administrative role outside of the competitive environment. He will handle “off-campus duties” as well — whatever that means.

It’s kind of a curious move and makes you wonder if reports about Matta being the prime candidate were true until he failed a physical. Those reports were denied by the Indiana administration. I mean, if you trust a guy to be a head coach, why does he need a created position to help fill some of the roles a head coach would typically take care of?

Regardless, Matta is clearly a large figure that can help the program, Before departing Ohio State after 13 seasons, Matta finished his career in Columbus as the winningest head coach in OSU history, went to two final fours, one NCAA championship game, and won five Big Ten regular-season titles to go with four Big Ten Tournament championships.

We’ll just have to wait to see how this whole experiment works I guess. Despite the weird setup, congrats are in order for Matta.

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Jury out on whether Thad Matta is really a candidate for the Indiana job

Rumors abound about former Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta being a candidate for the Indiana job, but it depends on who you believe.

The internet rumors are going crazy on the idea of former Ohio State basketball head coach Thad Matta being a candidate for the vacant Indiana job. Archie Miller was let go as the Hoosier head man shortly after four seasons of falling short of expectations just last week.

Since then, there have been names floated out there like former Michigan head coach John John Beilein, Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard, and New York Knicks assistant Mike Woodson. Just Sunday though, Matta’s name began to surface as center to the discussions.

And on Monday, there were even reports that Indiana had a deal to bring Matta on as the Hoosiers’ new head coach, but that he failed a physical. Those reports were later denied by an insider close to the program in speaking with the IndyStar.

So, who knows at this point.

One thing is for certain though. Matta has flirted with getting back into coaching, and there’s no doubt that his name would be one that would be a homerun hire in his home state of Indiana (where he currently lives) if he’s physically able to perform the job.

Usually, where there’s smoke there is at least some burning embers that could light, but with Indiana AD Scott Dolson informing the media that he will not comment on the coaching search until the time of an announcement, we’re all left a litte in the dark.

As more real substance becomes available, we’ll have more on this, but for now, it looks like there is no impending deal to bring Thad Michael Matta back into the Big Ten.

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Could former Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta be on his way back to the coaching ranks?

Thad Matta’s name is being mentioned as a possible coaching candidate at Wichita State should the position come open as it’s expected to.

Thad Matta is arguable the most successful head coach in Ohio State basketball history. With a school record of 337 wins, five Big Ten regular-season titles, four Big Ten tournament titles, nine NCAA tournament appearances, and two trips to the Final Four, a strong case can be made for Matta.

Unfortunately for Matta, persistent back issues left him with the inability to be as involved as he would’ve liked in his final few years on the OSU bench. Matta was relieved of his coaching duties in an odd fashion in June of 2017, leading some to speculate there were internal issues between him and Ohio State athletic director, Gene Smith.

Regardless, Matta handled the situation with class and has yet to officially retire. Enter Wichita State.

The Shockers have had an ongoing investigation of troubling allegations of player abuse and are expected to part ways with current head coach, Gregg Marshall. It is reported that Matta is tops on Wichita State’s wish list.

Seth Davis posted on Twitter that the Shockers could make Matta their new head coach “right away.” However, it’s hard to believe that any program would bring in a new coach two weeks before the season is set to begin.

Could Thad Matta be the next coach at Wichita State University? Having a few years to rest that ailing back has probably done wonders and a guy as competitive as Matta most likely feels like he still has something to offer.

It seems Wichita would be a great landing spot for the former OSU head coach if it pans out that way. Time will tell and we wish nothing but the best for one of the class acts in college sports.

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