OSU resurgence. Real Deal or temporary phenomenon?

[ArizonaRanch]

I think the excitement Coach Matta is bringing to Columbus is fantastic. However, I remain a skeptic. Here's why...

First, his year's version of Ohio State basketball should have been much improved from the abysmal 03-04 season. The only significant loss going into this season was Velimir Radinovic, so quite a bit of experience was returning. Coach O'Brien would certainly have been able to pull a winning record out of the 04-05 season.

Second, thus far, Coach Matta has only had two key verbal commitments. While it's unlikely that David Lighty or Daequan Cook will go elsewhere, that possiblity is still there. And, Greg Oden and Mike Conley have yet to commit anywhere. I'll believe they're all coming to Ohio State when they sign on the dotted line.

Third, I look at a coach like John Calipari at Memphis. Here is a coach who recruits the same talent-level that Coach Matta is going after. He'll receive a commitment, them, BOOM, that player declares for the NBA draft after his senior year. I feel that Coach Matta may be heading down the same route.

Like I said, I think it's great that Coach Matta sets his goals and standards high. And why not? Why can't Ohio State compete on a national level with Duke or North Carolina? Call me a fair-weather fan, but I'll believe the hype when wins are produced on the court.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

First, his year's version of Ohio State basketball should have been much improved from the abysmal 03-04 season. The only significant loss going into this season was Velimir Radinovic, so quite a bit of experience was returning. Coach O'Brien would certainly have been able to pull a winning record out of the 04-05 season.

I have to disagree with this.....the fact that the team was basically the same team gives me every indication that O'Brien would have had the same type of season he had in the previous season which ended at 14-16. If you even watched any games from the past two years, there was and is a distinct difference in the way the team played under Matta than O'Brien. I don't think O'Brien gets the job done against #1 Illinois either. The team simply is not as talented as most of the teams on their schedule but they were in every single game and there were points in O'Brien's last season where the team simply just quit on him in games.

Second, thus far, Coach Matta has only had two key verbal commitments. While it's unlikely that David Lighty or Daequan Cook will go elsewhere, that possiblity is still there. And, Greg Oden and Mike Conley have yet to commit anywhere. I'll believe they're all coming to Ohio State when they sign on the dotted line.

You are right, there is a possibility that Cook and Lighty could go elsewhere and I might hit the lottery tonight also. These two top rated players will sign on the dotted line when it is time to do so. With O'Brien at the helm, these type of players would not have given OSU the time of day because O'Brien dispised recruiting these kids. Matta will add two more key names to this class before it is all said in done....

Third, I look at a coach like John Calipari at Memphis. Here is a coach who recruits the same talent-level that Coach Matta is going after. He'll receive a commitment, them, BOOM, that player declares for the NBA draft after his senior year. I feel that Coach Matta may be heading down the same route.

I really don't understand your reasoning in this part. Matta is the fourth fastest coach to reach 100 wins, the guy can coach and he can recruit. Being prepared to Calipari is not all that bad considering the guy has a .721 winning % and has been to the post season 10 out of 11 years.

 

[ArizonaRanch]

Are you serious? Had Coach O'Brien stayed, the team wouldn't have improved? A team that returns nearly everybody from the previous year will almost always be improved, regardless of who the coach is. You can't teach or coach experience, and the Buckeyes had more of it in 04-05 than they did in 03-04.

Take nothing away from Coach Matta, he did a marvelous job this year. But to claim that Coach O'Brien wouldn't have finished above .500? That's absurd. And whether or not Coach O'Brien "gets the job done" against Illinois is irrelevant.

My point for stating that Cook and Lighty are only verbal commitments is that nothing, repeat, NOTHING is finalized. Are they likely to come to Ohio State? Yes, although stranger things have happened. What frustrates me is that everyone is already comparing the Buckeyes' class of 2006 to the Fab Five, when in reality, if the NBA does not pass the age limit requirement, Oden and Conley will never set foot on a college campus. Heck, they may even choose Wake Forest. We just don't know yet.

And lastly, what has John Calipari ever done as a coach? He took UMass to the Final Four in 1996. That's it! He has a habit of recruiting dynamite talent (a la Coach Matta), then doing nothing with it. I hope Coach Matta isn't heading in that direction, but look at the players he's after (Cook has publicly stated that he's only planning on going to college for two years).

