Candidate Thread: Thad Matta

[ap2345]

8 minutes ago, Uspshoosier said:

Being able to go out to eat in public and not being recognized for one.   He could do that at Ohio St, good luck with that at Bloomington 

Maybe he just wants to stick it to the buckeyes. Lord knows I would.

[IU Scott]

1 minute ago, Uspshoosier said:

Not getting stop every 5 min for stuff. Of course he would be recognized but not nearly as bad as it would be at IU.     2 National people, 1 local and 2 Ohio st writers have all said the same thing and told first hand stories of him talking about it 

Tom Allen said he was walking down the beach in Florida and some older couple stopped him because they recognized him.

[str8baller]

6 minutes ago, Bowhunter said:

I’d take Belein over Matta all day


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People are worried about Mattas health and want a 75 yr old man run out of his last job for making racially insensitive comments? I’d love to hear the rationale on that one.

[IU - Kaulie]

3 minutes ago, Hovadipo said:

Matta was 14-7 against Beilein. 

Thank you so much for digging that up lol.  I still take Beilein all day if it came down to the two of them.  A lot has changed.  But I’m not going against the Hova.  His picture scares me.

[Uspshoosier]

Just now, IU Scott said:

Tom Allen said he was walking down the beach in Florida and some older couple stopped him because they recognized him.

I’m just telling what was said by people who are closer to it then me.    If it was only from 1 place I would be skeptical but hearing basically the same thing over and over it sticks.   As always on a free message board people should take the information and draw their own conclusions

[RaceToTheTop]

32 minutes ago, Uspshoosier said:

Only concern should be whether IU is a good fit for Matta not is Matta a good fit for IU.    I’ve seen too many reports elsewhere that say he wants nothing to do with a job like IU

Well, he's reportedly previously been approached by Wichita State, interviewed at Georgia when Crean got hired and decided that wasn't a job he wanted, and had been approached by Penn State.  I'm not sure what job interests him but that's quite a wide range.  Also think if he has no interest in IU he can shoot that down pretty quick.

[Hovadipo]

1 minute ago, IU - Kaulie said:

Thank you so much for digging that up lol.  I still take Beilein all day if it came down to the two of them.  A lot has changed.  But I’m not going against the Hova.  His picture scares me.

I’m not against Beilein at all though in fairness. I just think they’re pretty close as coaches. 
 

I’m a hugger. 

[RaceToTheTop]

13 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

You actually think Matta could go out in Columbus and people not recognize him.  I don't live in Ohio but I would know who he wa sif I saw him.

You can cross off wearing a fake nose and glasses as a disguise.

[JSHoosier]

4 minutes ago, IU - Kaulie said:

Thank you so much for digging that up lol.  I still take Beilein all day if it came down to the two of them.  A lot has changed.  But I’m not going against the Hova.  His picture scares me.

Both are really good coaches.  Beilein's comments in Cleveland would be used against him in recruiting.  You have a succession plan in place with him; maybe the last 20 years have me cynical but I have little faith they'll get the HC hire right, throw in succession plan and I'm certain they'll screw it up.

[Hoosierfan2017]

Beilein and Matta are both great coaches with big red flags. Matta has a bad back. Beilein is a senior citizen who called his last team a bunch of thugs. When push comes to shove, I’d rather have Matta. His back might be ok while Beilein isn’t getting any younger.

[RaceToTheTop]

12 minutes ago, Treesh said:

Tom Crean owned Belien! I don’t know the numbers , just going off memory. 
 

But Belein was in a national championship game a couple years ago. 
 

Matta 2007. 

Belein was 8-8 against Crean.

[Unexpectedflash]

So I don’t live in Bloomington so I’m just wondering are the fans really that annoying that it could scare off this many coaches? I’ve heard about the spotlight scaring away Holtmann and now Matta. I just find it hard to believe the people in Columbus don’t recognize their basketball coach if he’s out but maybe I’m wrong.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Unexpectedflash

[Nonymouse]

4 minutes ago, Unexpectedflash said:

So I don’t live in Bloomington so I’m just wondering are the fans really that annoying that it could scare off this many coach’s?

