Pirates Add Matson As Associate Head Coach, Gray As Assistant Coach
April 17, 2026 | Men's Basketball
GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina Men's Basketball has added Nick Matson and Andre Gray to its staff as associate head coach and assistant coach respectively for the 2026-27 season according to an announcement from Head Coach Michael Schwartz on Friday.
Matson returns to Greenville after spending two seasons at Texas and one year at New Mexico State. He helped guide the Aggies to a 16-16 mark and a quarterfinal appearance in the CUSA Basketball Championship in 2025-26 as an assistant coach.Â
He served as a director of operations in 2023-24 and assistant coach in 2024-25 where he helped guide the Longhorns to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under Head Coach Rodney Terry. During the 2023-24 campaign, Texas reached the Round of 32 and ranked among the nation's elite in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. While in Austin, Matson worked closely with All-Conference players Tre Johnson, Max Abmas, and Dylan Disu. During the 2023-24 season, Texas posted a 21-13 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. With its victory over Colorado State in the NCAA Round of 64, the Longhorns won their NCAA First Round game for the third consecutive season. This marked the first time Texas has accomplished the feat since UT won four-straight NCAA First-Round games from 2006-09.
"We are excited and fortunate to have Nick Matson back with us here in Greenville," Schwartz said. "He is a true professional in this profession, with winning experience at every level of college basketball. Nick helped us establish all phases of our program four years ago and was essential in building our defense along with the skill development of our players".
UT finished at No. 25 in the final KenPom team rankings, recorded five Quad 1 wins and earned three victories against AP-ranked opponents, including a 75-73 home win over No. 9 Baylor, a 75-60 victory at No. 11 Oklahoma and a 77-66 win at No. 25 TCU. The Longhorns were one of 11 teams to rank in the top 31 in KenPom in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.
Dylan Disu was named the Big 12's Most Improved Player, becoming the first Texas player to claim the honor since it began during the 2019-20 season, and earned first-team All-Big 12 mention from the coaches. Max Abmas garnered a spot on the first-team All-Big 12 team from the media and the five-person Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. In addition, Abmas was named the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Division I Men's Basketball Team Member of the Year, while Disu was named the Big 12 Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Prior to his two years at Texas, Matson spent the 2022-23 season as an assistant coach at East Carolina in Michael Schwartz's first season at the helm. During Schwartz's first season at ECU, the Pirates posted a 16-17 overall record (6-12 American). The 16 wins marked the most by East Carolina in nearly a decade (2013-14), while the six league wins tied for the most since the Pirates joined the American Conference prior to the start of the 2014-15 season.
Before his one season at ECU, Matson spent three seasons at UTEP where he assisted in the rebuilding of a Miners program which saw continuous improvement over three years. During the 2019-20 campaign the Miners won 17 games, nine more than the previous season and the largest win improvement of any team in CUSA; more than doubling their CUSA win total. UTEP posted its first winning season in four years and made a return to the CUSA Tournament. The Miners finished with a 13-4 record in the Haskins Center - the most home wins in four years. At UTEP, Matson aided in the recruitment and development of two of the most successful players in CUSA, Bryson Williams and Souley Boum. Both student-athletes were All-CUSA selections for multiple years.
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Matson came to UTEP after seven seasons (2011-18) at Fresno State, most recently as an assistant coach. The Bulldogs logged 20 wins or more in four of the last five seasons, won the Mountain West Conference title in 2016 and made three postseason tournament appearances (2014 CBI, 2016 NCAA, 2017 NIT). From 2015-2018, the Bulldogs were one of the most successful Group of 5 Basketball programs in the country, earning an NCAA Tournament berth in 2016 and an NIT at-large selection in 2017.
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Matson played an extensive role in the Bulldogs' player development and scouting. Fresno State had multiple All-Conference selections, including 2015-16 Mountain West Player of the Year Marvelle Harris. During the 2017-18 season, guard Deshon Taylor garnered first team All-MWC honors after averaging 17.8 points per game. Forward Bryson Williams was a third team All-MWC selection. Sam Bittner and Jahmel Taylor were among the MWC and national leaders in three-point shooting during the 2017-18 season.
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Prior to being elevated to assistant coach, Matson spent five years as Director of Basketball Operations and one season as graduate assistant at Fresno State.
