Set to enter his 12th season as the steward of Ohio State's men's basketball program, Thad Matta has enjoyed unparalleled success in school annals posting 11 straight 20-win seasons, a school-best 299 wins overall, five B1G regular season crowns, four Big tournament championships and two Final Four appearances including one trip to the NCAA championship game.
Despite his resume, Matta's ship has taken on some water over the last two years.
In 2013-14, the Buckeyes limped to a 25-10 record including a 10-8 mark in league play failing to finish in the top two in the conference standings or reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in four years.
Last year, things got worse as Ohio State went 24-11 including an 11-7 record in B1G play, good for just 6th place giving the Buckeyes a modest 49-21 mark over the last two seasons (70% Win pct.) including a 21-15 record in B1G play (58%) with zero championships.
Conversely, the previous four seasons saw Matta's program post a 123-26 record (83%) including 56-16 in conference (78%) with three regular season and postseason league titles, two Sweet 16s, an Elite Eight and a Final Four.
The drop off in success has a subset of fans suggesting numerous factors are to blame.
| PLAYER | HEIGHT | WEIGHT |
|---|---|---|
| A.J. HARRIS | 5'9" | 160 |
| DANIEL GIDDENS | 6'10" | 235 |
| AUSTIN GRANDSTAFF | 6'4" | 180 |
| JAQUAN LYLE | 6'5" | 220 |
| MICKEY MITCHELL | 6'7" | 210 |
Specifically, Matta has drawn a level of heat for what has been viewed as an unstructured offense with few set plays. As for his staff, they've come under fire for a what is seen as a lack of player development especially over the last handful of years in which four-year guys like Amir Williams, Sam Thompson, Shannon Scott, Trey McDonald, Lenzelle Smith Jr. and Aaron Craft (yes, Aaron Craft) displayed little-to-marginal skill development.
Whether or not these inferences are true lie in the eye of the beholder. On the topic of player development, Matta has offered what could be interpreted as veiled explanations. It has led some to believe that some of those players weren't as committed as they needed to be, especially during in the summer, to improve their individual skill sets.
If there's any truth to that at all – or I guess even if there isn't – it's still welcome news. Ohio State is set to add five new freshmen and a transfer to the fold in place of six exiting and in most cases underachieving seniors (I can't fault Jake Lorbach) even if that means a year of growing pains. At least those pains won't come with already having seen the ceiling of players taking up a ton of minutes and realizing it isn't good enough to be in the national discussion.
Instead, the young roster will give Matta and his staff a chance to work with what should hopefully be a hungry group of kids with playing time largely up for grabs and another chance to prove they can develop talent.
True sophomores Jae'Sean Tate and Keita Bates-Diop will get a chance to show whether or not they have developed their games in the offseason and junior Marc Loving will enter the season with a ton of pressure to show he and the coaches have worked to get his head on straight and his game to the next level.
Associate head coach Dave Dickerson, a guy who has definitely drawn the ire of some fans thanks to being charged with development of the bigs and the obvious lack of development in guys like Amir and McDonald, gets a shiny new toy to hopefully polish in true freshman Daniel Giddens, a 6'10" four-star prospect along with 6'11" transfer Trevor Thompson and redshirt freshman Dave Bell. Is it possible to think this might be a make or break year for Dickerson?
On the wings, Matta and company welcome a pure shooter in freshman Austin Grandstaff and a point-forward type in Mickey Mitchell along with point guard A.J. Harris. Likely destined to be four-year players, the staff will again have a chance to prove their mettle in the development department and hopefully create what will eventually be veteran stability.
The crown jewel of the incoming class is clearly Jaquan Lyle and while the 6'5" combo guard will be saddled with potentially unrealistic expectations of being the next D'Angelo Russell, he could be Ohio State's next elite talent.
It would be a stretch to say Matta is at a crossroads but based solely on roster turnover, this could be a bit of a transition year for the Buckeyes.
From my vantage point, as a person who believes in Matta and his track record, another record similar to the last two seasons would be a disappointment but worth it if it provides a chance for a new crop of players to define roles and show improvement in prep for a more legit run at nationally elite status in 2016.
What can I say... In Thad I Trust.
