Aaron Craft: Ohio State legend, medical student... and Thad Matta's new roommate

INDIANAPOLIS — In a full circle, serendipitous series of events, Aaron Craft's pursuit of medicine brought him to the doorstep of the man who helped mold him into a Ohio State legend and member of the Big Ten All-Decade Team: former Buckeyes coach and current Butler coach Thad Matta.

Fourth-year medical students are encouraged to pursue month-long rotations away from their home schools. The process is like a pre-interview before beginning a residency, a way for aspiring doctors to show their skills in front of a different set of physicians.

With two kids at home, Craft wanted a rotation near his family in Columbus. He applied to a program through IU Health and got accepted. He'd spend time working at Methodist Hospital, a few days at the Riley Hospital for Children and the remainder of his time at the IU Health Cancer Center downtown. Now he just needed a place to stay.

The original plan was to stay with childhood friend, former Ohio State teammate and current Butler director of recruiting Jon Diebler. Craft soon realized Diebler lived a little further from downtown than he preferred.

Two days before he needed to be in Indianapolis, the former point guard had one last Hail Mary pass available, coach Matta.

'We can't let up.' 3 games, 3 blowout wins for Butler. Now, the real tests come.

"It was Friday and I had to be there Sunday night because I started Monday," Craft said. "I called him Saturday morning on a whim to say, 'Hey coach, I'm gonna be there for a month,' which he already knew. But wanted to see if he and (wife) Barbara would be willing to have me stay with them for a month.

"He didn't hesitate. So, that was a blessing. It was half the distance than it was to Jon's, and he just said yes, right on the spot. I said, 'Okay, I'll pack and I'll see you tomorrow evening.'"

'This is not a four-year deal, this is a lifetime deal.'

Authenticity, especially during the recruiting process is critical. Craft said Matta never switched his persona once he got to Ohio State's campus. Players want to know what a coach is telling them during recruitment is true. During his time in Columbus and in the years since he left, Matta has remained the same genuine person Craft first met as a middle schooler in Ohio.

"Coach is just an authentic, genuine guy," Craft said. "And that extends to every aspect of my experiences with him as a basketball player. Everything he wanted to do and focus on was player focused. He put us first whether that was practice or film sessions, or that was off the court things.

"He wanted us to be in a position to get the most out of our experience at Ohio State and our education and outside connections we can make. He cared about those things, and he followed through."

For Matta, helping out a former player is just another part of a coach's duty.

"I've always said to those guys, ‘I've never scored a point. I've never gotten a rebound,’" Matta said. "I think back to what those guys have given me in my career and the opportunities that they've given me. Aaron's a guy that won 119 games in four years.

"I think that's the way it's supposed to be. Because when I recruit kids I tell them, 'This is not a four-year deal, this is a lifetime deal. And as much as I can do for those guys, I'll do whatever I can from those guys."

'Like the son I never had'

While their relationship has evolved since leaving Ohio State, once Craft got to the Mattas' home it was like old times again. It wasn't the typical coach-player type relationship. Craft got to see the side Matta only shows away from the court. The side usually reserved for friends, family and the offseason.

Fostering a family atmosphere is something Matta has embraced since his time in Columbus. The longtime coach regularly held dinners for his former players and stays in connection with his guys even while they're in NBA or playing overseas.

That strong player/coach bond made joining Matta's coaching staff at Butler a natural fit for Diebler and former Ohio State star and Indianapolis native Greg Oden, currently the Director of Basketball Operations for the Bulldogs.

Diebler grew up in Ohio with Craft and his brother Brandon. Aaron's father John, coached Diebler from sixth to eighth grade. The longtime friends reunited at Ohio State, but it wasn't until Diebler's senior year — Aaron's freshman year — that Diebler learned of Craft's aspirations to become a doctor. Knowing Craft's dedication to everything he pursues, and Matta's strong relationship with his players, the two having a chance meeting in Indy does not surprise the former Buckeye sharpshooter.