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Matson spent the 2010-11 season as the graduate assistant at Murray State under head coach Billy Kennedy. The Racers finished 23-9, won the Ohio Valley Conference Championship and fashioned a 14-4 mark in league play. Matson assisted with video, scouting and player development at Murray State, working with All-American guard and future NBA player Isaiah Canaan.
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Matson began his career as a coaching intern at Stanford under Johnny Dawkins during the 2009-10 season. He assisted with recruiting administration, team operations and scouting reports.
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Matson received his degree in psychology from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 2009. He was a guard for the Keydets from 2006-08. VMI employed an up-tempo offense that set all-time NCAA records for points per game, steals, and three-pointers made in a season. In 2008-09, Matson served as undergraduate assistant coach and was part of one of the most successful seasons in VMI history. The Keydets finished 24-8, including an upset victory over Kentucky at Rupp Arena. The Keydets advanced to the 2007 and 2009 Big South Conference Championship games.
Gray joins the Pirates after serving as the associate head coach at Western Carolina for the past two seasons and brings over 20 years of coaching experience within the state of North Carolina including 15 years at the NCAA Division I level to Greenville. During his collegiate coaching career, he has been a part of 10 postseason and conference championship teams, recruited and developed 28 all-conference performers, and mentored both six mid-major and five national All-America selections.Â
Western Carolina, UNCG and Wingate all posted program records for single season victories with Gray on the bench.
"Andre Gray brings an incredible amount of experience, including as a head coach in this state to our program," Schwartz said. "The relationships and respect he has in North Carolina as a basketball coach, but more importantly as a genuine person is as good as it gets. We are thrilled to be able to add Andre to our coaching staff and looking forward to the strong impact he will make in all areas of our program".
Gray's collegiate coaching career began at his alma mater Methodist College. He then spent four seasons on the bench at Wingate University, located just outside of Charlotte. The Bulldogs made the NCAA Division II tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007, capturing the South Atlantic Conference Championships in both seasons. In the latter, Wingate advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, winning the South Atlantic Region championship.
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His career path then took him west of the Queen City as he made the move to the NCAA Division I level, joining the coaching staff at Big South Conference member, Gardner-Webb in July 2007. The 2007-08 Runnin' Bulldogs won 16 games including a victory at nationally ranked Kentucky.
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Gray then spent three years (2008-11) as an assistant coach in his first stint at Western Carolina. While in Cullowhee, the Catamounts posted three consecutive winning seasons and two Southern Conference North Division titles. The 2009-10 Catamounts finished 22-12 marking WCU's first-ever 20-win season – a mark that was matched in 2023-24 – and advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).
Following the three years at WCU, Gray was on the sidelines for three seasons at UNCW (2011-14) under head coach Buzz Peterson. His career path then took him to Winston-Salem State for a season in 2014-15, helping the Rams win 18 games and reach the championship game of the CIAA Tournament.
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Gray then spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Charlotte (2014-18). While in the Queen City, he helped recruit Jon Davis who garnered Conference-USA All-Freshman team honors in 2015-16 before finishing second in the C-USA the following season. Davis and Joseph Uchebo both earned all-conference honors, Uchebo after setting the C-USA single-season rebounding record.
After his three years at Charlotte, Gray spent three seasons at UNCG (2018-21) and was part of three seasons with 20 or more wins including a program-record 28 victories in 2018-19. UNCG made two postseason appearances in Gray's three years on the bench, once earning the SoCon's automatic NCAA bid by winning the conference tournament and also garnering the overall No. 1 seed in the 2019 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 2018-19.
Before his second stint at Western Carolina, Gray was the head men's basketball coach at Elizabeth City State University, taking over as the program's interim leader in May 2022 before being named the full-time head coach in 2023. In his first season, his squad led the NCAA Division II in blocked shots as a part of ranking sixth in the country in defensive field goal percentage and finished as a Top 30 rebounding squad. He coached and developed the 2022-23 CIAA Defensive Player of the Year in Amadou Faye and CIAA All-Freshman team selection, Jaquantae Harris.
Gray graduated in May 1998 with a B.S. in Physical Education from Methodist University. He returned to his alma mater to begin his collegiate career as the top men's basketball assistant coach in 2001, serving as the recruiting coordinator and junior varsity head coach. With Gray back on the bench as a coach, the Monarchs claimed the 2003 DIAC/USA South Atlantic Conference regular season championship and posted a 22-6 league record in his two seasons.