I'm not a Buckeye-hater or anti-Coach Matta. Again, as I stated previously, I'll call the Buckeyes the "real deal" when they begin to produce on the court.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Are you serious? Had Coach O'Brien stayed, the team wouldn't have improved? A team that returns nearly everybody from the previous year will almost always be improved

Yes I am serious and the majority of the people here would probably agree with me that with O'Brien and the experience factor.....this team would have been lucky to finish above .500 let alone 20 wins. Your reasoning that experience would have given them the push to a winning season is shaky at best. I seriously doubt O'Brien would have pulled the plug on Stockman and Cheatam and played a true freshman and transfer, he would have stuck with both of these players even though both of them were not developing.

And whether or not Coach O'Brien "gets the job done" against Illinois is irrelevant.

It might be irrelevant to you but those type of wins are what seperates top programs from mid level programs, I really believe that under Obie that we would have not been in that position to even compete in that game. You have your opinion and I have mine.

My point for stating that Cook and Lighty are only verbal commitments is that nothing, repeat, NOTHING is finalized. Are they likely to come to Ohio State? Yes, although stranger things have happened. What frustrates me is that everyone is already comparing the Buckeyes' class of 2006 to the Fab Five, when in reality, if the NBA does not pass the age limit requirement, Oden and Conley will never set foot on a college campus. Heck, they may even choose Wake Forest. We just don't know yet.

Of course they are only verbals......and people who follow recruiting and are on the inside know nothing is for certain. Another thing is that Conley will attend college regardless of an age limit and trust me so will Oden.

And lastly, what has John Calipari ever done as a coach? He took UMass to the Final Four in 1996. That's it! He has a habit of recruiting dynamite talent (a la Coach Matta), then doing nothing with it. I hope Coach Matta isn't heading in that direction, but look at the players he's after (Cook has publicly stated that he's only planning on going to college for two years).

All Calipari has done is win games, I guess that doesn't matter in your opinion. Matta has not signed top level players to this point because of the schools he was at, he has taken average to above average players and gotten them to the NCAAs and the elite eight two years ago. I don't even understand how you can compare the two coaches. Did you just climb out from under a rock? Of course Cook is only going to play two years, that is how things are going in college, the elite players only play 1 or 2 years at the most....don't blame Matta for doing what he has to do, in order to compete.

 

[ArizonaRanch]

Great points, BuckNuts. My only reasoning for comparing Coach Matta to John Calipari is that Calipari goes for the so-called big fish, but hasn't been able to keep them (or get them at all). I simply hope that Coach Matta is able to continue to recruit like this, which I would assume that he is, because these types of players won't stay in college long.

I really hope you are right about Oden and Conley. Anyone other than some guy with the last name James need to go to college. Oden and Conley would benefit greatly at Ohio State or Wake Forest. I'd love to see them in the NCAA tournament, but those NBA dollars will be hard to pass up.

It seems to me that you are claiming Thad Matta a better coach than Jim O'Brien. This may or may not be true, but give Obie credit where it's due. He took a team that won less than ten games in his first year to the Final Four two years later. I'd like to think Obie knew what he was doing and would have been able to formulate a game plan to compete with Illinois.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

I am not disrespecting Obie, he is a good coach, but the simple fact is that his last year he was not able to get those kids to play with any intensity, not to mention not one player on that team wanted to play defense.

Matta comes in and they play with intensity, you do the math. Maybe it was time for a change regardless.

 

[ArizonaRanch]

I agree totally. Coach Matta is as high-energy as they come. I know I'd love to play for a guy like that. Plus, it took a lot of guts to bench Stockman and Fuss (certainly the correct moves) for a JUCO transfer and a true freshman. I think OSU Basketball is on the up and up, but like I posted before, I'll be a true "believer" when I see results on the court.

 

[Golferdow01]

Matta is definitely the real deal, the fact he has so many consecutive seasons of 20+ wins speaks volumes, especially after taking on an OSU team on the decline. With all the energy and intensity he brings to the court every game, his drive to recruit some of the best players in the nation, and his handpicking of knowledgable and experienced coaches, he is definitely heading this program in the right direction. Even our nemesis ESPN has stated before that tOSU mens basketball team is one of the hottest rising teams in the nation...gasp!

 

[BB73]

Sure looks like the Real Deal today, don't you think?

