If there’s anyone who knows how cutthroat the recruiting game can be it’s Ohio State men’s basketball coach Thad Matta.
Matta’s health as been topic of discussion for years. A back surgery has resulted in the 49-year-old not having full functionality in his right foot and he can be seen walking with a limp. While the lingering back issues may one day cause Matta’s coaching career to end earlier than he would like, that day doesn’t appear to be anytime soon.
Anyone who has had back problems will tell you they’re anything but minor. However, Matta shared a story of an opposing team telling a recruit he was in a much more serious situation health wise. Matta said a recruit was told he was dying.
There are underhanded tactics and then there’s this, which shows just how far schools will go to land a recruit they have their eyes set on. My first thought was how unbelievable this story sounded. Then, the more I thought about it, it became more believable.
Matta is in his 13th season at Ohio State and has coached the Buckeyes to a 337-122 record. Ohio State has been to the NCAA Tournament in nine of those seasons. They’ve also won four Big Ten Tournament championships and five regular season Big Ten championships under Matta. This season, the Buckeyes are 17-14 and head into the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 11 seed. They will face Rutgers in the first round on Wednesday.
H/T Big Lead
