Matt Sligh - Men's Basketball Coach

Matt Sligh

Title:
Associate Head Coach
Email:
msligh@utm.edu

Matt Sligh joined the University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball staff as associate head coach on April 12, 2021.

Sligh comes to the Skyhawks after three remarkable years as an assistant coach at Kent State University. Learning under Rob Senderoff – the all-time winningest coach in Golden Flash history, Sligh helped guide Kent State to 57 wins in his tenure. That includes a 15-8 record during the shortened 2020-21 campaign, which was good enough for a third-place finish in the Mid-American Conference. He was also a part of a 20-win campaign in 2019-20 and a 22-win season in 2018-19, as the Golden Flashes went on the road and defeated Power 5 opponents Vanderbilt and Oregon State on its way to a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. All in all, he tutored four All-MAC performers at Kent State – including MAC leading scorer Jaylin Walker.

A Lakeland, Fla. native, Sligh spent three seasons as an assistant under Paul Lusk at Missouri State University from 2015-18. During that time, he recruited and coached current Brooklyn Nets forward Alize Johnson, a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference honoree who was selected in the 2018 NBA Draft. Johnson was one of five All-MVC honorees that blossomed under Sligh’s tutelage as he was additionally responsible for recruiting and coaching 2015-16 MVC Newcomer of the Year Dequon Miller and ESPN 4-star Missouri High School Player of the Year Jared Ridder.

Sligh boasts head coaching experience as well as he ran the Motlow State Community College program for two highly successful seasons from 2013-15. Located in Tullahoma, Tenn., Motlow State went 37-20 under Sligh and finished ranked 17^th nationally in the final NJCAA Division I poll following a 23-6 showing in 2014-15. That squad ranked in the top-eight nationally in scoring, three-point field goals made, assists, blocks, defensive rebounding and total rebounding. As head coach of the Bucks, Sligh recruited and coached former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jaylen Barford, a Jackson, Tenn. native who topped the nation in scoring and was ranked the No. 1 junior college prospect in America before capturing All-Southeastern Conference first team accolades at the University of Arkansas. Barford, in addition to Miller – who joined Sligh later at Missouri State – were both named NJCAA All-Americans and were part of six All-Region VII honorees under Sligh at Motlow State.

Sligh began his coaching career as the lead assistant at William Jewell College, serving in that role from 2010-13 under head coach Larry Holley (whose 918 wins ranks him No. 9 overall amongst NCAA coaches at all levels). As recruiting coordinator, Sligh brought in and coached a two-time NAIA All-American, one conference Player of the Year, six all-conference selections and four Academic All-Americans. The school’s best season during Sligh’s time in Liberty, Mo. was in 2010-11 as the Cardinals went 25-8 and advanced to the NAIA Division I Tournament before transitioning to a NCAA Division II member.

As a collegiate student-athlete, Sligh lettered in three different sports (basketball, soccer, golf) at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga., where he was a two-time NAIA Academic All-American. That followed a decorated prep career at Lakeland Christian School where he lettered in four sports (basketball, soccer, golf, track).

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Covenant College in 2005, Sligh obtained his Master’s degree in health and physical education from Northwest Missouri State in 2012.

Sligh is married to the former Emily Green, who is a Manchester, Tenn. native.