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

I don't want to say, I told you so...but I told you so....

 

[jwinslow]

I don't want to say, I told you so...but I told you so....

I thought I told him so?! :-p

Actually Kyle and EC told both of us first...

 

[HabaneroBuck]

The Ohio class of 2007 has 7 players in the top 50 and as many as 10 or 11 in the top 100. The Ohio class of 2008 should have at least 5 in the top 100. Add to that the fact that this team will be a major player on the national scene based on the exposure given to the class of 06. There is no reason to believe that anything going on is "temporary" other than to take a pessimistic view about scandal and sanctions in the future. I have no idea what is going to come out of the Obie lawsuit, whether more mud or what, but the future is looking bright, and it doesn't look like a temporary flame....

That being said, the greatest thing I've seen about the class of 06 is the observation made by Lighty while watching his three future teammates in Jersey. He noted that he was impressed with how unselfish they played, like him. Assuming we land Raymar, he is in exactly the same classification. A top 50 player in the country who only averaged 17 a game for his HS team on the way to a state championship. I see five players averaging double digits when they all get around to playing together (fingers crossed).

 

[jwinslow]

Great post... many of us had talked about how unselfish they were, but in the past we were not looking at Raymar as much. Often times teams struggle when they have too many superstars, but these guys are humble kids. They'd be the ultimate example of being class acts as people as well as players.

I don't know much about Mayes, but Ron Lewis seems like a nice guy from what I've seen (which is surprising b/c he's got a tough game face :)).

 

[Steve19]

I don't want to say, I told you so...but I told you so....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

espn.com

8/13/05

Here are some comments about the OSU program...

Thad Matta grew up in Hoopestown, Ill., (pronounced HOOPS-town) a small town about 100 miles south of Chicago.



No wonder he became a basketball coach.

And not just a basketball coach, but a very good basketball coach. So good in fact, that in a head coaching career spanning three schools and five seasons, he's never won fewer than 20 games in a season, giving him the nation's second-best current streak (behind Gonzaga's Mark Few's six straight) at the beginning of a head coaching career.

"I think I'm the luckiest guy in the word," Matta said. "I consider myself blessed with the opportunities that I've had. I'm lucky to be where I am."

And Ohio State is lucky to have him.

Matta is just what OSU needed. After firing Jim O'Brien in the wake of a recruiting payment scandal, the Buckeyes had to find a way to heal their tarnished image.

"The No. 1 thing we had to do when we got here was change the mind-set and the attitude," Matta said. "We needed our players to believe in our system. I give them a lot of credit. They really bought into what we wanted to it."

A 20-win season and a stunning upset of undefeated No. 1 Illinois in Columbus on senior night helped accelerate the process of again becoming an elite team.

While his 2006 freshman class already includes four top-30 recruits, including consensus No. 1 Greg Oden, the focus isn't on next year.

"I think we have some really good players in our program right now," Matta said. "Our focus is 100 percent on this year's team."

That means trouble for the Buckeyes' Big Ten foes. Matta won at Butler. He won at Xavier. And he's winning at Ohio State.

"I don't know what it is," Matta said, "but we are going to continue doing what we do. The one thing we always do is take it one day at a time. We're not where we want to be, we just don't want to be where we were yesterday."

Spoken like a true winner.

OK, so Indiana didn't get Greg Oden for 2006-07.


Neither did Wake Forest, Michigan State and North Carolina.

It happens. Move on. Duke beat Illinois to Jon Scheyer -- who plays for Bruce Weber's brother in high school.

We're not being an apologist for Mike Davis and IU, but the reality is they won't be judged on whether Oden signed with the Hoosiers.

Oden liked Davis -- a lot. He told ESPN.com back in May. But he liked playing with Mike Conley Jr., a lot, too, and certainly loved Columbus and the Ohio State coaching staff. Why would Oden commit to Indiana when it's obvious to everyone that the IU situation is fluid this season, let alone when Oden would be a freshman in 2006-07.

This was more about timing and it didn't time out well for Indiana.

Ohio State coach Thad Matta doesn't like seeing this season's team getting overlooked by the hyped recruiting class of 2006-07. Matta has a shot to get the Buckeyes in the Dance a year before everyone will expect that to occur. The key will be how much of a dominant player Terence Dials can be in the post and whether J.J. Sullinger becomes a big-time perimeter scorer.