Ohio State Basketball Coach Thad Matta Steps Down

COLUMBUS, OH — After 13 years as the head of Ohio State University basketball, Thad Matta announced he would retire on Monday. Matta, 49, said during a press conference that he wanted to start getting healthy after battling a wave of injuries since 2007.

The 2016-2017 season was the worst under Matta. The team finished with a 17-15 record, including a dismal 7-11 in Big Ten conference play.

Even with a rough final year, replacing Matta will be no easy feat. He will leave the program as the career leader in wins (337), games coached (460) and consecutive 20-win seasons (12).

His teams made the NCAA tournament nine times over his career with the Buckeyes. His teams twice made it to the Final Four, in 2007 and 2012. Ohio State also made three Elite Eight appearances and five Sweet Sixteen games with Matta at the helm.

No Big Ten coach won more Big Ten conference or tournament titles during Matta's run. The Buckeyes claimed five regular-season Big Ten titles and four tournament titles during his tenure.

He also developed a steady pipeline of Ohio State players into the NBA, including number one overall pick Greg Oden and Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Mike Conley. He also saw forward Evan Turner go number two overall in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Matta had back surgery in 2007 and has battled health issues since then, cleveland.com reports. Matta did not say health concerns determined his future as a Buckeye.

Critics of Matta's job performance have been growing voluminous, particularly during last season's rough stretch of games. His recruiting classes have gotten weaker, and the team has struggled to recapture any semblance of its dominance in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith said recruiting was a major part of the decision to pursue a new head coach.

"I felt comfortable after the season when I sat down with Thad that we had a plan. [But] recruiting is a major part of it, and we weren't winning the recruiting battles," ESPN reported Smith said. "As we started talking about it Friday, the flow of the conversation took me to the realization as I said to him, 'This might be the time to make a leadership change,' and he agreed."

Other Big Ten teams have grown stronger in the past few years, with programs like Wisconsin and Michigan going deep in the NCAA tournament.

A search for Matta's replacement is already underway, the university said on Monday. Rumors are already circling around Xavier's Chris Mack, Butler's Christ Holtmann and University of Cincinnati's Mike Cronin. Another far-fetched name being floated is Billy Donovan, the head coach of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder and former head coach of the University of Florida Gators (who defeated Matta's Buckeyes in the National Championship in 2007).

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch