Thad Matta retiring

[ericd7633]

Golden State assistant coach Mike Brown has evidently been rumored at this point. This search has been crazy thus far. One candidate I haven't even seen be mentioned is Bryce Drew. At this point, I think that would be a great hire. He has midwestern ties with his time at Valpo, and had a good year at Vandy last year it what was assumed to be a rebuilding year with losing two 1st rounders.

 

[gpm1976]

McDermott was never offered apparently, says he's staying at Creighton.

It's blatantly obvious Gene Smith had absolutely not plan going into this.

The only rational thinking I can come up with is that Smith and Matta had a huge argument over something, big enough to decide that it was time to "move on"

This is heading fast in the direction of "Interim Coach Chris Jent" for the 17-18 season. Which is dumber than if Matta would had coached 1 more season.

Or some small school coach that leaves everyone scratching their heads.

This is heading fast in the direction of "Interim Coach Chris Jent" for the 17-18 season. Which is dumber than if Matta would had coached 1 more season.

I REALLY hope not. I'm not at all a fan of 'interim' coaches unless something horrific happens and it's unavoidable. I thought I read somewhere that they had a candidate that they couldn't pass up ready to go... obviously not the case now that you see how this is unfolding. So you might be right about Smith and Matta getting 'into it' and calling it quits right now.

 

[osubuckeye89]

This is heading fast in the direction of "Interim Coach Chris Jent" for the 17-18 season. Which is dumber than if Matta would had coached 1 more season.

I REALLY hope not. I'm not at all a fan of 'interim' coaches unless something horrific happens and it's unavoidable. I thought I read somewhere that they had a candidate that they couldn't pass up ready to go... obviously not the case now that you see how this is unfolding. So you might be right about Smith and Matta getting 'into it' and calling it quits right now.

Well if McDermott was the first person Gene Smith met with that wasnt Chris Jent, that's definitely not a good sign. That's an indicator that McDermott was likely the "best option" who might actually have interest.

They need a real coach, not a interim. 17-18 is going to be a throw away year on the court, but in recruiting a interim coach just puts them even deeper in the hole they are already in.

It's probably going to end up being some small school coach that leaves us all scratching our heads.

The Macks/Holtmanns of the world arent going to risk their secure jobs to come to an Ohio State team in middle of june with a depleted roster and damaged recruiting

 

[gpm1976]

Well if McDermott was the first person Gene Smith met with that wasnt Chris Jent, that's definitely not a good sign. That's an indicator that McDermott was likely the "best option" who might actually have interest.

They need a real coach, not a interim. 17-18 is going to be a throw away year on the court, but in recruiting a interim coach just puts them even deeper in the hole they are already in.

It's probably going to end up being some small school coach that leaves us all scratching our heads.

The Macks/Holtmanns of the world arent going to risk their secure jobs to come to an Ohio State team in middle of june with a depleted roster and damaged recruiting

I'm afraid it's going to be a small school coach as well. They clearly didn't have any big names in mind when asking Matta not to come back. I'm not sure Jent's any kind of option now that they seemly 'shit' on him as a candidate. It's just not looking good. I'm just hoping they're willing to pony up the cash to 'lure' someone in.. in terms of money, they've got it.

 

[osubuckeye89]

I'm afraid it's going to be a small school coach as well. They clearly didn't have any big names in mind when asking Matta not to come back. I'm not sure Jent's any kind of option now that they seemly 'shit' on him as a candidate. It's just not looking good. I'm just hoping they're willing to pony up the cash to 'lure' someone in.. in terms of money, they've got it.

Jent as the permanent coach would be a disaster. he'd have us on par with the Penn States and Rutgers of the world and playing in front of a bunch of empty seats.

The small school coach option isn't always necessarily bad, sometimes it works out, but you better hope you get the right one.

 

[ericd7633]

Some mid-major, low-major candidates:

Jon Becker(Vermont)
Dan Hurley(Rhode Island)
Pat Kelsey(Winthrop)
Nick McDevitt(UNC-Asheville)
Rick Stansbury(Western Kentucky)
King Rice(Monmouth)
Eric Mussleman(Nevada)
Dan Muller(Illinois State)

 

[gpm1976]

Jent as the permanent coach would be a disaster. he'd have us on par with the Penn States and Rutgers of the world and playing in front of a bunch of empty seats.

The small school coach option isn't always necessarily bad, sometimes it works out, but you better hope you get the right one.

I'm not necessarily a Jent advocate, but I'm concerned about getting a small school coach. Getting the wrong guy means wasting years. I just don't think Ohio St. is a program that should have to go digging through the dumpster looking for a hidden gem... but I could be wrong.

 

[osubuckeye89]

I'm not necessarily a Jent advocate, but I'm concerned about getting a small school coach. Getting the wrong guy means wasting years. I just don't think Ohio St. is a program that should have to go digging through the dumpster looking for a hidden gem... but I could be wrong.

I think Jent is almost a guarantee of awful/mediocre. So it would be wasted years with him anyway. I wouldn't even keep him on as an assistant, the whole coaching staff needs to be overhauled. So might as well shoot your shot with a small school coach looking for an opportunity in the big time.

You're not wrong. But it's June 8th, Ohio State has a depleted current roster, and our recruiting situation is a mess.

It would be a big risk for anyone who's established to make the jump here. The timing is awful and the situation is not very good.

