Thad Matta has been out of coaching for what will be a year on Tuesday, and the former Buckeye head coach seems very content with being out of coaching, at least for the time being.
Matta was back in the Columbus area on Monday to accept the Agonis Club Person of the Year award, and met with members of the Columbus media before giving a speech to around 50 people at the Medallion Club in Westerville. Matta discussed his year off, his name being mentioned in multiple coaching searches in the offseason and more, but before breaking away from the media, the winningest head coach in Ohio State history was asked about the state of college basketball.
In case you haven't heard, the NCAA is in the middle of a lengthy investigation involving pay-for-play schemes that involved multiple premier schools and players accepting payments from Adidas, Nike and other premier companies in exchange for their business once they turn pro.
When asked about the scandal sweeping through college basketball, Matta smiled and said he looks forward to looking for updates on the investigation.
"First thing I do every morning, I check my phone to see if there is any more information coming out, because I know everything," Matta said, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Unbelievable. Unbelievable."
Former Ohio State coach Thad Matta on the scandals in college basketball over the past year: "First thing I do every morning, I get up and I check my phone to see if there's any more information, because I know everything." pic.twitter.com/m4lpYPwukH
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 4, 2018
Matta, who accumulated 337 wins during his time at Ohio State, left Columbus on June 5, 2017 after missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. During his final press conference, Matta was asked what he hoped he would be remembered for. His response?
"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."
