Ohio State basketball: Thad Matta might get back into coaching

The coach with the most wins in Ohio State basketball history might be coming out of pseudo-retirement to coach elsewhere in 2020.

Thad Matta took Ohio State basketball to places it had never been before. He constantly had his teams in contention for Big Ten titles and made two Final Fours. He made the national championship game in 2007 and helped cultivate three first-round picks that season.

Matta was eventually let go back in 2017 after injuries had sapped his ability to recruit. Other big-time programs were negatively recruiting towards him, and it hampered his ability to keep Ohio State relevant. So he had to go and Chris Holtmann was brought in.

That doesn’t mean Matta isn’t a good coach. With reports that Gregg Marshall is going to be let go by Wichita State, there is a report by CBS Sports’ Seth Davis that the Shockers are targeting Matta as their guy. Apparently, they want to try to get him in time to coach this season too.

Matta won 337 games with Ohio State, so it makes sense the Shockers would want to grab a guy with a proven pedigree. Matta is still relatively young as well at only 53 years of age. He could bring that program back to where it was in its prime.

But from everything I have heard, Matta doesn’t want to coach right now. He lives in Indy now where his daughter attends Butler. According to a former Butler player I personally know that Matta played with, Matta is perfectly happy enjoying his family and not coaching.

That doesn’t mean that if the perfect situation came along that he wouldn’t eventually get back into it. I don’t believe that Wichita State is that situation. If Butler were to ever come calling, I think he would come back to that job. I can’t see him jumping back into coaching two weeks before the season starts.

It will be interesting to what the Shockers offer him. I doubt that they land Matta as their next head coach though.