The IUPUI Athletics Department and head basketball coach Jason Gardner have announced the hiring of Matt Dunn as an assistant coach on the Jaguars’ staff. Dunn spent the past six seasons on the bench at Northern Arizona and will work primarily with the Jaguars’ big men.
“I’m definitely excited about bringing Matt on board. He’s been a key part of some really strong programs and I think he’s going to help us achieve similar success at IUPUI,” Gardner said. “He’s known as a really good recruiter and he does a great job of developing players. I think he fits in well on our staff and our players will find him very relatable.”
“I am excited to be part of the Jaguar program,” Dunn said. “I’ve gotten to know Coach Gardner over the years and have seen how he runs his program the right way, both on and off the court. I know IUPUI basketball is a program on the rise and I’m ready to do whatever I can do to assist.”
Dunn has a long history of being involved in successful programs throughout his career.
NAU reached unprecedented success with Dunn on staff, including a school record 23-win season and a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament championship game in 2014-15. NAU forward Jordyn Martin earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming just the third player in Lumberjack history to collect the honor. The year prior, NAU ranked among the Big Sky’s best rebounding teams, keyed by forward Max Jacobsen and Len Springs.
Prior to NAU, Dunn worked on Josh Pastner’s staff at Memphis as recruiting coordinator and assistant director of operations. He originally began his time at Memphis as the Larry O. Finch Center operations director. Memphis earned two NCAA Tournament berths and posted a 75-29 record during Dunn’s three seasons on staff.
The Olathe, Kan.-native has also made coaching stops at Miami Dade College and Southwestern (Iowa) Community College. He also spent four years in the high school ranks at Hays High School and Perry-LeCompton High School. Before his high school coaching career, Dunn was head coach and director of operations for the Kansas Storm Basketball Club, an AAU program aimed at assisting underprivileged student-athletes develop on the court and in the classroom.
Dunn’s past work experience includes stints with the MLS Kansas City Wizards and ABA Kansas City Knights. For the Wizards, Dunn served as an assistant to the organization’s public relations director. He was the assistant director of basketball operations and a scout for the Knights.
