Sports
Sports

Things you may not know about Thad Matta

People who know say that Georgia wants Thad Matta as its next men's basketball coach. Matta is from a town with basketball in its name. He was born July 11, 1967 in Hoopeston, Illinois. Matta led Ohio State to the Final Four in 2007 (at Philips Arena) and in 2012. Matta also was a head coach at Butler and Xavier. Ohio State won five Big Ten titles under Matta and an NIT championship. Matta has won Coach of the Year honors in the Big Ten, the Atlantic 10 and the Horizon League. In 18 seasons, Matta's teams
By
March 13, 2018

Multiple reports, including by DawgNation, reported Monday that Georgia offered its men's basketball head coach job to Thad Matta, who coached Ohio State to two Final Four appearances and has coached teams to 13 NCAA tournament appearances in 18 seasons.

Georgia fired Mark Fox on Saturday and may have considered Tom Crean, formerly of Marquette and Indiana, before offering the job to Matta.

In the video above, we’ve put together 11 things you may not know about Matta.

About the Author

David Wellham has worked as an editor and content producer at the AJC since 2006, but his knowledge of sports in metro Atlanta and Georgia dates to much earlier. He uses his institutional knowledge to help the AJC provide in-depth coverage of area sports and sports teams. David can be reached at 404-526-5424 and dwellham@ajc.com.

Follow David Wellham on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Georgia State fell to 1-9 on the season and remained winless in Sun Belt play after a 30-18 home loss to Marshall on Saturday. (Stan Awtrey/AJC)

Credit: AJC

Georgia State falls to Marshall in home finale

Georgia State fell to 1-9 on the season with a 30-18 loss to Marshall at home.

Kennesaw State to honor legacy of late coach Amir Abdur-Rahim

When Kennesaw State hosts South Florida on Sunday in a game dubbed “Love Wins,” late coach Amir Abdur-Rahim will be honored during a halftime ceremony.

The Win Column: How to spot sports nonsense

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart did not find twin babies by the side of the road and raise them as his own. Why so much sports-related fan-page slop these days?

The Latest

Georgia State fell to 1-9 on the season and remained winless in Sun Belt play after a 30-18 home loss to Marshall on Saturday. (Stan Awtrey/AJC)

Credit: Stan Awtrey

Georgia State falls to Marshall in home finale

Kennesaw State to honor legacy of late coach Amir Abdur-Rahim

The Win Column: How to spot sports nonsense

Featured

Rose Scott signals as Closer Look goes on air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray / AJC file)

Credit: Ben Gray

Donor leaves WABE $3 million, largest individual gift in station’s history

An Atlanta resident has bequeathed WABE a $3 million donation, the largest one-time individual donation in the nonprofit media operation’s 76-year history.

Usher sues business partners over failed Buckhead restaurant plan

Atlanta singer Usher wants his money back after loaning $1.7 million to music producer Bryan-Michael Cox and others to buy a Buckhead restaurant property for $6.3 million.

Braves’ original ‘Freeze’ is retired. But you probably still can’t catch him.

As the Atlanta Braves prepare to find their next sprinting mascot, Nigel Talton is enjoying his new career coaching high school athletes at McEachern High.