Category: OSU Basketball (Page 3 of 11)

The Ohio State University has two of the best coaches in the country with Jim Tressel heading up the football team and Thad Matta engineering the basketball squad.

Gene Smith and the board of directors are acting fast in locking up both to long term contracts. Matta, currently has an eight year deal worth 11 million dollars, is going to sign an extension in the next couple days.

The Ohio State Buckeye hoop team and Coach Thad Matta understand that Columbus will be following their football team for the next month. The early rankings have them at number 13 in the country and “limitless” potential when Greg Oden returns from his wrist injury.

This year the Buckeye faithful will barely be catching their breath from a successful football season, when the hoop team takes the court. Here are some early quotes to get you ready for the exciting season ahead.

OSU football has been great, but we might have a fantastic basketball season ahead of us as well. Thad Matta answered some questions about the upcoming season and the health of freshman big man Greg Oden:

How are you going to manage a small roster and all these young guys?

“I think if you crawl inside my mind right now, there’s a huge question mark. There are so many unknowns with one starter returning, that I honestly don’t know. And with Greg’s situation, I don’t have a road map, where last year I felt like I knew the guys well, I knew what they were capable of. This year, it’s going to hopefully be trial and success, not trial and error, but in my mind going into this I know that there’s a lot of areas that we need to be tested on early to sort of gauge where this team can go and how we can get there.”

What’s the latest with Greg?

“He is doing well. The doctors are very pleased with his progress. As far as a timetable, there really isn’t one. He’s getting better, he’s getting more movement, but we still don’t know. I told Greg this – we’re never going to put him at risk. But it’s more of wait and see.”

Let’s hope Oden gets back early.

This sucks. Greg Oden, Ohio State’s seven-foot stud recruit, will be out several months after undergoing surgery on his wrist.

The Ohio State basketball program is giving football a run for their money in popularity and “big name” signings. Last year Coach Thad Matta came through with his promise to bring Buckeye hoops into the national spotlight by having the number one recruiting class in the country.

This year Coach Matta continues to have success, ranking number four in the country for 2007. The recent signing of Solon basketball standout Dallas Lauderdale has the Buckeyes excited for many years to come. This is a switch from the past, as Ohio would watch hometown talent leave the state for Indiana, Duke or North Carolina.

Coach Matta and football Coach Jim Tressel give Ohio State a combination of class and coaching that may be the best in the country.