0 Shares Print Maybe he’d made a mistake. Thad Matta couldn’t comprehend the noise. In his first Ohio State game after he’d accepted the men’s basketball job in 2004, more than 100,000 fans at Ohio Stadium booed their favorite team when it failed to convert on third down — during its first drive of the season. “It was a three-and-out,” Matta said about Ohio State football’s 27-6 victory over Cincinnati in 2004, “and 105,000 are booing and I’m going, ‘What did I get myself into?’” Since then, Matta has enjoyed a strong run with Ohio State basketball, and the football team hasn’t waned either. Last year’s national title run enhanced the standing of Urban Meyer’s assembly and the entire athletic department. So Matta — and his colleagues at schools recognized for their powerhouse football programs — views his colleagues on the gridiron as pillars, not overshadowing entities that force Ohio State basketball to sing backup. Perhaps that’s just politically correct rah-rah school pride, but the bounty clearly outweighs any challenges for Matta and other coaches in his situation. Thad Matta has no doubt the Ohio State brand, fueled by the football program, boosts his basketball team as well. Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire“I think, without a doubt, the brand of Ohio State is incredible,” Matta said. “In 11 years, I’ve missed one kickoff. You see the passion.” The growth of that brand expands the footprint of their respective programs. And that helps every sport, especially basketball…
Continue Reading: Hoops coaches don’t view football counterparts as competition
