Offseason Potpourri

[Norm Peterson]

No waiting.  Well, there you have it.

[AuroranHusker]

 

[AuroranHusker]

 

[Huskerpapa]

One word...wowser! 

[Huskerpapa]

I am confused.  This looks more like a termination rather than retirement.  Especially with the hint that he may coach again.

 

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/19550448/thad-matta-ohio-state-buckeyes-coach-13-seasons

[HuskerFever]

It's probably because the administration was upset that Thad didn't recruit Agau hard enough...

[Huskerpapa]

...and the coaching conjecture is already hot and heavy.  Here is the "possibilities" for replacement:

Chris Mack, Xavier head coach

Hey, hiring Xavier’s head coach worked out pretty okay for the Buckeyes last time, right? Mack has been excellent in Cincinnati, leading the Musketeers to the Elite Eight this season, and to the NCAA Tournament in seven of his eight seasons at the school, while boasting an impressive 277-186 record. Hiring a successful in-state coach would seem like the obvious move, but getting Mack out of Xavier might be hard. He’s a graduate of the school, he’s from Cincinnati, and his wife is from nearby Louisville. While Ohio State could offer a pay bump, Mack has a pretty solid gig right now, specially now that Xavier plays in the Big East.

Chris Jent, Ohio State assistant coach

This wouldn’t be a sexy hire, but it’s certainly one that would be on the table. Jent was a Buckeye basketball player, and an Ohio State assistant from 2011-2013, an era of great success in Columbus, before heading to the NBA. He’s never been a college head coach, but he was briefly an NBA head coach (interim, Orlando Magic), and he’s been a head coach in the G-League. He’s also a Buckeye assistant now, although if the Buckeyes struggle again next season, that might not be as much of a selling point.

 

Jeff Boals, Stony Brook head coach

An Ohio guy and a longtime Buckeye assistant coach who was so successful at crafting stringy defenses that I basically singlehandedly started the movement to get the guy a head coaching job (#HIREJEFFBOALS), Boals now has head coaching experience on his resume. Boals led the Seawolves to an 18-14 record in his first year as a head coach. He’s got a ton of Buckeye state ties, gets social media, and has a bright future ahead of him, but he also might be a teensy bit to green to take over the Buckeyes right now.

Pat Kelsey, Winthrop head coach

Kelsey isn’t a name you hear very often, since he doesn’t have an obvious Ohio State tie. But Kelsey is from Cincinnati, played and coached at Xavier, and also coached at Elder High School in the Queen City. He’s done a great job at Winthrop, with a 102-59 record over five years, with two conference titles, and an NCAA bid. He was hired at UMass to be their head coach for all of five minutes earlier this offseason before unceremoniously returning to Winthrop, but that shouldn’t preclude him from potentially working in Ohio.

Dan Muller, Illinois State head coach

Given his success, Muller sure looks like he’s on a crash course for a future Big Ten job. He doesn’t have Ohio ties, but he checks a lot of other potential boxes. He’s young (41), midwestern (from Lafayette, Indiana, and played and coached in the midwest), and he’s built a strong program at Illinois State over the last five years, guiding the Redbirds to a 28-7 record and an NIT bid last season.

Gregg Marshall, Wichita State head coach

Is this likely? Nope. But shoot for the moon, land for the stars, etc. Marshall is unquestionably the biggest name in the non-power conference market, having built a mid-major dynasty at Wichita State. He’s well paid (over $3 million), and he’s turned down big offers before. Alabama was able to get into serious talks with him earlier, and Ohio State is probably a better basketball job than Alabama. If the Buckeyes can really open their wallet, this is at least a possibility, albeit probably not a great one.

[49r]

^^^ Okay, so those are all the guys we know WON'T be the next coach at Ohio State, LOL.

[nustudent]

Safe bet is to give Jent the interim title and shoot for a big fish next year

[hhcmatt]

1 hour ago, HB said:

Ohio State doesn't mess around when moving coaches on their way.  They don't wait for things to first go all the way downhill.   

 

It's hard to figure out exactly which Husker coach(es) you're talking about here

[Dead Dog Alley]

Once recruits hear that you are dying and then see you in person and think yeah, maybe... then it's time to shut it down for a while.

[uneblinstu]

Matta was something of a prodigy, wasn't he?

[hhcmatt]

Someone to keep on your list if you're a person who keeps lists

 

 

[49r]

The timing of this whole deal is suspect to me.  Seems like if they were going to go the traditional college coaching carousel route he would have been let go a couple months ago.  This late in the year it makes me wonder just maybe Gene's got an NBA guy lined up to replace Thad.  Could we be looking at Donovan, Stevens or Hoiberg as the next Ohio State coach???

 

If so, wow...

[jimmykc]

Amazing what you can learn on Wikipedia. And some of it may be true. Thad played for a high school team called the Hoopston Cornjerkers.And he is already listed as the ex OSU coach. And he isn't dead. And he is a protege of the master, Barry Collier. Perhaps the master can now be coaxed out of retirement??

Edited June 6, 2017 by jimmykc

[tcp]

probably a "gift fire" to make sure he gets some contract money that he wouldn't have if he'd have resigned. seems that this was obviously a health move, and the fact that Matta is not only helping with the coaching search but has basically given that as his new priority sort of backs that up.

 

He just got too sick to coach effectively, and it was effecting the program.

 

I personally wish him well. And  if OSU "terminated" him so that they'd owe him some cash, that was a pretty cool move, too, although that part's pure speculation right now.

[HB]

2 hours ago, hhcdimes said:

 

It's hard to figure out exactly which Husker coach(es) you're talking about here

 

I wasn't.  I was talking about Ohio State.   I'm not smart enough to be subtle.  

[swmckewon]

6 hours ago, 49r said:

The timing of this whole deal is suspect to me.  Seems like if they were going to go the traditional college coaching carousel route he would have been let go a couple months ago.  This late in the year it makes me wonder just maybe Gene's got an NBA guy lined up to replace Thad.  Could we be looking at Donovan, Stevens or Hoiberg as the next Ohio State coach???

 

If so, wow...

I watched the presser and Smith seemed pretty convincing that, he just assessed how poorly recruiting was going and pulled the plug. 

 

It's a gutsy move. I respect it. 

[hhcmatt]

 

 

LeeBo confirms that Palmer and company made their grades

[HuskerFever]

56 minutes ago, hhcdimes said:

LeeBo confirms that Palmer and company made their grades

 

I wonder what he made them into...

[hhcmatt]

Updates from the Huskers

 

Gill changing to lucky number 13

 

Johnny Trueblood is back

 

[49r]

 

[49r]

 

[Norm Peterson]

So he interviewed?  Hmmm.

[Swan88]

So, one of Nebraska's assistant coaches is interviewed for a head coaching position at a Big East school.  But he doesn't get the job.

So . . . that's a positive all the way around, right?

And, of course, that's a logical opportunity for a local sports reporter to write about, "Rashon Burno, who left after 50 days to go to Arizona State."