Northern Michigan University men’s basketball head coach Keil Ganz has announced the addition of Luke Mattson to the Wildcats’ coaching staff as an assistant coach. Mattson returns to NMU after previously serving as an assistant coach during the 2023-24 season.
Mattson rejoins the Green and Gold after a stint at Southeastern Oklahoma State. He brings previous collegiate coaching experience at Northern Michigan, along with a four-year playing career and three seasons of AAU coaching experience.
“I could not be more excited to get Luke back to NMU!” said Ganz. “Luke is a local guy, so he knows the community and what it takes to win a Championship here. He will be a huge assist to us with player development, recruiting, and game preparation.”
During his previous season at Northern Michigan, Mattson helped guide the Wildcats to a 22-11 record, an outright GLIAC regular-season championship, and their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. NMU also advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional Quarterfinals and hosted the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since 1993. Those Wildcats put together one of the most successful seasons in program history, winning 13 consecutive games to tie the longest winning streak in program history.
Mattson originally joined the NMU coaching staff following three seasons coaching the 14U and 16U Great Northern Elite AAU teams. During his time with Great Northern Elite, he helped develop several players from across the Upper Peninsula, including Munising standout Trevor Nolan, who helped lead the Mustangs to the 2023 MHSAA state championship.
A native of the Upper Peninsula, Mattson played his high school basketball at Negaunee before continuing his playing career at Bay Community College. In two seasons with the Norse, he helped the program to a 39-20 record and a pair of conference championships. As a sophomore, Mattson started 23 games and served as a team captain. Mattson then transferred to Finlandia University, where he played his final two collegiate seasons. He appeared in 45 games for the Lions, including seven starts, and served as a team captain while providing veteran leadership to the program.
Mattson earned an associate degree in business from Bay Community College in 2020 before graduating from Finlandia in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management.
