Rivals.com reported that Indiana had offered its basketball job to former Ohio State coach Thad Matta but that he failed a physical. A source close to the hiring process called the report ''completely false.''
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A university source close to the Indiana basketball coach hiring process denied a published report Monday that former Ohio State coach Thad Matta had been offered the job to replace Archie Miller.
Rivals.com reported that ''Indiana and Thad Matta had agreed to a deal for Matta to become the next men's basketball coach at Indiana but after failing his physical, the deal has fallen through.''
"That's completely not true,'' the source said. "Thad Matta has not been offered the job here. Everything about their report is completely false.''
Miller was fired last Monday after four sub-par seasons at Indiana, and rumors have run rampant since Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson met with the media last Monday afternoon and talked about what he wanted in Indiana's next basketball coach.
Dolson said he wouldn't speak again on the subject until a coach was hired, but the speculation has run rampant. Much of the focus has been on current Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens, an Indiana native who grew up as a huge IU basketball fan and had great success at Butler, going to back-to-back national championship games before leaving for the NBA. He's been with the Celtics for eight years.
Other names – like former coaches Matta and John Beilein, former Indiana players with long NBA resumes like Mike Woodson and Keith Smart, and current college coaches like Scott Drew and Chris Beard – have been bandied about.
Matta, a Hoopeston, Ill., native who played and coached at Butler, coached Ohio State for 13 years, going 337-123 with two Final Four appearances.
He agreed to step down at Ohio State on June 5, 2017, just a few months after Miller was hired at Indiana, because of health issues. He has not coached since. He will be 54 years old in July.
Related stories on coaching search
Related stories on coaching search
- WOODSON QUIET: Former Indiana star Mike Woodson, currently an assistant coach with the New York Knicks, has emerged as a candidate for the IU job, but he didn't want to say much on Monday morning.CLICK HERE
- STEVENS SAYS NO AGAIN: For the second time in a week, Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens says he's flattered by interest from Indiana, but plans to continue coaching the Celtics in the NBA. >>> CLICK HERE
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Sometimes in coaching searches, no doesn't mean no, so this isn't over until it's over. >>>CLICK HERE
- ARCHIE MILLER FIRED: Indiana fires Archie Miller on Monday after four subpar seasons at the helm of the Hoosiers program. >>> CLICK HERE
- SCOTT DOLSON VIDEO: Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson met with the media Monday and explained why he fired Archie Miller, how tough the decision way, and his vision for the future. Watch all 26 minutes here. >>> CLICK HERE
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson didn't let that big buyout get in the way of making the right decision for the basketball program. >>>CLICK HERE
- KEITH SMART CHECKS BOXES: Former Indiana great Keith Smart checks a lot of boxes to be Indiana's next head coach. He's a below-the-radar candidate. >>>CLICK HERE