Indeed. 

Edited March 21, 2021 by Nonymouse

[IU - Kaulie]

17 minutes ago, Hoosierfan2017 said:

Beilein and Matta are both great coaches with big red flags. Matta has a bad back. Beilein is a senior citizen who called his last team a bunch of thugs. When push comes to shove, I’d rather have Matta. His back might be ok while Beilein isn’t getting any younger.

I know that’s true.  That’s why I really like Beilein with a Fife/Lewis.  I don’t really remember the last time I saw Matta in college.  The last time I saw Beilein he was jumping around with his players in the locker room in the Final Four.  I just have more of a feeling that Beilein gets us knocking on the door to a Final Four in a couple years.  I don’t get that same feeling with Thad Matta.  I know the feelings of a 22 year old girl don’t matter much though lol.  That’s just where I’m at and I trust that Dolson will get it right.

[rcbowla]

Being able to go out to eat in public and not being recognized for one.   He could do that at Ohio St, good luck with that at Bloomington 

So he's the type that would want to coach in a large city vs small college town? Actually checks out....Indy, Cincy and Columbus. I can understand that if it's in fact the case.

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[ziggyiu]

If you trust Dolson to do the right thing, then you should trust that he's done his research (or is doing his research) on Matta. 

None of us know how Matta's back feels, but you can assume that if talks go forward Matta must really want the job and he has proven his back is ready for the grind. (It has been noted that Matta grew up an IU fan. He once said IU was his dream job.) 

His last two years weren't up to his standards or the standards that OSU had set for him, but everything before those two years -- his accomplishments at Butler, Xavier and OSU are exactly what we want. He has proven his system works from program to program to program. He has proven he can recruit at a very high level. He has won multiple conference and conference tournament championships. He has made multiple deep NCAA tournament runs. He knows the state of Indiana high school hoops. He knows the B1G. He has a better resume than just about any coach IU could consider.

He has now taken the opportunity to get his health in order.

If he is healthy and IU has reassurances that it is, and he presents a plan to restore IU to greatness it's prudent to examine it before making a decision. 

[Hoosierfan2017]

7 minutes ago, IU - Kaulie said:

I know that’s true.  That’s why I really like Beilein with a Fife/Lewis.  I don’t really remember the last time I saw Matta in college.  The last time I saw Beilein he was jumping around with his players in the locker room in the Final Four.  I just have more of a feeling that Beilein gets us knocking on the door to a Final Four in a couple years.  I don’t get that same feeling with Thad Matta.  I know the feelings of a 22 year old girl don’t matter much though lol.  That’s just where I’m at and I trust that Dolson will get it right.

I think Beilein would come in and be a top 2 or 3 coach in the entire conference. Like you said, it was only a few years ago that he was in the final four. I think IU would rarely be out coached with him. But having to make another hire 5-6 years from now concerns me.  Matta, at least in theory, could be a long-term option. 

[IU - Kaulie]

Just now, Hoosierfan2017 said:

I think Beilein would come in and be a top 2 or 3 coach in the entire conference. Like you said, it was only a few years ago that he was in the final four. I think IU would rarely be out coached with him. But having to make another hire 5-6 years from now concerns me. 

That concerns me too but not if it’s Michael Lewis or Dane Fife sitting beside him.  I put Beilein right there at the top with Izzo and I can’t stand Izzo lol.

[Josh]

1 hour ago, Treesh said:

Well you mentioned he didn’t quit for health issues so I was arguing your point. 

Nah, what i meant was that he did quit for health reasons.  So why did OSU buy him out for $9M?  I can't believe they wanted him gone.  

[Gnet550]

Those not interested in Matta...I question your thinking, unless your flat out worried about his health. If he’s healthy and your not interested, I don’t have much for you.

 

He’s won 73% of his games, been too 4 final fours I believe and a National Championship game. Several elite 8s and sweet sixteens.

Stole Oden and Conley from Indiana to Ohio state so he can recruit...

 

he’s a solid candidate