The best assistant coaches always get “the itch.” They eventually want to have a program of their own. It was no different for Central Methodist University’s former assistant and now head coach, Matt Sherman ’10.
“I was probably about to pay attention to the itch to start looking,” Sherman said. “You know, I never thought I would even be an assistant here. These changes are all about timing. And things lined up nicely for me and for my family.”
They did indeed. After 37 years as head basketball coach, Matt’s father, Jeff Sherman, moved upstairs to the athletic director position. And President Roger Drake didn’t hesitate to offer the head coach position to the seven-year assistant coach.
Matt is hitting the ground running. He’s already searching for an assistant coach to complement him, he’s recruiting, and he’s about to finish up the non-conference schedule for the 2022-23 version of the Eagles, who are coming off of an NAIA national tournament appearance.
“I’m excited to see if we could build on this past year,” he said. “Not just to get back to the national tournament, but to achieve consistency and to make it an expectation to be there every year.”
Matt is no stranger to success and to high standards. He received all-state honors in his senior year at Fayette High School, and he helped guide the Falcons to the state quarterfinals.
He moved on to Central to play for the Eagles, and helped CMU reach the 20-win plateau for three consecutive seasons. The Eagles had a 28-7 record his junior year and advanced to the NAIA tournament where they upset Georgetown (Ky.) in the opening round of what was arguably one of the greatest wins in Eagle history.
Matt was an NAIA all-American and graduated from CMU with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. In 2015, he was one of the youngest to ever be inducted into Central’s Hairston Hall of Fame.
Matt and his wife, Stasia, live in Fayette. Stasia is the director of alumni engagement at CMU. They have a son, William, and a daughter, Charlotte.