A native of Elizabethtown, N.C., Gray received a Master of Science in Sport Management from Western Carolina University in June 2022. He is married to the former Tarius Williams.Â
Matson returns to Greenville after spending two seasons at Texas and one year at New Mexico State. He helped guide the Aggies to a 16-16 mark and a quarterfinal appearance in the CUSA Basketball Championship in 2025-26 as an assistant coach.Â
He served as a director of operations in 2023-24 and assistant coach in 2024-25 where he helped guide the Longhorns to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under Head Coach Rodney Terry. During the 2023-24 campaign, Texas reached the Round of 32 and ranked among the nation's elite in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. While in Austin, Matson worked closely with All-Conference players Tre Johnson, Max Abmas, and Dylan Disu. During the 2023-24 season, Texas posted a 21-13 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. With its victory over Colorado State in the NCAA Round of 64, the Longhorns won their NCAA First Round game for the third consecutive season. This marked the first time Texas has accomplished the feat since UT won four-straight NCAA First-Round games from 2006-09.
"We are excited and fortunate to have Nick Matson back with us here in Greenville," Schwartz said. "He is a true professional in this profession, with winning experience at every level of college basketball. Nick helped us establish all phases of our program four years ago and was essential in building our defense along with the skill development of our players".
UT finished at No. 25 in the final KenPom team rankings, recorded five Quad 1 wins and earned three victories against AP-ranked opponents, including a 75-73 home win over No. 9 Baylor, a 75-60 victory at No. 11 Oklahoma and a 77-66 win at No. 25 TCU. The Longhorns were one of 11 teams to rank in the top 31 in KenPom in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.
Dylan Disu was named the Big 12's Most Improved Player, becoming the first Texas player to claim the honor since it began during the 2019-20 season, and earned first-team All-Big 12 mention from the coaches. Max Abmas garnered a spot on the first-team All-Big 12 team from the media and the five-person Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. In addition, Abmas was named the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Division I Men's Basketball Team Member of the Year, while Disu was named the Big 12 Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Prior to his two years at Texas, Matson spent the 2022-23 season as an assistant coach at East Carolina in Michael Schwartz's first season at the helm. During Schwartz's first season at ECU, the Pirates posted a 16-17 overall record (6-12 American). The 16 wins marked the most by East Carolina in nearly a decade (2013-14), while the six league wins tied for the most since the Pirates joined the American Conference prior to the start of the 2014-15 season.
Before his one season at ECU, Matson spent three seasons at UTEP where he assisted in the rebuilding of a Miners program which saw continuous improvement over three years. During the 2019-20 campaign the Miners won 17 games, nine more than the previous season and the largest win improvement of any team in CUSA; more than doubling their CUSA win total. UTEP posted its first winning season in four years and made a return to the CUSA Tournament. The Miners finished with a 13-4 record in the Haskins Center - the most home wins in four years. At UTEP, Matson aided in the recruitment and development of two of the most successful players in CUSA, Bryson Williams and Souley Boum. Both student-athletes were All-CUSA selections for multiple years.
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Matson came to UTEP after seven seasons (2011-18) at Fresno State, most recently as an assistant coach. The Bulldogs logged 20 wins or more in four of the last five seasons, won the Mountain West Conference title in 2016 and made three postseason tournament appearances (2014 CBI, 2016 NCAA, 2017 NIT). From 2015-2018, the Bulldogs were one of the most successful Group of 5 Basketball programs in the country, earning an NCAA Tournament berth in 2016 and an NIT at-large selection in 2017.
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Matson played an extensive role in the Bulldogs' player development and scouting. Fresno State had multiple All-Conference selections, including 2015-16 Mountain West Player of the Year Marvelle Harris. During the 2017-18 season, guard Deshon Taylor garnered first team All-MWC honors after averaging 17.8 points per game. Forward Bryson Williams was a third team All-MWC selection. Sam Bittner and Jahmel Taylor were among the MWC and national leaders in three-point shooting during the 2017-18 season.
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Prior to being elevated to assistant coach, Matson spent five years as Director of Basketball Operations and one season as graduate assistant at Fresno State.
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Matson spent the 2010-11 season as the graduate assistant at Murray State under head coach Billy Kennedy. The Racers finished 23-9, won the Ohio Valley Conference Championship and fashioned a 14-4 mark in league play. Matson assisted with video, scouting and player development at Murray State, working with All-American guard and future NBA player Isaiah Canaan.
