8 potential candidates to replace Thad Matta at Butler

Amidst what certainly isn’t one of the more promising stretches in their history, Butler basketball will be looking in a new direction this offseason. Thad Matta has announced his retirement after spending the last four years leading the Bulldogs, his second stint as Butler’s head coach. The Bulldogs will begin the hunt for their next leader, hoping for better days ahead in the Big East.

Matta began his collegiate playing career at Southern Illinois before transferring to Butler in the late 90’s, beginning what would be a long association with the school. He had two separate stints as an assistant under Barry Collier and would later succeed him as head coach in 2000. In that first stint, Matta was in Indianapolis for just one year, though he did win a Tournament game in 2001. Success followed at Xavier, with five Tourney wins in three years, before a 13-year stretch at Ohio State, who Matta led to a pair of Final Fours.

Although his tenure with the Buckeyes ended in 2017 due to health issues, Matta was back in the head coaching chair five years later for this second stint with Butler. Four years had passed since the last time Butler had made the NCAA Tournament and they had certainly taken a step in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, Matta’s four years at the helm did little to reverse this trend, failing to win more than 18 games or finish higher than 7th in the Big East in any of his four seasons.

With Matta’s retirement, Butler is looking for their next head coach and truly hoping to find that next name who can lead this program back to prominence. After all Brad Stevens isn’t walking back through that door and Chris Holtmann is the only coach since his departure that has really elevated the Bulldogs as a whole. It’ll be interesting to see if this hire stays within the Butler family but we’ll dive into a number of names that could be considered.

Jerrod Calhoun

A favorite for many major openings across the country this offseason, Calhoun played at Cleveland State and then worked under Bob Huggins at Cincinnati and West Virginia. He achieved success as a head coach at Fairmont State and Youngstown State before his real breakthrough with Utah State. Calhoun just got the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament for a second year in a row and looks ready for the next challenge. He’s one of the top mid-major options out there and is actually the only name from outside the Butler family on this list.

Jon Diebler

Butler has made a habit of promoting from within when their head coaching job has opened over the years; it’s how Matta and Stevens and a few others got the job after all. Diebler played for Ohio State and was a late pick in the 2011 NBA Draft before a decently long international playing career. He’s been back in the states for the last few years on the Butler staff, first as recruiting director and most recently as a full-time assistant. Whether or not he’s ready for the promotion, he’s a solid option with lots of experience in the sport and after all, his brother is doing well enough with those Buckeyes.

Matthew Graves

It truly feels like Graves’ opportunity to lead the Bulldogs was years ago, but he’s still a prominent name from the Butler family to consider this time around. A guard in the 90’s under Collier, Graves spent 13 years on staff, including for those national title game trips with Brad Stevens. He finally left in 2013 to be head coach at South Alabama, though that 5-year stretch wasn’t exactly ideal. Since 2024 he’s been leading Indiana State and is only just beginning to rebuild the Sycamores and there might be more interesting or promising candidates available.

John Groce

Notable for his past work at Matta’s side, Groce played at Taylor at the NAIA level and then worked with Matta for over a decade, including that one season on the Butler staff 25 years ago. As a head coach, Groce has really shined at times, winning three NCAA Tournament games at Ohio before stalling at Illinois. Since 2017 he’s been leading the charge at Akron and only just took the Zips to their third consecutive NCAA Tournament. Groce struggled in his first power conference shot but more than enough time has passed for the former Butler assistant to get a second chance.

Ronald Nored

As a player, Nored was on both of those Butler teams that advanced to the national title game in the early 2010’s. As a coach, it’s been anything but a straightforward journey. He’s coached high school ball, briefly in the Horizon League, and has spent several years on NBA benches, including time with Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics. Nored has spent the last three years with the Atlanta Hawks and is a very interesting candidate who doesn’t have a lot of college coaching experience but could strum up support and excitement with his experience and acumen.

Ryan Pedon

We’re not restricting ourselves to members of the Butler family but Pedon is another interesting name that checks some of the boxes. He’s been a D1 assistant for more than two decades, with notable work under Chris Holtmann both at Butler and Ohio State. He finally got his head coaching call when Illinois State hired him in 2022, winning the CBI championship last season while moving the Redbirds closer to their real goals this year. He’s another coach on the rise but one who hasn’t quite gotten into the Big Dance yet and Butler would certainly be a step up for him.

Micah Shrewsberry

Another name worth mentioning is Shrewsberry and he’s probably another name where the timing just isn’t the best. An Indianapolis native, Shrewsberry has lived and breathed basketball in this state for much of his career and was on Brad Stevens’ bench during those title game runs. He spent time with Stevens with the Boston Celtics, coached many years under Matt Painter, and was very successful as head coach of Penn State in his first D1 top job. Unfortunately, Shrewsberry has just been underwhelming since landing at Notre Dame in 2023 but maybe it’s just a bad fit and he could soar with a recharge at Butler?

Travis Steele

Steele is another name coming up for major jobs this offseason but he’s a Butler alum who’ll certainly catch attention here. His first real coaching stop was a graduate assistant for Matta at Ohio State, though he later gained experience on the Indiana and Xavier benches. He was head coach of the Musketeers in the Big East and wasn’t successful but he’s bounced back nicely at Miami-Ohio. His RedHawks started the season 31-0 and earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament and it’s intriguing to wonder what kind of program he could build with Butler’s resources.