Five Things: Saying Goodbye to the Greatest Coach in the History of Ohio State Basketball

By Chris Lauderback on June 8, 2017 at 11:05 am
Thad Matta became the gold standard for Ohio State basketball coaches during his 13-year run.
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It wasn't supposed to end this way but as often is the case, things don't always unfold according to plan. 

Just five seasons removed from a run to the Elite Eight, Thad Matta was relieved of his duties during a Monday afternoon joint press conference with Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith. 

In all honesty, hearing Thad's first words as he choked back tears made my eyes well up a tiny bit as it was abundantly clear just how much Matta put into the program and how hard it was for him to let it go. 

It really is a shame that a man who set a new standard for Ohio State basketball could no longer live up that standard thanks largely to failing health but he's not the first nor will he be the last to fall victim of his own success. 

Now that Smith must turn the page and find a new coach worthy of taking over for such an outstanding man (something it appears could be going very, very wrong), I close my own book on the Thad Matta Era with a rare basketball version of Five Things. 

WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP INDEED

Opening his statement citing lyrics from the Grateful Dead's "Truckin" was absolutely brilliant: 

Sometimes the lights all shining on me
Other times I can barely see
Lately it occurs to me
What a long strange trip it's been

Matta's 13-year stint in Columbus was no doubt a long strange trip as he basked in the glory two Final Four runs, five regular season B1G titles and four conference tourney titles (among other notable numbers) followed by a string of lows both on and off the court as he dealt with all those back surgeries – one botched – leading to "drop foot" and such blinding pain that even putting on shoes became at times impossible. 

Despite the indisputable fact his health compromised his effectiveness especially on the recruiting trail, Matta appeared to have the will to march on. 

Unfortunately for Thad, the string of declining on court performance (and attendance) was simply too much to ignore and in a results-driven business like big time college basketball, the "why" behind the lag in results doesn't mean much if it isn't short-lived.

I defended Matta for a large portion of the multi-year slide but after Ohio State wasn't obliterated (but still never had a chance to win) in a mid-December neutral site affair against UCLA, I came to the conclusion my fandom had settled for moral victories long enough. It wasn't just that Ohio State wasn't beating good teams with any regularity anymore, it was the body language, the lack of defense, the postgame commentary from a frustrated coach that was seemingly admitting he couldn't always motivate or get through to his players. 

The reality is it's possible as fan to have both wanted Smith to pull the trigger while also loving, appreciating and respecting the guy that needed to be replaced. 

In the end Smith probably saved Matta from himself whether the staunchest Thad defenders can see it or not. (This will be even harder to see if/when Gene fails to hire a worthy replacement.)

ALL-THAD ROSTER

Man did Thad have one hell of a run as a recruiter. Ten NBA Draft picks, nine All-B1G 1st-team selections, four B1G Freshman of the Year performers, two B1G Player of the Year selections and three B1G Defensive Player of the Year awards. 

Mostly to take my own trip down memory lane I put some effort into selecting my 13-man All-Thad roster. I'm sure you'll agree on most though the end of the bench could spark debate. I didn't penalize anyone for being one-and-done as this roster isn't about career accomplishments in Columbus. It's solely the 13 I'd take from Matta's rosters to shape the team I'd want to coach. 

The Starting Five
PLAYER POSITION POINTS PER GAME REBOUNDS PER GAME ASSISTS PER GAME
MIKE CONLEY JR. PG 11.3 3.4 6.1
D'ANGELO RUSSELL SG 19.3 5.7 5.0
EVAN TURNER SF 15.0 6.8 4.1
JARED SULLINGER PF 17.3 9.7 1.2
GREG ODEN C 15.7 9.6 0.7

The starters are inarguable from my perspective. This crew could play with any other collegiate team's all-star list over the last 13 years. 

THE BENCH
PLAYER POSITION POINTS PER GAME REBOUNDS PER GAME ASSISTS PER GAME
AARON CRAFT PG 8.9 3.3 4.7
JAMAR BUTLER SG 9.4 2.5 4.2
RON LEWIS SG 13.2 4.1 2.0
JON DIEBLER SG 10.7 2.8 1.9
WILLIAM BUCKETS SG 13.7 4.6 2.5
DAVID LIGHTY SF 9.3 3.7 2.4
DESHAUN THOMAS SF 14.4 5.0 0.9
TERENCE DIALS PF 11.9 6.6 0.7

I didn't put too much worry into balancing the baseline but Dials, Oden and Sully is enough meat plus I could always slide Thomas or even Lighty to the four spot depending on matchups.

My team has zero room for Kosta Koufos meaning Othello Hunter and Trevor Thompson were the only other pivot guys I seriously considered. 

With possibly being short on bigs, I made room for all the guards I wanted. 

That's the list. Seems worth repeating – Thad was a helluva recruiter once upon a time. 

when i paint my masterpiece

Though he fell just short of bringing Ohio State its first hoops national title since Fred Taylor delivered way back in 1960, Matta delivered some huge wins during his time in Columbus. Everyone has their favorites, including me. 

