New ISU coach Matthew Graves says, 'I was meant to be here'

Apr. 12—Not only does Matthew Graves aspire to extend Indiana State's success from the Sycamores' 32-7, National Invitation Tournament runner-up season, he wants to reach a higher plateau.

ISU formally introduced the 49-year-old Greene County native as the university's 27th men's head basketball coach Friday morning in Hulman Center. His contract covers five years, but the university did not yet disclose his compensation.

Graves oozed optimism in discussing the future so many Sycamore fans are worried about, and told the audience, "I was meant to be here."

Josh Schertz, who coached ISU to its best season since Larry Bird wore Sycamore blue, left for Saint Louis University last weekend. All but two of the 2023-24 players, including the five potential returning starters, entered the NCAA transfer portal after Schertz departed. Two assistant coaches, and another from an earlier Schertz team, also went to SLU.

Graves, who served as Schertz's associate head coach and righthand man through all three seasons, has stepped into the present uncertainty feeling confident of what's ahead.

"I understand I have big shoes to fill," Graves said Friday, with ISU athletics staff, the lone returning assistant Justin Furr, a small number of players and managers, and Sycamore supporters in attendance. "[Schertz] did a great job, an absolutely outstanding job, but at the end of the day, I understand you've got to be yourself."

That said, Graves indicated ISU fans will see him continue Schertz's intricate spread-floor, good first-shot, shoot-pass-or-drive offensive scheme, triggered by high-energy defense.

Graves also thanked his former boss for "the guidance, the friendship, [and] learning that offense that we all so beautifully love here and Indiana State. And we're going to do our absolute best not only to recruit to that, but play that style of play. It's an exciting brand of basketball."

ISU ranked among the nation's best shooting teams last season, and won the program's first Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship in 24 years.

Despite owning the No. 28 spot in the NCAA's NET national ranking system, ISU was left out of the NCAA Tournament field after losing the MVC tourney title game to Drake, and the automatic Big Dance berth that goes with it. So, Schertz's team accepted a NIT berth, beat three large-conference teams in Hulman Center, then topped Utah in the NIT semifinal at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, before finally losing a 79-77 heartbreaker to Seton Hall in the tournament finale.

"This season was absolutely remarkable, and I know I would not be standing here without those student-athletes. And those student-athletes gave us one heck of a ride that we're going to try our best to duplicate it. We're all going to play in that tournament with four letters this time," Graves said, referring to the NCAA, rather than the NIT. "That is the goal."

ISU announced Graves' hiring as full head coach late Thursday afternoon, hours after the university Board of Trustees nominated Mike Godard, currently provost at Southeast Missouri State University, as the next Indiana State president. Current ISU President Deborah Curtis is scheduled to retire by July 1.

Angie Lansing, ISU's interim athletic director, explained the need to hire a full head coach now, rather than wait until a new president takes over.

"We were in a critical time with where we are in the transfer portal," Lansing said in an interview following the ceremony. "Student-athletes can still enter into the transfer portal until May 1. This week was a dead week, so student-athletes couldn't go on campus visits until today. So we knew we were on the clock."

The NCAA launched the transfer portal in 2018. Players can declare their intention to transfer by entering their names into the portal database, which coaches monitor closely. Since Schertz's departure on April 6 for a multi-season contract worth a reported $2-million-plus annually, all but two of ISU's returning players entered the portal. Hours after Schertz made his decision, ISU began its search for a coach, Lansing said.

"It was important [to name a head coach promptly], in terms of just trying to retain our current roster, as much as possible, for them to understand who their head coach was going to be," Lansing said.

Those who've entered the portal and could begin visiting prospective destinations on Friday include 2023-24 starters Robbie Avila, Julian Larry, Ryan Cowell, Isaiah Swope and Jayson Kent, as well as reserves Augustinas Kiudulas, Masen Miller, Eli Shetlar and Aaron Gray. Players entering the portal could stay at their present schools, and those entering can withdraw their names at any point.

Collegiate Sports Associates, a firm that assists universities in job searches, helped build a list of 20 prospects including "successful head coaches as well as highly respected Division I associate head coaches and assistant coaches," Lansing said. ISU interviewed six, finding three finalists and then deciding upon Graves, who has more than two decades of coaching experience as a longtime assistant at his alma mater of Butler, Xavier, Evansville and then ISU. Graves also served as head coach at South Alabama from 2013-18, where his Jaguars finished 65-96 — an experience that he said will make him a better ISU coach.

Lansing said ISU needed a coach who understands the university's history and traditions.

"We needed someone who knows how to build a winning program in the MVC, as well as someone who was competent who could build upon the momentum of our 32-win season, to continue on our trajectory of success, Lansing said. "Through the interview process, it became clear there was no better person to do this than someone who played a key role in the recent success of Indiana State basketball."

Graves' family turned out for the event, including his wife Susan, daughters Abby and Lily, and his parents Rick and Melonie Graves of Switz City. Rick estimated they've watched Matthew and his brothers play or coach more than 1,000 basketball games through the years. They're ready to hit the road to Terre Haute and MVC cities, too.

"We would drive to Mobile [when Matthew coached at South Alabama], so driving to Northern Iowa is no big deal," Rick said.

In Switz City, where Matthew grew up, "basketball's the sport," Rick said.

"This [ISU job] is the opportunity of a lifetime," Rick said. "He's been at a lot of schools and a lot of places, and southern Indiana is home to him."

Graves is anxious to get started and hinted that summer workouts are just 59 days away, starting on June 1. He hopes to retain at least six of the potential returning players and at least a couple of the three incoming high school recruits, who are eligible under NCAA rules to consider other destinations after a head coaching change. He didn't fault those who may go elsewhere. Graves is also building his staff, hinting that a familiar local face may be among his assistants.

It's a lot of change. He's ready for the program to continue progressing.

"You are not going to find anyone that will work harder," Graves said. "You will not find anyone that will be more diligent about embracing the Wabash Valley, and you're not going to find anyone that [more so] wants to be here for the long term. I want to finish my career, hopefully in 15-plus years, as the head coach of the Indiana State Sycamores."

Mark Bennett can be reached at 812-231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.