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Matson began his career as a coaching intern at Stanford under Johnny Dawkins during the 2009-10 season. He assisted with recruiting administration, team operations and scouting reports.
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Matson received his degree in psychology from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 2009. He was a guard for the Keydets from 2006-08. VMI employed an up-tempo offense that set all-time NCAA records for points per game, steals, and three-pointers made in a season. In 2008-09, Matson served as undergraduate assistant coach and was part of one of the most successful seasons in VMI history. The Keydets finished 24-8, including an upset victory over Kentucky at Rupp Arena. The Keydets advanced to the 2007 and 2009 Big South Conference Championship games.
Gray joins the Pirates after serving as the associate head coach at Western Carolina for the past two seasons and brings over 20 years of coaching experience within the state of North Carolina including 15 years at the NCAA Division I level to Greenville. During his collegiate coaching career, he has been a part of 10 postseason and conference championship teams, recruited and developed 28 all-conference performers, and mentored both six mid-major and five national All-America selections.Â
Western Carolina, UNCG and Wingate all posted program records for single season victories with Gray on the bench.
"Andre Gray brings an incredible amount of experience, including as a head coach in this state to our program," Schwartz said. "The relationships and respect he has in North Carolina as a basketball coach, but more importantly as a genuine person is as good as it gets. We are thrilled to be able to add Andre to our coaching staff and looking forward to the strong impact he will make in all areas of our program".
Gray's collegiate coaching career began at his alma mater Methodist College. He then spent four seasons on the bench at Wingate University, located just outside of Charlotte. The Bulldogs made the NCAA Division II tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007, capturing the South Atlantic Conference Championships in both seasons. In the latter, Wingate advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, winning the South Atlantic Region championship.
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His career path then took him west of the Queen City as he made the move to the NCAA Division I level, joining the coaching staff at Big South Conference member, Gardner-Webb in July 2007. The 2007-08 Runnin' Bulldogs won 16 games including a victory at nationally ranked Kentucky.
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Gray then spent three years (2008-11) as an assistant coach in his first stint at Western Carolina. While in Cullowhee, the Catamounts posted three consecutive winning seasons and two Southern Conference North Division titles. The 2009-10 Catamounts finished 22-12 marking WCU's first-ever 20-win season – a mark that was matched in 2023-24 – and advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).
Following the three years at WCU, Gray was on the sidelines for three seasons at UNCW (2011-14) under head coach Buzz Peterson. His career path then took him to Winston-Salem State for a season in 2014-15, helping the Rams win 18 games and reach the championship game of the CIAA Tournament.
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Gray then spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Charlotte (2014-18). While in the Queen City, he helped recruit Jon Davis who garnered Conference-USA All-Freshman team honors in 2015-16 before finishing second in the C-USA the following season. Davis and Joseph Uchebo both earned all-conference honors, Uchebo after setting the C-USA single-season rebounding record.
After his three years at Charlotte, Gray spent three seasons at UNCG (2018-21) and was part of three seasons with 20 or more wins including a program-record 28 victories in 2018-19. UNCG made two postseason appearances in Gray's three years on the bench, once earning the SoCon's automatic NCAA bid by winning the conference tournament and also garnering the overall No. 1 seed in the 2019 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 2018-19.
Before his second stint at Western Carolina, Gray was the head men's basketball coach at Elizabeth City State University, taking over as the program's interim leader in May 2022 before being named the full-time head coach in 2023. In his first season, his squad led the NCAA Division II in blocked shots as a part of ranking sixth in the country in defensive field goal percentage and finished as a Top 30 rebounding squad. He coached and developed the 2022-23 CIAA Defensive Player of the Year in Amadou Faye and CIAA All-Freshman team selection, Jaquantae Harris.
Gray graduated in May 1998 with a B.S. in Physical Education from Methodist University. He returned to his alma mater to begin his collegiate career as the top men's basketball assistant coach in 2001, serving as the recruiting coordinator and junior varsity head coach. With Gray back on the bench as a coach, the Monarchs claimed the 2003 DIAC/USA South Atlantic Conference regular season championship and posted a 22-6 league record in his two seasons.
A native of Elizabethtown, N.C., Gray received a Master of Science in Sport Management from Western Carolina University in June 2022. He is married to the former Tarius Williams.Â
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