Thad Matta

College coach infobox


Name = Thad Matta
Sport = Basketball
| ImageWidth = 150px
Caption = Thad Matta
DateOfBirth = birth date and age|1967|7|11
Birthplace = flagicon|United States Hoopeston, Illinois
DateOfDeath =
Deathplace =
College = Ohio State
Title = Head coach
Awards = Horizon League Coach of the Year (2001)
A-10 Coach of the Year (2002)
Big Ten Coach of the Year (2006)
Championships = Horizon League Tournament Championship (2001)
Horizon League Regular Season Championship (2001)
A-10 Tournament Championship (2002, 2004)
A-10 Regular Season Championship (2002, 2003)
Big Ten Tournament Championship (2007)
Big Ten Regular Season Championship (2006, 2007)
NIT Championship (2008)
CurrentRecord = 81-22 (.786)
OverallRecord = 200-64 (.760)
Player = *
Years = 1985–1986
1987–1990
Team = Southern Illinois
Butler
Position =
Coach = *
CoachYears = 1990–1991
1991–1994
1994–1995
1995–1996
1996–1997
1997–2000
2000–2001
2001–2004
2004–present
CoachTeams = Indiana State (asst.)
Butler (asst.)
Miami (OH) (asst.)
Western Carolina (asst.)
Miami (OH) (asst.)
Butler (asst.)
Butler
Xavier
Ohio State
CollegeHOFID =
BBallHOF =

Thad Matta "(pronounced MAH-tuh)" (born July 11, 1967 in Hoopeston, Illinois) is the current head coach of the Ohio State University men's basketball team. He was hired as head coach on July 7, 2004 after Ohio State had fired previous coach Jim O'Brien. Matta is the 13th head coach in Ohio State basketball history and guided his first edition of Buckeye basketball to a 20-12 campaign in 2004–05. He is one of just two coaches nationally to post 20 or more wins in each of his first five seasons as a head coach. Matta has led the Buckeyes to two Big Ten Conference regular season championships, a Big Ten Tournament title, a Final Four appearance (losing in the National Title game to the Florida), and the 2008 NIT Championship. Matta also tied the record for most wins by a first-year coach at Ohio State (20).

Playing career

A basketball standout for the Cornjerkers at Hoopeston-East Lynn High School in Hoopeston, IL., Matta was a two-year starter for the Butler University Bulldogs in three seasons after transferring from Southern Illinois University as a sophomore. He led Butler in assists (100) and three-point field goal percentage (.433) in 1987-88 and in free throw percentage in 1988-89 (.872). He served as a team co-captain (one of three Butler tri-captains that year Jody Litteral(Columbus, IN) and Rod Haywood (Indianapolis, IN) on Barry Collier's first team in 1989-90 and finished his career in sixth place on Butler's all-time list for free throw percentage (.800). He earned a B.S. degree from Butler in 1990. Matta enjoyed his Butler career high point total of 21 points against Xavier University at the Cincinnati Gardens March 2, 1989.

Early coaching years

In total, Matta spent six seasons as a full-time assistant coach at three different universities, helping his squads compile a composite 128-58 (.688) record and make six postseason tournament appearances. He was on the bench in five-consecutive conference tournament championship games and won four league tournament championship rings. He was in the NCAA tournament five times as an assistant under four different head coaches and in the postseason National Invitation Tournament once.

Matta began his coaching career at Indiana State University as a graduate assistant under head coach Tates Locke in 1990-91. Matta served as an academic coordinator and administrative assistant at Butler (1991-94) before moving into the full-time coaching ranks.

Matta took his first full-time assistant coaching position under Herb Sendek at Miami University (Ohio) in 1994-95 and helped Miami to a 23-7 record, a Mid-American Conference regular-season championship and a first-round win in the NCAA tournament.

The following year, Matta accepted a coaching position at Western Carolina University under Phil Hopkins and helped the Catamounts to a 17-13 record, the school's first winning record in 10 years. Western Carolina captured the Southern Conference regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA tournament. Matta returned to Miami under new head coach Charlie Coles in 1996-97 and helped the RedHawks to a 21-9 record, the MAC regular season and tournament championships and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Matta rejoined Butler University's staff in 1997 and helped the Bulldogs to three-consecutive 20-win seasons. He established himself as one of the nation's best young coaching prospects during a six-year assistant coaching stint. In his three seasons as Barry Collier's top assistant, Butler compiled a 67-29 (.698) record, won two Midwestern Collegiate Conference tournament championships and one MCC regular-season title, made two NCAA tournament appearances and earned one NIT berth. He served as Butler's primary recruiter.

