Matthew Graves Fits Like a Glove

New Indiana State Head Coach

(St. Louis, MO) – Indiana State’s signing of Matthew Graves just made sense. After three years as Josh Schertz’s top lieutenant, it was clear that Graves should take the reins of the Missouri Valley Conference champion Sycamores. In Terre Haute, Graves fits like a glove.

The new Indiana State head coach has enjoyed a spectacular assistant coach career and is getting a second chance as a head coach. Graves was hired on April 11th, has added two assistant coaches and is hitting the recruiting trail.

The former Butler star and assistant coach is an Indiana native and along with Justin Furr aided Schertz as fellow architects of the dramatic Sycamore turn around. While some of last year’s coaching staff went with Schertz to Saint Louis, Graves and Furr hope to continue the ISU momentum.

During the first two weeks on the job Graves and Furr have been working at a fever’s pitch.

 

 

Due to Indiana State’s championship game National Invitation Tournament run, the program is a little behind in terms of its recruiting efforts. Graves’ top priority was to shore up the coaching staff. With the hiring of former New Orleans head coach Mark Slessinger, the recruiting process is now taking shape.

 

 

Slessinger is the owner of 154 D1 victories and led New Orleans to the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Graves Fits Like a Glove – Recruiting

The new Indiana State coach says the Sycamore program is still very appealing to potential recruits. Graves admits the loss of last year’s top eight players is a challenge, but it also opens the door for new players to earn plenty of playing time.

Three players from last year’s championship team return. Aaron Gray, Jaden Daughtry and Derek Vorst will be important parts of this year’s roster. They have intimate knowledge of the what Graves will be implementing and they experienced championship basketball.

Graves says he is implementing a solid sales pitch on recruiting trail.

 

 

As the ISU staff looks to rebuild the current team, they are looking for roster balance. Graves wants to recruit high school players as well as one-year players. He doesn’t want to replace eight or nine players every season.

 

 

Graves says the next three weeks are an important recruiting period. He hopes to sign four to six players during that time span. The ‘free-agent’ market is ever-changing and Graves says each signing has a trickle down effect. While he needs a build the lion share of the roster, he’s not going to rush the process and make bad decisions.

 

 

Graves believes the Indiana State’s NIL resources are in good condition. After the excitement of an MVC title, sellout crowds and an NIT title game appearance, the fan base is energized about what is possible in Terre Haute. Graves fits like a glove and the ‘collective’ contributors have realized success is still possible.

 

 

Graves Fits Like a Glove – Indiana Guy

The new Indiana State coach loves Indiana. Graves grew up in the area, was a star player in the Hoosier State and has experienced great success as an assistant coach. Now he wants to build a lasting legacy in Terre Haute.

His desire is to have a long and successful tenure at Indiana State. Schlessinger is from Indiana and wants the same thing. This does not appear to be a steppingstone for this head coach. In an era of rapid coaching changes, Graves wants to enjoy a long career with the Sycamores.

He was a high school star at White River Valley High School and a college star at Butler. Graves helped to Bulldogs to their first NCAA Tournament in 25 years. He was a part of the Butler staff for thirteen seasons of unparalleled Bulldog success. During his 13 seasons on the Butler staff, the Bulldogs played in eight NCAA Tournaments and participated in two national championship games.

Indiana is in his blood.

Graves admits his five head coaching seasons at South Alabama were less than successful, but believes he’s better prepared and is working in a place that fits like a glove. His knowledge of and contacts within the region, make this a much better fit for the 49-year-old coach.

You can listen to our entire conversation at Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts.

We were big advocates of this hiring by Indiana State and now that Graves is on the job, we expect very solid things to take place in Terre Haute.

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo courtesy of gosycamores.com.