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Indiana State University on Thursday announced Matthew Graves as the next men’s basketball head coach.
Graves, 49, a former Butler University player (1993-98) and assistant coach (2000-2013) has served as associate head coach for the Sycamores since 2021 and succeeds former head coach Josh Schertz, who resigned last weekend.
Graves helped lead Indiana State to the NIT Championship game, where the Sycamores lost to Seton Hall 79-77. ISU finished the season with a 32-7 record, marking the most wins since the team’s 1978-79 season.
“[Coach Graves] has been integral within our men’s basketball program and is absolutely the right fit for Indiana State Athletics,” ISU Director of Athletics Angie Lansing said in a news release. “First and foremost, he is excited to be a Sycamore and understands the magnitude of the role he plays in the success of our student-athletes, our university and our community. Coach Graves is eager to maintain the momentum of our program and fan base, and he embraces the opportunity to lead Indiana State Basketball well into the future.”
Graves’ coaching career includes stints with Xavier University, the University of Evansville, the University of South Alabama, and Butler University, where he was associate head coach when the Bulldogs went to back-to-back NCAA championship games.
He was also a standout player at Butler, where he won a Horizon League championship and made two appearances in the NCAA tournament.
Graves spent five seasons (2013-18) as head coach at South Alabama, where his teams compiled a 65-96 record overall and went 36-58 in Sun Belt Conference play.
“I am very excited and appreciative about this opportunity to be the head men’s basketball coach at Indiana State University,” Graves said in the release. “I would like to thank President Curtis and Angie Lansing for their tremendous confidence in me and working judiciously under the unique circumstances in this hiring process.”
ISU said former head coach Schertz declined a contract extension despite what it said was a record-breaking fundraising effort to pay him more than any coach in the university’s history. Schertz left Terre Haute to take the head coaching job at Saint Louis University. Several of ISU’s top players have entered the transfer portal since his departure.
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