Head Coaching

Butler

Matta took over as head coach of Butler when Barry Collier left after the 1999-2000 season to coach at the University of Nebraska. Matta was named 2000-01 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year in his first and only season as head coach at Butler, after leading the Bulldogs to a school record 24 wins. He was also named National "Rookie Coach of the Year" by CBS SportsLine.com and College Insider.com.

Butler was 24–8 under Matta's direction that year with an 11-3 record and an MCC regular season championship, a MCC tournament championship and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Butler won 13 of its last 15 games. Eventual NCAA runner-up Arizona ended the Butler run in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Xavier

At Xavier, Matta led the Musketeers to three-consecutive 26-win seasons, back-to-back Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season championships in 2002 and 2003 and two league tournament titles in 2002 and 2004. Xavier advanced to three NCAA tournaments, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2004 following two second-round trips. The three season totals of 26 wins are tied for the second-highest single-season win total in Xavier history with the 1987–88 team and trails only the 28 win 1989–90 "Sweet 16" season.

Matta's 26 wins for the 2002–03 season marked the highest win total ever for a second-year XU head coach. He also broke the school record for most victories by a Xavier rookie head coach. Xavier's 26-6 record in the 2001–02 campaign set the record.

Matta was named 2002 Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year, while leading the Musketeers to the top regular season finish in the league at 14–2 and an Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament championship. In addition, Matta became the only first-year coach in conference history to ever win both the A-10 regular season and tourney championships.

Ohio State

Matta, a finalist for the 2002–03 Naismith National Coach of the Year Award, began his duties in Columbus on July 7, 2004. No time was wasted preparing for his first season in Columbus, which culminated in a 65–64 victory over undefeated and top-ranked Illinois in the regular-season finale at Value City Arena before a packed house and a national television audience. The Buckeyes' final record for the 2004-2005 campaign was 20-12.

In the 2005–2006 season Matta led the Buckeyes to an outright Big Ten Championship for the first time since 1992, finishing one game ahead of the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois. The Buckeyes season came to an end during the second round of the NCAA tournament when they lost to Georgetown University on March 19, 2006. Their final overall record was 26–6. The Buckeyes were thought to be a year away from competing for the league crown, as they were to add a highly regarded recruiting class, dubbed the "Thad Five," led by center Greg Oden of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis for the 2006–2007 season. The Buckeyes did win the Big Ten and Matta led Ohio State all the way to the national championship game, where they lost to Florida.

In the 2007–2008 season, Matta's Buckeyes did not make the NCAA tournament. They did however win the 2008 NIT championship.

Head coaching record

CBB Yearly Record Start
type=coach
conference=
postseason=
poll=noCBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Butler
startyear=2000
conference=Horizon League
endyear=2001|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 2000–2001
name = Butler
overall = 24–8
conference = 11–3
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA Second RoundCBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Butler
overall = 24–8
confrecord = 11–3CBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Xavier
startyear=2001
conference=Atlantic 10 Conference
endyear=2004|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 2001–2002
name = Xavier
overall = 26–6
conference = 14–2
confstanding = 1st (West)
postseason = NCAA Second RoundCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 2002–2003
name = Xavier
overall = 26–6
conference = 15–1
confstanding = 1st (West)
postseason = NCAA Second RoundCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference tournament
season = 2003–2004
name = Xavier
overall = 26–11
conference = 10–6
confstanding = T-3rd (West)
postseason = NCAA Elite EightCBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Xavier
overall = 78–23
confrecord = 39–9CBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Ohio State
startyear=2004
conference=Big Ten Conference
endyear=|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2004–2005
name = Ohio State
overall = 20–12
conference = 8–8
confstanding = 6th
postseason = IneligibleCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 2005–2006
name = Ohio State
overall = 26–6
conference = 12–4
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA Second RoundCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 2006–2007
name = Ohio State
overall = 35–4
conference = 15–1
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA Championship GameCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2007–2008
name = Ohio State
overall = 24–13
conference = 10–8
confstanding = 5th
postseason = "2008 NIT Champions"CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Ohio State
overall = 101–35
confrecord = 45–21CBB Yearly Record End
overall = 203–66

External links

* [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=260640194 Dials leads No. 8 Buckeyes to outright Big Ten title]