"Today does not define who I am."
Those were the words of Thad Matta on Monday afternoon, his voice shaking as he sat at a table alongside Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith inside the practice gym at Value City Arena.
It had just been announced that after 13 seasons, Matta would not return as the head coach of the Buckeyes. A stunning end to one of the most successful eras in the history of Ohio State basketball.
Understandably, it was difficult for Matta to get through complete sentences without pausing. It was clear he was upset his time as the Buckeyes' head coach was over, but at the same time, he was extremely proud of all he accomplished.
He repeatedly pointed to the walls inside Ohio State's practice gym where years that signify accomplishments are painted. Big Ten championships. Final Fours. The reminders are all there.
"When you think about over time, guys that we have brought in and you've watched them grow," Matta said. "The stories are countless. I don't want to be up here all day, but I could tell stories that make me feel good, just in terms of what we are able to accomplish and I'm very proud of it."
Matta's numbers speak for themselves.
Over his 13 seasons in Columbus, Matta had a record of 337–123 (.733 winning percentage). He won five Big Ten regular-season championships, four Big Ten tournament titles and made the NCAA tournament nine times (Ohio State was ineligible in Matta's first season due to sanctions stemming from the previous staff). Matta made five trips to the Sweet 16 at Ohio State and qualified for three Elite Eights and a pair of Final Fours. He played for a national championship in just his third season at the helm.
“The wins, the losses, those things, they come. We had a stretch here that was probably about a five-year stretch as good as anybody in the country in terms of college basketball. I think the last thing I'm always remembered for is that we always did it the right way. That, to me, is something I'm going to hang my hat on – that this program was run the right way.”– Former Ohio State coach Thad Matta
No coach in Ohio State history won more games than Matta.
But at the same time, the Buckeyes missed the NCAA tournament for the second-straight season this year as they went through the worst season in Matta's 17 years as a college head coach. Ohio State finished 17-15 and did not even make the NIT.
Those declining results, coupled with a second-straight offseason filled with departures out of the program, led many to believe a change was coming. Fans grew angry. Attendance declined drastically. There didn't seem to be an end in sight, either.
It's precisely the reason why Smith was in such a difficult situation. What does an athletic director do when the most successful coach in school history sees declining results? That's not an ideal situation for anybody, and it's exactly what happened at Ohio State.
Matta was, without question, a victim of his own success.
And that's exactly why his legacy his complicated.
Had Matta's career ended, say, following the 2014–15 season, when Ohio State, led by a freshman phenom named D'Angelo Russell, was a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament, he goes down as a beloved figure and arguably the best coach in program history. He still might be both of those things, but because of how these last two years went, it feels different.
It may take a year or two before Ohio State returns to normalcy. That's usually what happens when a longtime coach loses his job. The Buckeyes don't exactly have a stacked roster, either, so whoever takes over for Matta certainly has a stiff challenge in Year 1.
Another challenge, a bigger one, is living up to the bar which Matta set at an incredibly high level. Annually contending for Big Ten titles and deep tournament runs are now what's expected at Ohio State. That was made clear by Monday'announcement.
But Matta also set the bar high with the way he ran this Ohio State program. And that was what he said he was most proud of.
"I hope number one, I'm remembered as a really good person. A guy that cared about the university, a guy that cared about his players," he said. "I think from that perspective, that is probably what is most important to me."
"The wins, the losses, those things, they come. We had a stretch here that was probably about a five-year stretch as good as anybody in the country in terms of college basketball. I think the last thing I'm always remembered for is that we always did it the right way. That, to me, is something I'm going to hang my hat on – that this program was run the right way."
Matta was right. Monday did not define who he was.
The last 13 years in Columbus do.
