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Georgia Basketball: Top 3 candidates for the Head Coaching job

By Alistair Penny

DES MOINES, IA - MARCH 19: Head coach Tom Crean of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates defeating Kentucky Wildcats 73 to 67 during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 19, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
DES MOINES, IA - MARCH 19: Head coach Tom Crean of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates defeating Kentucky Wildcats 73 to 67 during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 19, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images /

Thad Matta

If Crean is the most desired candidate, Matta is right there next to him. Matta turned Ohio State into one of the premier basketball programs in the entire country during his 13 seasons in Columbus. He has achieved at success everywhere that he has been and will also be highly sought after.

Starting at Butler, Matta has won a conference championship everywhere he has been. He won one in his sole season with the Bulldogs before moving to Xavier after one season. There he did the same and took his team to the Tournament for 3 straight years. He took his team to the elite 8 in his final season there, before being offered the job at Ohio State.

There, he has been an NCAA Tournament runner-up, gone to a final four, an elite 8 and two sweet sixteens. The guy has also won the Big 10 tournament 4 times and the regular season 5. He’s quite simply one of the most successful coaches in basketball.

He is also an amazing recruiter. He’s brought in lottery picks, Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Evan Turner and D’Angelo Russell. All of these were top ranked players and Matta has recruited  many more during his time in Columbus.

Matta left the Buckeyes due to health concerns but he’s still only 50. Those issues caused a decline in his performance in his final years. If he’s recovered and can get back to his best, Matta would be an incredible hire for UGA. He would bring instant credibility to the program and could attract a lot of the top southern talent to Athens.

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