Matt Scherbenske, a renowned recruiter who previously spent three seasons on the California men’s basketball staff under Mike Montgomery, was announced as an assistant coach by head coach Mark Madsen on Monday.
Scherbenske returns to Berkeley after most recently serving as the Director of Recruiting for two seasons (2021-23) at Texas Tech. His efforts on the recruiting trail landed the Red Raiders the top-rated transfer class and 18th-ranked overall recruiting class nationally in 2022, per 247 Sports. Texas Tech reached the 2021 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and won 43 combined games in Scherbenske’s two years in Lubbock.
“Matt was instrumental in the roster-building success at Texas Tech the past two seasons and is a workhorse on the recruiting trails,” Madsen said. “He knows what success at Cal looks like with his previous experience on Mike Montgomery’s staff and he’ll make an immediate high-level impact on our program and our student-athletes. I’m excited to have Matt wearing the Blue and Gold once again.”
Prior to Texas Tech, Scherbenske spent six seasons (2015-21) playing a pivotal role in turning around Central Arkansas’ program. He was the Bears’ associate head coach in 2020-21 after five seasons as an assistant coach. Scherbenske helped UCA set a program Division I record with 18 wins and win its first postseason game in the CBI first round in 2017-18. The Bears’ 2018 recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in the Southland Conference according to 247 Sports, while 247 Sports also tabbed Scherbenske as the 57th best recruiter nationally the same season.
Scherbenske’s original stint in Berkeley was a three-year span (2011-14) in which the Golden Bears won 66 games and made three postseason appearances – including two NCAA Tournament berths – under Montgomery. After spending the 2011-12 season as a graduate assistant at Cal, Scherbenske accepted the Director of Basketball Operations title at The Citadel, only to quickly return to Berkeley when Montgomery hired him back as the Bears’ Video Coordinator ahead of the 2012-13 campaign. Scherbenske assisted in the development of Cal standouts and NBA Draft picks Allen Crabbe and Jabari Bird.
“I’m elated and thankful to return to Cal and help Coach Madsen lead this program back to its winning ways,” Scherbenske said. “I first came to Berkeley more than 10 years ago and saw firsthand what it takes to make this program great. I’m excited to work alongside Coach Madsen and lead Cal men’s basketball into a new era.”
After earning his undergraduate degree in business management from Kentucky in 2010, Scherbenske interned with NBA skill trainers Mike Procopio and Tim Grover and helped work out a multitude of NBA stars including Kevin Durant, Dwayne Wade, Anthony Davis and Gilbert Arenas. He served as the head coach at Christ Prep Academy (Lenexa, Kansas) in 2010-11 and was also an assistant coach for the AAU KC RUN GMC squad.
Scherbenske, a native of Lexington, Kentucky, played two seasons at Kentucky (2007-09) after transferring from Oral Roberts following his freshman season (2006-07). While at Kentucky, Scherbenske made the SEC All-Academic Team and played with more than 10 NBA draft picks. He played one prep season at perennial powerhouse Oak Hill Academy prior to arriving at Oral Roberts.
https://calbears.com/news/2023/4/17/mens-basketball-matt-scherbenske-named-assistant-coach.aspx
