COLUMBUS — Ohio State hosted the 2019 Hall of Fame class for a dinner and celebration on Friday night before being introduced at the Buckeyes’ football game on Saturday. Former Ohio State men’s basketball head coach Thad Matta, former linebacker A.J. Hawk, and former kicker Mike Nugent all answered questions about their time at Ohio State and what…
COLUMBUS, Ohio – This fall, 10 new members will be inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame. The group includes Boyd Cherry (football), Justin Fry (baseball), Jim Foster (women’s basketball coach), AJ Hawk (football), Stan Lyons (men’s track and field), Thad Matta (men’s basketball coach), Mike Nugent (football), Andrew Pierce (men’s track and…
It wasn’t quite Christmas in July for Thad Matta, but it was close. It was late June, the 29th to be exact, and Matta got a big present in the way of verbal commitments from two of the nation’s top prep prospects, center Greg Oden and point guard Mike Conley, both from Lawrence North High School in Indiana.
Shannon Sommers and @ErictBBC get together and recap the Michigan State game. Adam Jardy from the Columbus Dispatch joins the guys to discuss his article about the fall-off of Thad Matta’s recruiting before getting fired. What could have been the contributing factors? Was it his health, or perhaps the pay-to-play system…
The Chris Holtmann Era is underway at Ohio State and so far the Buckeyes are surpassing initial expectations. Most recently, the Buckeyes shocked the nation with their 80-64 upset win over No. 1 Michigan State. Arguably the best player on the court that game was fourth-year junior forward Keita Bates-Diop, who recorded a…
It has been several weeks or maybe just two weeks or maybe even a month since I last completed a mailbag. I don’t know how long it’s been, I just know that it’s been long enough that I don’t feel guilty at all about asking for submissions. Generally, sportswriters request submissions because they have nothing to write about.
Butler’s Chris Holtmann was a name that was mentioned throughout the Ohio State search to replace Thad Matta, though it was rarely at the top of the discussion. Names like Brad Stevens, Sean Miller, and Billy Donovan echoed back and forth over the canyon, while mentions of Chris Holtmann rarely found themselves bouncing back.
For the second time in as many nights, ESPN is reporting that Ohio State has a favorite for its vacant head coaching position for the men’s basketball program. Wednesday night, it was Creighton’s Greg McDermott, who was reported to have been offered the job, but would later make a statement that he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Don’t worry, Gene Smith has a plan,” you were told. Nobody would fire Thad Matta after a single conversation without having somebody waiting to swoop in and save the Ohio State men’s basketball program. That would be crazy. You read the names. Billy Donovan! Brad Stevens! Sean Miller! Jay Wright! Get that trophy polish ready, boys. And get to sanding…
Thad Matta is no longer Ohio State men’s basketball coach, but the legacy that he left behind will remain forever. Matta coached 11 First-Team All-Big Ten selections, several First-Team All-Americans, and even a National Player of the Year in Evan Turner. There are other players who will always be remembered as well. The Buckeyes over the last 13 years created some…
