Would Thad leave Columbus?

[jas4iu]

Just curious if any of you Buckeye fans feel that Thad would leave Columbus at the end of the year to coach Indiana? Before going to OSU he mentioned that Indiana would be a "Dream Job"...any thoughts because I am fairly confident Mike Davis is GONE.

[Lebowski]

Not with Oden and the boys coming to town...

[pup]

ZERO chance. He has Greg Oden, plus a few more of the top recruits coming into Columbus.

Thad+Tressel=Many Buckeye wins for a long time!

[furls]

I am fairly confident Mike Davis is GONE.

ZERO CHANCE.

[pup]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2329528


Link to Mike Davis saying Indiana would be better off without him.

[furls]

Sorry I screwed up that last post....

I meant to state after that quote that the statement that I quoted is the understatement of the century and that there was ZERO chance of Thad leaving Columbus.

Sorry about that thats what you get for posting with a two year old on your lap.

Mike

[pup]

Don't worry Furls. Anyone who has read 2 posts by you knew what you were saying. I didn't post the Davis link as a response to yours, it just happened to be when I read the article about Davis.

[yargs7]

I agree with furls and pup. Besides the obvious (ODEN), Ohio State has one of the finest arenas in college hoops, they can afford to pay him top dollar, and it's easy for him to recruit nationally with all the exposure that the Big Ten gets on the tube. Not only that, Ohio State is a football school no matter how good the hoops program is. That means far less pressure than he would ever face in Hoosier Land.

[swerb]

Roger Brown addresses the matter in this morning Plain Dealer ...

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plainde ... thispage=2

At his weekly news conference Tuesday, Ohio State men's basketball coach Thad Matta coyly ducked questions on whether he would be interested in the coaching job at Big Ten-rival Indiana. It seems clear that current IU coach Mike Davis will be out after this season, and Matta was once coach at Butler University - also in Indiana.

When reporters noted that Matta would not directly answer questions about the IU job, the OSU coach laughed and said, "I'm not going to. They've got a coach."

Matta said if the Indiana coaching job did open up, he'd address questions about it then - but quickly added he hopes Davis remains IU's coach.

[jas4iu]

Swerb,

Correct me if im wrong, but the Freshman class Oden, Conley, ect. could switch schools before the start of next season if Matta were to leave to coach another school. I remember Charlie Villaniava?? was committed to Illinios a couple years ago and Self left Ill for Kansas and he switched to UCONN. I am not sure if he verballed or signed?? Have Oden, Conley, and others Verbally committed or signed? If they signed and I think they would have to sit out a year if they went somewhere else. I don't see Thad leaving...I think Buckeye nation is fairly safe at this point.

[furls]

Well, I have to back track on my 0%, because Thad will not come out and decry rumors that he could end up at Indiana. He still alludes to the fact that he is happy at OSU and says that he will not comment on speculation and rumors.

Not sure what the ultimate outcome will be, but Matta just signed a contract guaranteeing him 11million over 8 years of guaranteed salary (1.375mill annually) with an additional 300k per year of incentives. This makes him one of the best paid coaches in the NCAA and it is an offer that I am almost 100% positive that Indiana cannot match. Our athletic department at OSU is one of the "wealthiest" in the NCAA and it perpetually ends up with a significant surplus. Indiana's athletic department has been running a serious defecit for years. Essentially in this case, we the Ohio sports fans, for once are negotiating from a position of financial advantage.

Also, don't sweat the Jim O'Brien settlement's effect on the OSU AD bottom line, they will just increase the price of basketball and football tickets by $1 per seat or something and make it back.

Mike

[consigliere]

WKNR just had Jeff something on from the Buckeye Sports Bulletin. He was asked about Matta, and Jeff said the worrying it warranted regarding Matta possibly leaving. Said there is some panic in Columbus he could leave, and thinks that if sanctions come down from the NCAA that Matta and his recruiting class for next year could all but leave.

In the end, he says the chances are slim but it COULD happen.

[furls]

The chance of additional sanctions that would impact future play are slim at best. I am willing to bet that all that will come down from the NCAA is that the Buckeyes might have to take down some banners. They basically purged the athletic department, fired their own head coach (apparently at great cost), and kept themselves out of what would have surely been an NCAA birth last year. None of the offenders are left and the Buckeyes have already paid dearly, any further sanctions on future play would just be spiteful.

As for Thad taking the whole recruiting class, what are the chances that Indiana has the scholarship slots to offer to all of them? I would say slim and none.

[jas4iu]

Thad finally ended all speculation and answered questions on Friday. He is in Columbus and happy...

[consigliere]

So, that said he is staying and not going to use that loophole in the offseason to check into other jobs?

[furls]

He is actually being more nebulous than that post would imply. He is committing to not saying anythign and has a "legalize" explanation out of any comment he makes. Here in Columbus, the speculation among the media is that the will not leave, but it is speculation. Remember, this guy said similiar comments right before he left Xavier.

If I were a betting man (and I am), I would say he is about 90% likely to return to OSU. I think he is IU's first choice, but I think finances, program momentum, and the fact that it would be Matta's fourth job in 6 years (and make him look like a Larry Brownesque whore) will force IU to settle for Alford who will drop Iowa in a hot second to go to IU.