2005: OHIO STATE BEATS NO. 1 ILLINOIS ON SYLVESTER'S THREE-POINT BOMB

The story's been told a million times but this one put Ohio State back on the map. With possession and down two, Matta could've played for a tie but instead drew up a three-pointer and Matt Sylvester delivered, ending the Fighting Illini's undefeated season. The win was Ohio State's 19th of the year and after one more in the B1G tourney, the Dance-ineligible squad squeezed out the first of Matta's 12-straight 20+ win seasons. 

2007: BUCKEYES OUTLAST XAVIER IN OVERTIME THANKS TO CONLEY, LEWIS

It looked like the 2006-07 squad might see it's dream season end early but Ron Lewis drained a triple with two seconds left in regulation to force overtime and Mike Conley Jr. took over from there scoring 11 of his 21 points in the extra session to beat Xavier. 

Lewis poured in 27 on 8/13 shooting with eight boards and Greg Oden endured foul trouble but still tallied 14 points and 12 rips. 

2007: HIGH-WIRE ACT CONTINUES - OSU COMES BACK TO BEAT VOLS, EARN ELITE EIGHT BID

This one was special. Fresh off the Xavier comeback, Ohio State fell in a 49-32 halftime hole as the Vols drained nine triples and Oden played nine minutes. 

Showing the heart of their coach, the Buckeyes opened the half on a 16-5 run and eventually prevailed 85-84 behind Lewis who scored 18 of his game-high 25 points in the final 20 minutes. 

I'll never forget this one not only because of the comeback but for the fact I watched alongside Corey, staff eternal here at 11W. He was just as optimistic as Thad was while I was admittedly less confident heading into halftime. 

2010: TURNER SINKS MICHIGAN WITH NEAR-HALF-COURT BUZZER BEATER

Thad went 20-7 versus Michigan. This one in the B1G tournament was pretty fun. 

2007: NO. 1 WISCONSIN GOES DOWN, BUCKS CLINCH REGULAR SEASON LEAGUE TITLE

In a straight up slugfest (just ask Brian Butch) in the Schott, AP No. 2 Ohio State beat AP No. 1 Wisconsin via a Conley Jr. layup with four seconds left in regulation of a 49-48 win. 

Ivan Harris paced the Bucks with 13 points while Conley and Oden added 11 each.

The win vaulted Ohio State to consensus No. 1 in the rankings and clinched Thad's second-straight regular season B1G crown. 

The list goes on and on. Kicking Duke's ass by 22 in 2011, LaQuinton Ross and Aaron Craft draining game-winning triples against Arizona and Iowa State, respectively, in the 2013 Dance, etc. etc. 

GOOD GUY SEEKS GOOD GUYS

Matta took pride in doing it right. He ran a clean program from recruiting to on-court play to off-court player expectations. 

Over 13 years, there were basically zero proverbial turds in the punch bowl from an off-court perspective from players while members of his program. 

Yes, Amir Williams and Marc Loving drove you crazy. Yes, Noopy Crater took his ball and went home only to test positive for the hippie lettuce while waiting for his eligibility to be restored at South Florida. Yes, other guys like Jordan Sibert, J.D. Weatherspoon, Eric Wallace, Walter Offutt and the bulk of the 2015 class transferred for various reasons. 

But none of those guys were overt trouble makers. Some made us crazy for various reasons but none of those involved the police.  

Also, when Thad went the juco or transfer route looking for a quick talent infusion he never mortgaged his desire to bring in good guys. Je'Kel Foster went on to be a captain. Othello Hunter was a solid guy. Ron Lewis was rock solid. Trevor Thompson had tremendous heart. The list goes on. 

And none of this mentions the the real linchpins of his program, the stars on the court that also set a standard off it like Diebler, Lighty, Conley Jr. and others. 

A few did have brushes with the law after leaving Ohio State (Oden and Sullinger come to mind) but while they were here, things were overwhelmingly in check.

Thad went after elite talent but he didn't compromise his integrity in luring kids to Columbus and he didn't make a habit of bringing in known bad seeds. That's much easier to type than it is to do these days. 

HOW MUCH YA BENCH?

Much is made of the coaching tree a head coach assembles over time. 

Matta certainly had some success in that department as names like Brad Stevens, Sean Miller, Archie Miller, John Groce and Jeff Boals went on to become head coaches after serving under Thad. 

When Thad was in his heyday at Ohio State, he had some very reliable dudes developing players, helping on the recruiting trail etc. 

During the slide that ultimately led to his ouster, I think it's fair to suggest Thad's staff wasn't as elite when it came to things like developing players' bodies and skill-sets. 

I can't help but think that at a time when Thad needed his assistants the most due to his physical limitations, he simply didn't have the stable of top-flight assistants on the sideline and recruiting trail that he had back when the Buckeyes were wrecking shit. 

Either way, what's done is done. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again. It was time for a change. The reasons why ultimately don't matter.

Ohio State will very likely struggle to reach the heights seen during Matta's tenure – he indeed set a new standard – but I continue to believe it's fair to argue a new voice was needed and Matta needs to get healthy. 

With that, I offer one last hat tip to the greatest coach in the history of Ohio State basketball.

Thanks for the memories, Thad. And we bid you goodnight

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