Nick Matson, who joined the UTEP staff as an assistant coach in April, 2018, is in his third season as assistant coach on UTEP Head Coach Rodney Terry’s staff.
UTEP won 17 games during the 2019-20 campaign, nine more than the previous season, while more than doubling its Conference USA wins. The Miners posted their first winning season in four years, and made a return to the C-USA Tournament during the 2019-20 season. UTEP finished with a 13-4 record in the Haskins Center, the most home wins in four years.
Other highlights during the season included UTEP’s largest comeback in program history. The Miners found themselves down 24 points to UTSA, only to rally and win 80-77 in overtime on Jan. 15. The historic victory also ranked tied for the 24th biggest comeback in NCAA history. UTEP scratched out another big comeback victory, this time against Rice on Feb. 22. The Miners rallied from 19 points down, flying past the Owls, 68-62.
The Miners made multiple improvements from year one to year two under Terry. UTEP shot 74.9 percent from the foul line, ranking fourth in C-USA and 54th nationally. Last season, UTEP shot 66.1 percent from the free-throw line. UTEP’s 451 made free throws ranked second in C-USA while its 602 free-throw attempts ranked fourth. The defense also improved, as the Miners allowed 66.1 points per game from 69.0 the season prior. UTEP also decreased its turnovers, while forcing more turnovers. The Miners’ ranked fourth in blocked shots (103) after ranking 12th the season before.
Bryson Williams was named to the 2020 All-C-USA first team and 2020 District 11 NABC first team, while earning a trio of C-USA Player of the Week honors. Souley Boum finished no. 1 in C-USA, shooting 87.8 percent from the free-throw line, and Daryl Edwards came up with clutch performances during the season, including averaging over 21 points per game the last eight contests of the regular season. Edwards also earned a C-USA Player of the Week honor.
During the 2018-19 campaign, Matson was instrumental in assisting with the continued success of the Miners’ freshmen class – Kaosi Ezeagu, Nigel Hawkins, Jordan Lathon and Efe Odigie.
Odigie was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team after leading the league in rebounding per game (10.1). Odigie was one of two C-USA players to average a double-double after averaging 12.7 points per contest. Odigie’s rebounding average was a new UTEP freshman record, while his 252 total rebounds ranked second most tallied by a UTEP freshman. Odigie was the first Miner to average a double-double since the 1982 season, while his 11 double-doubles set a program record by a freshman.
UTEP’s a pair of freshmen guards in Lathon and Hawkins. Lathon started 27 games and ranked fourth on the squad in points per game (10.9) and total points (294). Lathon led the Miners in assists (74), while ranking second on the team in blocked shots (23). Hawkins led UTEP and ranked sixth in C-USA in free-throw percentage (79.5) and made free throws (97). Hawkins set a UTEP freshman record by hitting 97 free throws, while his free-throw percentage is third best by a UTEP frosh in program history.
Lathon and Hawkins chalked up the Miners’ first C-USA win as the pair led the Miners to a 65-64 victory against Rice on Jan. 12. Hawkins set a career high with 24 points, while Lathon put the finishing touches with his buzzer-beating jump shot off a full-court pass from Ountae Campbell.
Between the trio of freshman, Odigie (Nov. 26, Dec. 24), Lathon (Dec. 3, Feb. 25) and Hawkins (Jan. 14) combined for five C-USA Freshman of the Week honors. It was the most since the Miners earned six FOTW honors during the 2013-14 campaign. Odigie finished 20thin C-USA in scoring average, while Hawkins rated 21st. Lathon ranked 15thin C-USA averaging almost three assists per game.
Ezeagu, Hawkins, Lathon and Odigie set a UTEP freshmen record after combining for 63 points at Marshall on Jan. 31. Ezeagu led the team win blocked shots (24) and was the lone UTEP freshman to play in all 29 games.
The Miners ranked fifth in C-USA, forcing 13.5 turnovers per contest. Their defensive rebounding per game (27.0) also ranked fifth in the league.
Matson came to UTEP after serving on Terry’s staff for all 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 tournament title in 2016 and made three postseason tournament appearances (2014 CBI, 2016 NCAA, 2017 NIT).
Prior to being elevated to assistant coach, Matson spent five years as Director of Basketball Operations (2012-2017) and one season as a graduate assistant (2011-12) at Fresno State.
Matson played an extensive role in the Bulldogs’ player development. During the 2017-18 season,guard Deshon Taylor garnered first team All-MWC honors after averaging 17.8 points per game, fifth-best in the league. Forward Bryson Williams was a third team All-MWC honoree. Sam Bittner and Jahmel Taylor were among the MWC and national leaders in three-point shooting during the 2017-18 season.
During the 2015-16 campaign, Fresno State notched the third-most victories in school history (25) and finished second in the MWC with a 13-5 mark. The Bulldogs returned to the “Big Dance” for the first time in 15 years after ending the season with a flurry, capturing wins in 11 of their last 12 games. Marvelle Harris was named the MWC Player of the Year.
Fresno State also finished strong during the 2013-14 campaign, posting victories in 13 of the last 18 outings and advancing to the CBI Finals. Paul Watson was named the MWC Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American, and joined Tyler Johnson on the All-Conference Team.
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 administrative duties and player development at Murray State, working with All-American guard and future NBA player Isaiah Canaan.
A native of Roseville, Calif., Matson was a coaching intern at Stanford under Johnny Dawkins during the 2009-10 season. He assisted with recruiting administration, team operations and scouting reports.
Matson received his bachelors' 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, which was one of the most successful seasons in VMI history. The Keydets finished 24-8, including an upset victory over Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
