Matta says he remains a fan of LeBron James as a player, but also wishes the former Cavaliers star had remained in Cleveland.
View full sizeFormer Ohio State star Evan Turner, above, now with the Philadelphia 76ers, struggled a bit during NBA Summer League games, but Buckeyes coach Thad Matta says he believes Turner is just rusty and will be fine.COLUMBUS, Ohio — LeBron James is still welcome at Ohio State.
In October 2009, Ohio State presented James with a No. 23 Ohio State basketball jersey before a Cavaliers exhibition game in Columbus. When Nike created James apparel, the Buckeyes were the first to put his logo on their uniforms in 2007. (The Buckeyes' jerseys have sported only a regular Nike logo for the past two years, but the Buckeyes still wear James' shoes.)
Though James left Cleveland, Ohio State coach Thad Matta hopes his team continues its association with James on some level. "In my opinion, LeBron still loves Ohio, still loves Ohio State," Matta said Wednesday. "I hope that he remains a huge fan of ours because I'm still a huge fan of his. In my position, it's more who he is as a basketball player, not who he's playing for.
"Obviously, I view LeBron as one of the all-time greats. I do wish he would have stayed in Cleveland."
On Kosta Koufos: Matta spoke with reporters for about half an hour Wednesday during a quick break from summer recruiting, providing updates on several current players. But when asked about a former player, Kosta Koufos, Matta gave an answer he'd been holding in for a while.
Koufos, the former Canton GlenOak star, left Ohio State in 2008, after the Buckeyes missed the NCAA Tournament in his only season.
Soon after, Jack Greynolds Jr., his high school coach, told the Canton Repository: "If you can't get along with a kid like Kosta, then you're clueless. If you're making $2 million a season and can't figure out how to use a 7-foot-1 kid, you're clueless. If you can't get along with a kid who comes early, stays late and gets good grades, you're clueless, and you've got the problem."
Koufos was recently traded from Utah to Minnesota, and when asked what Koufos needed to do to help his NBA career, Matta said: "You probably need to ask his high school coach that. I don't know."
Also: With the NCAA investigating several college football players for contact with agents, Matta said the issue of agents has worried him for years.
"Hopefully we can get that a little bit under control," Matta said, "But it's hard. The head coach is responsible, but you're sleeping with your fingers crossed." . . . In addition to previously signed nonconference games with Florida and South Carolina, Matta said the Buckeyes would host Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 26. . . . Matta compared the wrist surgery on incoming freshman Lenzelle Smith to Greg Oden's wrist injury four years ago. Both had surgery in mid-June, and Oden didn't play his first game until Dec. 2, missing seven contests. . . . Of Evan Turner's slow start to his NBA career in summer league play, Matta said Turner was rusty after a long layoff. "I think it was a little bit eye-opening for him," Matta said. "Talking to him, it was great motivation and an understanding that, hey, this is the real world and they're going to come after you every night. He's going to be just fine."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dlesmerises@plaind.com, 216-999-4479