The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Director of Basketball Operations
- Phone:
- 512-471-5816
Second Season at Texas
Nick Matson is in his first season as Assistant Coach at The University of Texas and his second year on the Texas staff. Matson, who has worked for 11 years with Rodney Terry and brings 14 years of experience in collegiate athletics to the Texas staff, served in the role of Men’s Basketball Director of Operations in the 2023-24 season.
During the 2023-24 season, Texas posted a 21-13 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. With its victory over Colorado State in the NCAA Round of 64, the Longhorns won their NCAA First Round game for the third consecutive season. This marked the first time Texas has accomplished the feat since UT won four-straight NCAA First-Round games from 2006-09.
UT finished at No. 25 in the final KenPom team rankings, recorded five Quad 1 wins and earned three victories against AP-ranked opponents, including a 75-73 home win over No. 9 Baylor, a 75-60 victory at No. 11 Oklahoma and a 77-66 win at No. 25 TCU. The Longhorns were one of 11 teams to rank in the top 31 in KenPom in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.
Dylan Disu was named the Big 12’s Most Improved Player, becoming the first Texas player to claim the honor since it began during the 2019-20 season, and earned first-team All-Big 12 mention from the coaches. Max Abmas garnered a spot on the first-team All-Big 12 team from the media and the five-person Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. In addition, Abmas was named the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Division I Men’s Basketball Team Member of the Year, while Disu was named the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Prior to coming to Austin, Matson spent the 2022-23 season as an assistant coach at East Carolina University working for former Texas player Michael Schwartz. During Schwartz’s first season at ECU, the Pirates posted a 16-17 overall record (6-12 American). The 16 wins marked the most by East Carolina in nearly a decade (2013-14), while the six league wins tied for the most since the Pirates joined the American Athletic Conference prior to the start of the 2014-15 season.
Matson served as an assistant coach under Terry for three years (2018-21) at UTEP and helped the Miners register a 29-27 record during their final two seasons in El Paso. In the second year at UTEP (2019-20), the Miners tallied a 17-15 overall mark, winning nine more games than the previous season. UTEP posted its first winning season in four years and registered a 13-4 record in the Haskins Center, its best home mark and most home wins in four seasons. The Miners defeated New Mexico State and New Mexico in the same season for the first time since 2008-09. UTEP also recorded its largest comeback victory in program history, overcoming a 24-point deficit against UTSA to win 80-77 in overtime.
Matson helped develop Bryson Williams, who earned All-C-USA first team and NABC District 11 first team accolades following the 2019-20 season. Williams became the first UTEP player in five years to claim first-team all-league recognition and the first since 2010 to garner the mention from the NABC. In Matson’s first season (2018-19) in El Paso, Efe Odigie earn All-C-USA Freshman team accolades, as Odigie averaged a double-double (12.7 ppg, 10.1 rpg) for the season. Odigie was the first Miner to average a double-double since the 1981-82 season, and his rebounding average set a UTEP freshman record.
Before his time in El Paso, Matson worked for seven seasons (2011-18) with Terry at Fresno State. Matson served as a graduate assistant for one season (2011-12) and the Director of Basketball Operations for five years (2012-17) before elevating into the role of assistant coach during his final season (2017-18) with the Bulldogs. Fresno State boasted an overall record of 126-108 during those seven years, and the Bulldogs posted 20-win seasons in four of the last five years and double-digit win totals in Mountain West Conference play in each of the last four seasons. Fresno State recorded 21 victories in 2013-14, 25 in 2015-16, 20 in 2016-17 and 21 in 2017-18. The Bulldogs went 10-8 in the Mountain West in 2014-15, 13-5 in 2015-16 (second place) and 11-7 in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
During the 2015-16 season, the Bulldogs registered a 25-10 record and the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship. Fresno State advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001, and the 25 wins marked the third-most in school history.
Fresno State made an appearance in the NIT in 2016-17 and the finals of the CBI in 2013-14. The 2014-15 team recorded the school’s first win over a Top 25 opponent (San Diego State) in 13 years. The 2013-14 Bulldogs, who rallied from a 1-7 start in league play to finish 9-9, notched the program’s first 20-win season and postseason appearance in seven years. During Matson’s second season in Fresno (2012-13), the Bulldogs claimed their first-ever win at UNLV.
Matson spent the 2010-11 season as a graduate assistant at Murray State under head coach Billy Kennedy. In his role, Matson assisted with video, scouting and player development, including working with All-American guard and future NBA player Isaiah Canaan. Murray State registered a 23-9 overall record and won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship with a 14-4 mark in league play.
Matson began his career in coaching as an intern at Stanford under Johnny Dawkins during the 2009-10 season. Matson assisted with recruiting administration, team operations and scouting reports.
A native of Roseville, Calif., Matson was a two-year letterwinner at guard at Virginia Military Institute (Lexington, Va.) who played for head coach Duggar Baucom. During his senior year at VMI, Matson served as an undergraduate assistant coach and helped the Keydets post a 24-8 overall record that included an upset victory over Kentucky at Rupp Arena. Matson earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from VMI in 2009.
Matson and his wife, Jessica, reside in Austin.
The Nick Matson File
|
Hometown |
Roseville, Calif. |
|
Education |
Virginia Military Institute, bachelor’s degree, Psychology, 2009 |
|
Wife |
Jessica |
Matson’s Coaching Experience
|
Years |
School |
Position/Title |
|
2024- |
Texas |
Assistant Coach |
|
2023-24 |
Texas |
Director of Basketball Operations |
|
2022-23 |
East Carolina |
Assistant Coach |
|
2018-21 |
UTEP |
Assistant Coach |
|
2017-18 |
Fresno State |
Assistant Coach |
|
2012-17 |
Fresno State |
Director of Basketball Operations |
|
2011-12 |
Fresno State |
Graduate Assistant |
|
2010-11 |
Murray State |
Graduate Assistant |
|
2009-10 |
Stanford |
Intern |
