Dirty Recruiting: Ohio State coach Thad Matta had to tell a recruit he wasn’t dying

Ohio State’s coach Thad Matta, center, gathers the team in a huddle before practice for the NCAA tournament on Wednesday, March 19, 2014, at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y. David Jablonski/Staff

Ohio State’s coach Thad Matta, center, gathers the team in a huddle before practice for the NCAA tournament on Wednesday, March 19, 2014, at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y. David Jablonski/Staff
Sports
By
March 7, 2017
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Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta confirmed Tuesday he has dealt with negative recruiting by opposing coaches as questions about his health have persisted.

Speaking with reporters in Columbus ahead of the Buckeyes’ trip to Washington, D.C., for the Big Ten tournament, he seemed at peace with the reality of the situation.

He even sounded jovial as he retold the story of one prospective Buckeye’s parent telling him a rival had informed him Matta was dying.

Although back problems and a related foot issue have bothered Matta for several years, he confirmed he is not only still alive but feeling “really good” at this point in time.

We’ve heard of negative recruiting before, but that seems a bit extreme.

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Marcus Hartman has been a digital sports columnist and reporter at Cox's Ohio newspapers the Dayton Daily News, Springfield News-Sun and Journal-News since 2016.