Concordia University, St. Paul Director of Athletics Regan McAthie has announced that Matt Fletcher has been named the head men’s basketball coach for the Golden Bears.
“Coach Fletcher emerged from a highly competitive pool of candidates and we’re thrilled to have him join our staff,” said McAthie. “He understands the vision and values of our institution and has shown success as a head coach. Those attributes, along with his previous experience in the NSIC, will be excellent assets for our program and campus.”
A native of North Branch, Minnesota, Fletcher becomes the 10th head coach in the institution’s era as a 4-year college basketball program since 1967, and the 19th in institution history dating back to 1912 to include its prep and junior college eras.
“First of all I would like to thank President Friedrich and Regan McAthie for giving me this opportunity to lead their men’s basketball program. I also would like to thank my wife Aly, and our two boys for being my support and biggest fans through this amazing opportunity and transition,” said Fletcher.
He continued, “I am extremely excited to get to work with the coaches, players, and staff! We are ready to build the excitement and winning expectation within this program and I know it has all the makings to do so. CSP is a special place and I plan to make our basketball program one of the many highlights this campus and great community has to offer. We are excited to get to work and look forward to seeing everyone at games next winter! GO BEARS! “
Fletcher comes to Concordia following a successful stint as the head coach at Bethany Lutheran College where he spent four winning seasons compiling a 73-33 overall record and a 52-12 mark in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) including UMAC regular season and tournament championships in his second season there in 2017-18.
The regular season and conference tournament titles earned Fletcher UMAC Coach of the Year honors, guiding the program to its first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament appearance where they defeated seventh-ranked St. John’s on the road. In 2019-20, he led the Vikings to their second UMAC Tournament title, reaching the NCAA DIII Tournament for the second time in three seasons.
He coached the Vikings to their top two wins seasons in program history, winning 20 games (20-9) in 2017-18 before breaking the record this year with a 21-7 overall record in a program that had won 15 combined games the two previous seasons before his arrival in 2016-17.
In addition to coaching basketball, Fletcher was head women’s golf coach including being named 2019 UMAC Coach of the Year and served as head of strength & conditioning for the Vikings.
Prior to his first college head coaching position, Fletcher spent three years at Upper Iowa in the Northern Sun (NSIC) where his final season included a promotion to the associate head coach position. In his time at UIU, the Peacocks placed fourth in the NSIC South Division all three seasons, and captured NSIC Tournament first round wins each season.
His coaching experience also includes a pair of prep head coaching positions at Twin Cities metro area high schools including Anoka High School (2012-13) and South St. Paul High School (2009-10 & 2010-11) where he was the youngest head coach in MSHSL Class AAAA boys basketball.
In between Fletcher’s prep head coaching gigs, he spent a year at perennial NCAA Division II Tournament participant Kentucky Wesleyan College in 2011-12 where he was part of a staff that made a run to the NCAA regional final (Sweet 16) while also serving as the women’s golf coach for the Panthers.
His first coaching experience came in 2008-09 as an assistant at Concordia-Moorhead.
At the camp and club levels, Fletcher has served as a camp coordinator for Midwest Elite Basketball Camps since 2013 and has also been an assistant and head coach for the Minnesota Glory, an AAU organization with 15U, 16U and 17U teams.
A graduate of Southwest Minnesota State University, Fletcher holds the career records at SMSU for three-pointers made (305), free throw percentage (.853) and is second in career three-point percentage (.448) while holding single season records in free throw shooting (.913) and ranks second and third with 48.0 and 45.5 percent three-point junior and sophomore seasons. His 1,375 career points rank ninth on the Mustangs’ career scoring charts and he was a three-time All-NSIC Second Team selection. In his career, Fletcher played on winning teams as a sophomore (15-14), junior (20-10) and senior (17-12).
A standout prep player for North Branch High School, Fletcher led the Vikings to an 87-27 record, played in the Minnesota State All-Star Game, is the all-time leader in points and is a member of the North Branch Athletics Hall of Fame.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in sport management with a coaching minor from SMSU and earned a master’s degree in education with a leadership emphasis from Upper Iowa University.
Fletcher and his wife, Aly, have two sons and are excited to relocate to the Twin Cities where their families reside.
https://cspbears.com/news/2020/4/6/concordia-names-matt-fletcher-head-mens-basketball-coach.aspx
