It’s June, and Ohio State needs a men’s basketball coach.
As peculiar as those words sound, they are the reality right now after the Buckeyes parted ways with longtime head coach Thad Matta on Monday. The two sides agreed that it was time for a change, even though Matta wanted to continue coaching, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reported. Matta has had health issues throughout his coaching career, but it’s fair to say that he had some years left. Ohio State didn’t want them.
It isn’t so much the move itself that’s puzzling — Matta has now failed to make the NCAA Tournament in two straight seasons despite having top 10 recruiting classes in both 2014 and 2015 — but it’s the timing of it.