"Coach (Matta) is the best, man. He's the reason I'm here at Butler," Diebler said. "I've learned a ton from him as a player and now learning a ton working for him on his staff. Coach takes care of his players. He's always been like that. He's always had a great relationship with his players.

"What he was able to build at Ohio State from a relational standpoint with all the former players, not just guys that he coached, but former players from before he got there, says a lot about him. And he's a very, very personable guy who wants to build relationships. And I think he's trying to do that here; we're trying to do that here at Butler now."

Craft came to Indy not wanting to be a burden on the family. Before he knew it, Barbara was helping him navigate the city and figuring out the best way to get to each of the hospitals in the program.

When he returned home, they'd talk some basketball, but Craft spent most of his time with Thad, Barbara and their daughters, Ali and Emily, talking about life.

"He'd get up, he would leave the house every morning at 5 a.m. and come home at 6 or 7 at night," Thad said. "My daughters would come over, we'd sit down and eat dinner at the table. He'd explain to me and the family what he'd done that day, it was just a tremendous time with him.

"It's kind of like the son I never had to tell you the truth. That young man is so special to me, in terms of coaching him at Ohio State and him being an Academic All-American. He's going to be a tremendous doctor. There's no question about that."

How one of Big Ten's most-tenacious defenders found medicine

Every giggle, chuckle and outburst of laughter from a newborn baby brings warmth to a parent's heart, but about one year after Craft's daughter Evelyn was born, his second child was basically mute.

She wasn't talking or mimicking sounds, so Craft and his wife Amber, knew something was wrong. Speech in children is directly tied to their hearing, so the concerned parents took Evelyn to visit an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor.

The doctor discovered fluid behind Evelyn's ears was impacting her hearing. After a brief procedure to place tubes in her ears, Evelyn's hearing was corrected, and she started to verbalize.

"A month later she was talking," Craft said. "She was saying everything and mimicking us. So just listening to her voice and seeing how that simple procedure changed the trajectory of her development, it really got me interested in the field."

This interaction with an ENT helped Craft decide he wanted to pursue a career in medicine. Watching his daughter’s progress solidified his decision to hang up his sneakers and start the process of becoming a doctor.

When he arrived at Ohio State, outwardly, Craft expressed a desire to play basketball for as long as he could. His actual plan was to enroll in medical school after his basketball career with the Buckeyes ended. It wasn't until his junior year at Ohio State that Craft started to believe a professional basketball career was even an option for him.

Craft graduated from Ohio State with a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition sciences. He went undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft before signing with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the G League.

Craft played with the Warriors for two seasons before embarking on a career overseas that took him to Hungary, Italy (twice), Monaco and Montenegro. His first child, Owen was born while he was playing in Italy. It was around this time Craft realized he needed to make a decision about his future. He knew he couldn't play basketball forever, and the older he got, going to medical school seemed less and less feasible.

Craft applied to medical school at Ohio State in 2018. He asked for his acceptance to be deferred for one year, allowing him to play one more season of pro ball . The COVID-19 pandemic cut his final season short, but at that point he'd already set his mind to becoming a doctor.

"I just had a lot of conversations with my wife about what our lives would look like (if I continued playing basketball)," Craft said. "We were talking about having a family. My son was born overseas, and it was almost like a perfect storm of wanting to come back and kind of restart everything and be close to family.

"It was something I've always wanted to do. So going back to school, back to the first day of school again, it was enjoyable."

Craft is currently in the process of figuring out where he'll begin his medical career. He's applied to several residency programs around the country. He'll find out if earned an interview next month, and the interviews will happen over December and January.

Craft said the attention to detail and the intricate surgery skills needed to be an ENT gets his performance juices flowing, similar to an important basketball game. With an assist from his former coach, he's approaching the next step of his life with the same drive and passion he used to excel on the court.

"Playing basketball in college at Ohio State under coach Matta prepared me well beyond what I needed to handle the challenges and stress of going back to school," Craft said.

"The surgical skill set and learning that I scratched my athletic itch in a sense. It's a skill set that I have to learn and put a lot of time and effort into to become excellent at."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Ohio State legend Aaron Craft living with former coach Thad Matta