Unscrupulous actions by collegiate coaches to gain an advantage in recruiting are as old as collegiate athletics themselves. Recent allegations that Southern California men's basketball coach Tim Floyd had delivered an envelope containing $1,000 to a person connected with former Trojan player O.J. Mayo is not necessarily surprising, it's just the most recent story regarding this subject.

When it comes to securing the services of top high school athletes, coaches often step outside the boundaries of not just the NCAA manual, but morality and legality as well.

No coach has been more successful at recruiting the top basketball players in the country in recent years than Ohio State's Thad Matta. What is also notable is the fact that Matta has performed this task without a hint of trouble from the NCAA.

“I tell kids up front in the recruiting process, ‘What you see is what you get with me,'” Matta said of his philosophy. “I don't want a kid to show up (at Ohio State) and say, ‘You remember the guy who recruited me? That's not the guy who's here.'”

One thing that Matta has used to his advantage that other coaches can not lay claim to is the quality of the university that he represents.

“The biggest (selling point) is that I work at the most powerful university in the country,” Matta stated proudly. “(Ohio State) is a fascinating place and it has the resources to do things not just for the athletes, but the students (also). That's the first thing we sell.”

In this day and age, coaches are not only recruiting the player, but often a group of people surrounding that player. A player may be influenced in his collegiate choice by not just his parents and high school coach, which was the case when Matta began his coaching career in the early 1990s, but an agent, a shoe company representative, an AAU coach or any number of outside influences.

“We actually don't get involved in as many of those (types of recruiting situations) as one might think,” Matta said. “We tell the kid (that), ‘We want to recruit you and those people that are a very important part of your life.' One of things that we try to focus in on is who really wants the best (situation) for the young man.”

The Buckeyes landed the ultimate prize in center Greg Oden out of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis in 2006. Oden was not only athletically gifted, but solid in the classroom as well. This led to Oden being pursued by every major collegiate program in the nation.

“We try to keep (recruiting) exclusive,” Matta said. “When you are dealing with a large group of people, things can kind of get lost in the shuffle. The circle of people in Greg's situation was so tight, and those people wanted the best situation for Greg to be successful. For me, it was a beautiful recruitment because we knew up front what they wanted in terms of Greg's development.”

Another sought-after recruit that Matta has landed, at least unofficially, is Bishop Luers senior-to-be Deshaun Thomas, who has made a verbal commitment to play for Matta.

With the number of high-profile recruits making the trek to Columbus, one problem for the Buckeye program is that of players leaving early for the NBA.

Matta has lost five players to the first round of the NBA Draft in the past three seasons. In 2007, he lost Oden (No. 1 selection), Mike Conley (No. 4) and Daequan Cook (No. 21). In 2008, Ohio State center Kosta Koufos (No. 23) left, and this spring another Buckeye center, B.J. Mullens, declared for the draft.

“I've always told guys that if they're going to be here for one year (then) I want them with both feet in,” Matta said. “If you come here, you need to be committed to the team and to the university.”

Despite the number of early entry players that Matta has recruited, the majority of his recruits will not be playing professional basketball - at least until their eligibility has expired. With that in mind, Matta practices a tried-and-true motto that he applies to every recruiting situation.

“I tell the kids (that) if earning a degree isn't important to you, and you don't love the game of basketball, then don't come to Ohio State,” Matta said. “Because we take both (aspects) very seriously.”