Bio

Matt Lewis is entering his sixth season as head coach of the UW-Oshkosh men’s basketball program during the 2023-24 campaign. Lewis has been a member of the UW-Oshkosh coaching staff since 2012. 

Lewis has compiled a 101-25 record in his five seasons at UW-Oshkosh. Under Lewis’ direction the Titans have made four trips to the Division III Championship, won the WIAC regular season title three times and secured two league postseason championships. In 2019, in Lewis' first year as head coach, the Titans won the NCAA Division III National Championship.

As head coach, Lewis has helped eight players achieve a total of fifteen All-WIAC First Team honors. During Lewis’ five-year tenure, five Titans have garnered a total of twelve All-Region accolades and four players have received a total of ten All-America honors. In 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023, a Titan was selected as the WIAC Player of the Year and a NABC First Team All-Americans.

In the 2022-23 season, the Titans secured their third WIAC regular season championship since 2019, and advanced to the national tournament for the seventh straight season. This streak is the second longest active streak in NCAA DIII. The season finished in the Elite Eight with a loss to Mount Union, the eventual national runner-up. It was the Titans third Elite Eight appearance since 2018. The season included an eleven-game winning streak in January and February. Levi Borchert was selected as the WIAC Player of the Year, an NABC First Team All-American, and a D3Hoops.com Second Team All-American. Eric Peterson and Hunter Plamann were selected as All-WIAC First Team members, while Quinn Steckbauer was selected as an Honorable Mention member. Peterson was tabbed to the WIAC All-Defensive Team.

The 2021-22 season was another historical one for the Titans, finishing 23-4 while securing the outright WIAC regular season championship and WIAC postseason championship. The Titans advanced to their sixth straight NCAA tournament, before falling in the second round. The Titans ranked fifth in the country in 3-point percentage defense at .272 and fifth for fewest turnovers with 9.4 per game. Prior to the national tournament, the NCAA Division III National Committee recognized UW-Oshkosh as having the best tournament resume in the country. Lewis was recognized as the WIAC Coach of the Year, NABC District 9 Coach of the Year, and NABC District 9 Coach of the Year. He was also recognized as the Division III Public Schools Men's Basketball Coach of the Year by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. Several Titans players received postseason honors, including Levi Borchert, who was recognized as the WIAC Player of the Year and NABC First Team All-American. Eddie Muench and Hunter Plamann were awarded All-WIAC First Team honors, while Quinn Steckbauer was All-WIAC Honorable Mention and Eric Peterson was tabbed to the WIAC All-Defensive Team.

In the abbreviated 2021 campaign, Lewis guided the Titans to a 5-2 record against conference rivals exclusively. UW-Oshkosh, which finished third in the chase for the WIAC championship, led the league in scoring at 80.3 point per game, in assists per contest at 13.7, in 3-point percentage with a .418 rate and with 10.6 made 3-pointer per game. UW-Oshkosh went 4-1 in the WIAC East Division, finishing a half game behind divisional leader UW-Platteville, before advancing the WIAC Championship semifinals. Titans forward Levi Borchert was tabbed a D3hoops.com Third Team All-American and named to both the D3hoops.com All-Central Region First Team and All-WIAC First Team. UW-Oshkosh guards Eddie Muench and Hunter Plamann joined Borchert on the All-WIAC First Team. The Division III Championship was canceled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

During the 2020 season, Lewis and UW-Oshkosh compiled a 20-9 overall record and finished second in the WIAC with an 11-3 mark. The Titans, who won the WIAC postseason title and reached the second round of the Division III Championship, led the conference in scoring (81.8), average rebounding margin (+10.1), made free throws (403), free throw attempts (587), and rebounds (42.4), assists (13.7) and blocks (3.4) per game. UW-Oshkosh senior forward Adam Fravert was tabbed 2020 WIAC Player of the Year and the Central District Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Fravert, who was named to the NABC All-America First Team, joined Titans senior center Jack Flynn on the D3hoops.com All-America Second Team.

In 2019 Lewis guided UW-Oshkosh to its most successful season in the then 121-year history of the program. Lewis and the Titans capped off the campaign with a 96-82 victory over Swarthmore College (Pa.) in the national championship game. Lewis led UW-Oshkosh to a 29-3 record and several school marks during his debut season. The Titans claimed their first outright WIAC title since 1978 before going on to win six NCAA postseason games by an average of 15.5 points en route to the national title. UW-Oshkosh averaged 93.7 points in its six Division III Championship victories and set the school's NCAA postseason scoring record with its 108-point performance against University of Northwestern (Minn.) during the second round. 

Under Lewis' direction UW-Oshkosh established school records with 29 wins, 2,715 points, 961 made field goals, 2,018 field goal attempts, 1,308 rebounds, 325 made 3-pointers, 866 3-point attempts, 148 blocks and a 21-game winning streak. The Titans' totals for made 3-pointers and 3-point attempts are also WIAC records, while their winning streak and win total rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in league history.

Lewis collected Division III Coach of the Year honors from the NABC, D3hoops.com, DIII News and the Glenn Robinson Award committee. Lewis was also named WIAC Coach of the Year and Division III Public Schools Men's Basketball Coach of the Year by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association.

Lewis' 2019 squad had four All-WIAC First Team selections for the first time in program history, including Player of the Year Ben Boots. Boots went on to receive All-America First Team honors from the NABC and D3hoops.com in addition to being named the NABC Central Region Player of the Year and WBCA's Division III Public Schools Player of the Year. Flynn, the Most Outstanding Player at the Division III Championship, was also named an All-American by D3hoops.com.

The Titans concluded their national championship season ranked high among the Division III leaders in several statistical categories, including fourth in total rebounds, seventh in blocks, 10th in average scoring margin (+15.7), 12th in made 3-pointers and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.50), and 13th in turnovers per game (10.6) and average rebounding margin (+8.8).

Before accepting the head coach position at UW-Oshkosh, Lewis served six seasons as the Titans' top assistant. Lewis was elevated to interim head coach after previous UW-Oshkosh head coach Pat Juckem accepted the lead position of the Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) men's basketball program.

During his six seasons as the Titans' top assistant, Lewis led UW-Oshkosh's recruiting and scouting efforts that yielded three consecutive trips to the NCAA Division III postseason, including the program's first appearance in the national title game in 2018.

Lewis began his coaching career as an assistant men's basketball coach at Rhodes College (Tenn.) in 2010. He also had coaching internships with Cornell College (Iowa) and NCAA Division I Tulane University (La.), where he was the director of basketball operations from 2010-12. 

Lewis, a forward on the Cornell College basketball team from 2005-10, was an American Rivers Conference First Team selection in 2010. He received Cornell College's 2010 Sportsman of the Year award after averaging 13.5 points and 6.7 rebounds. In 2009, Lewis helped the Rams to a 21-7 record and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

A Southeastern High School (Augusta, Ill.) graduate, Lewis earned his bachelor's degree (2010) in economics and business from Cornell College and his master's (2013) in business administration from Bethel University (Tenn.).

Lewis and his wife, Gaelyn, live in Appleton with their twin daughters.

(9/4/23)