Court Coaches Announced For 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team Training Camp

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (May 14, 2013) – Collegiate head coaches Tad Boyle of the University of Colorado, Jim Kessler of Grace College (NAIA) and Matt Matheny from Elon University today were announced as court coaches for the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games training camp. The USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team committee made the coaching selections.

The three court coaches will assist the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games coaching staff during the June 24-July 1 training camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The USA men at the 2013 World University Games, which will be played July 6-17 in Kazan, Russia, will be led by Davidson College’s Bob McKillop, and assistant coaches John Beilein of Michigan and the University of South Carolina’s Frank Martin.

Organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU), the World University Games is a multi-sport competition open to men and women who are between the ages of 17 and 24 (born between January 1, 1989 and December 31, 1995), and are or have been within the past year, a student at a college or university.

In 2012-13, his third season as Colorado’s head coach, Boyle led the Buffs to 21-12 record, a third straight postseason tournament (a program first), a second-consecutive NCAA Tournament invite and a third season of 20-plus wins (a program first). In his three seasons at Colorado Boyle has compiled a 69-38 record (.645 winning percentage). Prior to his 2010 arrival in Boulder, he was the head coach at the University of Northern Colorado for four seasons, leading the Bears in his final season (2009-10) to a 25-8 record and a second-place finish in the Big Sky Conference.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be involved with an organization like USA Basketball and what it means to our country, so I’m honored that they asked me to be a part of it in a small way,” said Boyle.

In 36-years at the helm of Grace’s basketball program, Kessler has proven to be one of the top coaches in the nation, producing 679 career wins. Having enjoyed 15 20-win seasons and three 30-win seasons during his time at Grace, most recently Kessler led the Lancers to a 24-10 record and a trip to the 2013 NAIA Division II National Championship semifinals.

“I’m highly honored to have the opportunity to contribute to USA Basketball,” Kessler said. “It’s an honor for the NAIA to be included at this level. I think USA Basketball is recognizing there are a lot of good coaches at this level.”

Matheny guided the Elon Phoenix to a 21-12 record in 2012-13, the program’s best season ever at the NCAA Division I level. Voted the 2013 Southern Conference Coach of the Year by the media, he led Elon to the Southern Conference North Division title in 2013, the program’s first division crown since 2006. Matheny also helped Elon to its first postseason appearance at the Division I level as the team earned an invitation to the 2013 CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT). A 1992 Davidson graduate, Matheny spent 10 seasons (1993-2003) as an assistant coach for head coach McKillop’s Wildcats before being promoted to the associate head coach in 2003. After spending another six campaigns (2003-09) in that role, Matheny was involved in more victories than any other assistant coach in Davidson’s history.

“I am thrilled and very honored to be associated with USA Basketball,” Matheny said. “Many of the things that I have learned in coaching I have learned from Bob McKillop. The opportunity to spend more time with him is an incredible opportunity for further development in this profession.”

In addition to chair and NCAA representative Jim Boeheim (head coach, Syracuse University), the 2013-16 USA Men’s Junior National Team Committee includes NCAA appointees McKillop, Matt Painter (head coach, Purdue University) and Lorenzo Romar (head coach, University of Washington), as well as athlete representative Curtis Sumpter, a member of the 2011 USA Pan American Games Team and the 2004 USA U20 National Team.