The Georgia Bulldogs are moving fast in their effort to find a new men’s basketball coach.
After meeting with former Ohio State coach Thad Matta on campus in Athens on Monday, Georgia has offered him the job, according to Jon Rothstein of Fan Rag Sports.
Rothstein further reports that Matta is expected to make a decision within 24 hours.
The Bulldogs fired Mark Fox on Saturday after he coached the team for nine seasons and only made the NCAA Tournament twice, never advancing past the first round.
Matta has been away from coaching to focus on his health after a very successful run at Ohio State. He coached the Buckeyes for 13 seasons, winning the Big Ten regular-season championship five times, reaching the NCAA Tournament nine times, earning two trips to the Final Four and playing in one national championship game.
DawgNation’s Seth Emerson and Chip Towers reported Monday night that Matta remained Georgia’s top choice for the position and had been the only one to have had significant discussions with the Bulldogs.
Former Marquette and Indiana coach Tom Crean also has expressed interest in the coaching vacancy, but so far no progress has been made beyond initial contact between his representatives and Georgia’s administration.
Before his long tenure at Ohio State, Matta coached at Butler for one season, during which those Bulldogs made the NCAA Tournament, and at Xavier for three seasons.
During the second half of Fox’s tenure in Athens, Georgia began to dedicate more resources and effort into its basketball program and facilities, something that the program’s new leader, whomever it is, will appreciate.
The team’s home at Stegeman Coliseum underwent major renovations before last season. A long-desired video board finally was added above the court, a new sound system was installed and every red seat in the 10,000-plus capacity venue was replaced with a new black one.
