Matt Sligh to Join Men’s Basketball Staff as Assistant Coach
5/7/2018 4:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – Kent State men's basketball head coach Rob Senderoff finalized his coaching staff for the upcoming season with the hiring of Matt Sligh as an assistant coach.
Sligh spent the last three seasons as an assistant at Missouri State for head coach Paul Lusk, and previously was the head coach for two seasons at Motlow State Community College in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
"Matt came highly recommended from people in coaching that I respect and I got the chance to know Matt from my experience in recruiting. I saw the success that he had recruiting players and his success as a junior college head coach," said Senderoff. "His recruiting ties and the areas that he recruits will help our program. Matt has head coaching experience that will benefit our staff and program and built relationships with kids he coached at previous schools that will benefit our program. Kent State basketball is relationship built and the type of person that Matt is, I think our players will really gravitate towards him."
Sligh brings valuable head coaching experience to the Golden Flashes bench, as he led the 2014-15 Motlow State squad to a 23-6 record and a No. 17 national ranking in the final NJCAA Division I poll. He directed a team that finished in the top 10 in scoring, assists, 3-point field goals made, blocks and defensive rebounds. During his two-year tenure, the Bucks were 37-20 with two NJCAA All-Americans and four players named to the All-Region VII team.
He also spent three years as an assistant coach at William Jewell College from 2010-2013 for head coach Larry Holley. He was part of a 25-8 season in 2010-11 that culminated in an NAIA Division I Tournament berth. Sligh also played a vital role in recruiting, scouting and the program's transition to NCAA Division II status.
Sligh received his Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 2005 from Covenant College, where he was a three-sport athlete competing for the soccer, basketball and golf teams. He was twice named an NAIA Academic All-American at Covenant.
"I'm extremely honored and excited to join Coach Senderoff and the Kent State program. I've known about Kent State's winning tradition for a long time and have great respect for Rob and all that he has accomplished," said Sligh. "He's an incredibly hard worker and has won at a high level in a difficult conference. I'm thankful to be a part of an athletics department and university whose excellence is evident in all they do and whose commitment to men's basketball is clear."
