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Thad Matta rules himself out of Georgia Baksetball job

By Alistair Penny

COLUMBUS, OH - DECEMBER 30: Head Coach Thad Matta of the Ohio State Buckeyes questions the referees on a call against his Buckeyes in the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on December 30, 2015 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - DECEMBER 30: Head Coach Thad Matta of the Ohio State Buckeyes questions the referees on a call against his Buckeyes in the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on December 30, 2015 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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Georgia Basketball tried their best to reel in a big name in Thad Matta, unfortunately, Matta decided against coming to Athens.

Well, at least they tried. Credit where it’s due, Greg McGarity and the UGA athletics admin certainly did their best to secure a great candidate to replace Mark Fox. Thad Matta enjoyed a stellar career at OSU. The fact that Georgia were able to bring him in and have him take the job seriously was a big step in the right direction. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to seal the deal. There’s no award for ‘nearly signing’ a great head coach.

By the sounds of it, UGA made a really competitive offer. The contract is believed to be for more than $15 million over 5 years and would have made him the second highest paid coach in the SEC. After spending two days in Athens, Matta ruled himself off of contention for the job with the following statement to ESPN:

"“It was the most difficult decision because Georgia is a tremendous opportunity for a coach to build a great program. Unfortunately, I just don’t feel that I am completely ready at this point to give  Greg McGarity and the University of Georgia what they deserve. It’s truly a special place, and he is a tremendous leader I would have loved to work for.”"

It’s a blow for Georgia fans who were hoping that Matta would come to Athens. He was certainly the most successful coach out there and UGA were right to take a swing. It will now be interesting to see if Matta sits out another year of if he takes another job. If he stays on the sideline, it likely means that his back remains a big issue for him. But if he ends up somewhere else, that statement will look pretty hollow to Dawg fans.

Next: I was right to be skeptical...

UGA will now turn it’s attention to other options. Tom Crean, the former Marquette and Indiana coach apparently remains a target. Earl Grant from College of Charleston and Wes Millar are also mid-major names to watch.

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