Thad Matta is one of the longest tenured Power 5 coaches and has been to two Final Fours during his time with the Ohio State Buckeyes. He took over the program in 2004 after successful stints at Butler and Xavier before that. However, the 49-year old seems to want out.
Thad Matta is retiring from Ohio State effective immediately.
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) June 5, 2017
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Matta left the job partly because of his health according to ESPN, but another source told them that Matta did want to keep coaching. It would be a pretty young age to retire, at least in the college basketball ranks considering that Rick Pitino is 64, Coach K is 70 and Jim Boeheim is 72, and all are still going strong.
The Buckeyes had a rough season going 17-15, which marked the first time that the team had not reached 20 wins under Matta. There was also the matter of JaQuan Lyles quitting the team after the winter semester and the inability to land any major recruits or transfers for this season.
Matta has led the Buckeyes to the Final Four twice in 2007 and 2012, but could not get the elusive national title win. He has an overall record of 439-154 and has gone 337-123 while at Ohio State. He was named the Big Ten's Coach of the Year three times and won the Big Ten Tournament four times. He's also had health issues including recent back surgery, which may have contributed to his decision as well.
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