 

[osubuckeye89]

Some mid-major, low-major candidates:

Jon Becker(Vermont)
Dan Hurley(Rhode Island)
Pat Kelsey(Winthrop)
Nick McDevitt(UNC-Asheville)
Rick Stansbury(Western Kentucky)
King Rice(Monmouth)
Eric Mussleman(Nevada)
Dan Muller(Illinois State)

If I could pick mid/low major guy i'd pick Joe Dooley from FGCU, he was a very respect assistant (and pretty good recruiter) at Kansas, and has kept FGCU competitive since he took over there.

I'd take Pat Kelsey too, but I wonder if the stunt he pulled backing out on Umass at the last minute will keep schools weary of hiring him.

 

[gpm1976]

I think Jent is almost a guarantee of awful/mediocre. So it would be wasted years with him anyway. I wouldn't even keep him on as an assistant, the whole coaching staff needs to be overhauled. So might as well shoot your shot with a small school coach looking for an opportunity in the big time.

You're not wrong. But it's June 8th, Ohio State has a depleted current roster, and our recruiting situation is a mess.

It would be a big risk for anyone who's established to make the jump here. The timing is awful and the situation is not very good.

I wouldn't even keep him on as an assistant, the whole coaching staff needs to be overhauled.

I've thought this very same thing. Ohio St. had talent these past few years, but the coaching staff could do nothing with it. Maybe it was a matter of loyalty with Matta, but he needed to get guys in there that could get the job done. Anyways, this happened about a year or two too late. The cupboard is absolutely bare and the Wesson kid coming in might be the only good thing we have happening for us. I had my fingers crossed for Donovan, but that's not gonna happen.

 

[osubuckeye89]

I wouldn't even keep him on as an assistant, the whole coaching staff needs to be overhauled.

I've thought this very same thing. Ohio St. had talent these past few years, but the coaching staff could do nothing with it. Maybe it was a matter of loyalty with Matta, but he needed to get guys in there that could get the job done. Anyways, this happened about a year or two too late. The cupboard is absolutely bare and the Wesson kid coming in might be the only good thing we have happening for us. I had my fingers crossed for Donovan, but that's not gonna happen.

Player development has been terrible the past 4 or so years. Theyve had pretty good recruits, maybe not elite top 20 type guys, but guys good enough that there should be no excuse for being as mediocre/bad as we have been. So has player conditioning/training. As evidence Marc Loving looked like the same weak twig he was out of HS his Senior year at Ohio State, that's inexcusable.

 

[gpm1976]

Player development has been terrible the past 4 or so years. So has player conditioning/training. As evidence Marc Loving looked like the same weak twig he was out of HS his Senior year at Ohio State, that's inexcusable.

I wanted him to be "asked" to leave after his 2nd season. He has a shit attitude and was a terrible role model for anyone else coming in... and you're right, he didn't gain a pound since his freshman year. I'm not how different weight training is for basketball versus football, but Josh Perry and his family are friends of ours and I remember seeing him at the end of his freshman season and thinking how ripped he looked compared to his senior season of high school. Then he comes back after his sophomore year and he looked like he pretty much lived in the gym. If he can transform like that in 2 seasons, then there's no reason why basketball players can't do the same(within reason). If I'm not mistaken, Russel made a comment about how lazy some of the other players were.

 

[osubuckeye89]

I wanted him to be "asked" to leave after his 2nd season. He has a shit attitude and was a terrible role model for anyone else coming in... and you're right, he didn't gain a pound since his freshman year. I'm not how different weight training is for basketball versus football, but Josh Perry and his family are friends of ours and I remember seeing him at the end of his freshman season and thinking how ripped he looked compared to his senior season of high school. Then he comes back after his sophomore year and he looked like he pretty much lived in the gym. If he can transform like that in 2 seasons, then there's no reason why basketball players can't do the same(within reason). If I'm not mistaken, Russel made a comment about how lazy some of the other players were.

I don't think i've ever seen a play progressively decline so much through his career as Marc Loving did.

Basketball weight training certainly isn't anywhere near as intense as football is. However there is no way a 3/4 year player at a major program should basically carry the same body type and strength at the end as he did when he arrived on campus as a Freshmen.

The last few teams have certainly seemed lazy, that extra effort on hustle plays was just almost never there. There was just a point where the program lost all momentum and turned stale. Ever since that elite 8 loss to Wichita in 12/13 it's been all a steep decline. Fans don't care, players seem to care very little for the most part. Just a total disaster. It's going to be a tough task for whoever takes over to get rid of the groggy atmosphere that's surrounding the program at the moment.

 

[gpm1976]

I don't think i've ever seen a play progressively decline so much through his career as Marc Loving did.

Basketball weight training certainly isn't anywhere near as intense as football is. However there is no way a 3/4 year player at a major program should basically carry the same body type and strength at the end as he did when he arrived on campus as a Freshmen.

The last few teams have certainly seemed lazy, that extra effort on hustle plays was just almost never there. There was just a point where the program lost all momentum and turned stale. Ever since that elite 8 loss to Wichita in 12/13 it's been all a steep decline. Fans don't care, players seem to care very little for the most part. Just a total disaster. It's going to be a tough task for whoever takes over to get rid of the groggy atmosphere that's surrounding the program at the moment.

We're certainly on the decline. Just keep your fingers crossed that we find the right guy.

 

[osubuckeye89]

Not sure how accurate this is going to turn out to be, but would be a very satisying outcome considering the speculation in the past 24 hours

 

[bksballer89]

 

[ericd7633]

That would be a heck of hire IMO. He's done great at Butler. Wonder how he'll be able to recruit at a place like Ohio State.

 

[mr.hockey4242]

McDermott turned em down

Mack wasn't interested

Holtmann signed


They went after the BE coaches hard