Fresh off an American Southwest Conference Men’s Basketball Championship, head coach Travis Carruthers has announced the hiring of Matt Bolton as the new assistant coach.

Bolton, of Cato, New York, served as the assistant coach at NCAA III Cazenovia College in New York during the 2020-21 season. Bolton was responsible for recruiting, designing practice plans, implementing individual player workouts, scouting, game preparation and assisting with the day-to-day operations of the Wildcat program.

Prior to Cazenovia, Bolton was a graduate assistant in the Athletic Department at Ohio University.

“I’m excited to welcome Matt into the fold,” said Carruthers. “He fits exactly what I wanted in an assistant – hard working, enthusiastic about the game and learning and personable. He’ll immediately add value to the program and this university. Matt is ready to hit the ground running. We have a busy July ahead of us looking to further identify the class of 2022.”

Bolton played his collegiate basketball at Keuka College (NY). There, he was a member of the North Eastern Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete Team and was voted team captain as a senior. Additionally, his experience includes coaching at Cato-Meridian High School and working as an athletic intern at Keuka.

“I would like to thank Coach Carruthers for the opportunity along with Jimmy Clark, Amy Lloyd and President Dunsworth,” said Bolton. “I’m very excited to join the Ozarks’ family. The academic opportunities presented to students at Ozarks make it a very attractive destination for potential students. That, coupled with the trajectory of the program coming off a championship season, are all factors in what make Ozarks such an exciting place for me to be.”

Bolton received his bachelor’s degree in business and sports management from Keuka College in 2019. He received his master’s degree in coaching education from Ohio University in 2020.

https://uofoathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/releases/20210618p6jaeq