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MBU taps Roanoke College assistant Griggs to head men’s hoops program

AFP

mary baldwin universityRoanoke College assistant Matt Griggs has been named the first head men’s basketball coach at Mary Baldwin University.

The school made the announcement Wednesday morning.

“I am happy to announce Matt Griggs as MBU’s first-ever head men’s basketball coach,” said MBU Director of Athletics Tom Byrnes. “His knowledge of the region added with his experience in coaching and playing at this level made him an outstanding selection. I look forward to working with him as he launches the program.”

Griggs was most recently the associate head coach at Roanoke College, where he served as the recruiting coordinator. His duties also involved assisting with scouting, game and practice planning, game scheduling, and coordinating team travel.

“I am honored and extremely excited to be named the first head men’s basketball coach at Mary Baldwin University,” Griggs said. “I would like to thank Tom Byrnes, the search committee, and the leadership at MBU for entrusting me with this opportunity. I am looking forward to working with the faculty, staff, and students in building a program that MBU and the Staunton community will be proud of.”

Roanoke finished last season with a 19-8 record and advanced to the semifinals of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament. The year prior, Roanoke ended the season with a 20-8 record and reached the ODAC tournament final for the first time since 2001.

The 20-win total was the first for the program in nearly two decades.

Under Griggs’ leadership, five Maroons earned all-ODAC selections, including a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-American and ODAC Player of the Year in 2018.

Griggs spent two seasons as the men’s basketball video coordinator at Winthrop in D1. While in the position, he managed all video and technology-related duties and analyzed opponent tendencies to prepare scouting reports. Griggs also assisted the coaching staff with other miscellaneous coaching responsibilities while overseeing team managerial staff and basketball camps.

While with the Eagles, the program claimed the 2016 Big South Conference regular season championship and advanced to the finals of the league tournament.

Prior to his two seasons as the video coordinator, Griggs was a graduate assistant coach for the 2013-2014 season with Winthrop. He assisted in the day-to-day operations for the team including practice preparation and implementation, video breakdown, and individual player development.

Griggs played four seasons at Division III Centre College in Kentucky, seeing action in 108 consecutive games. He served as a team captain and helped his squad to claim three conference championships. Griggs played in three national tournaments and was named to the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) all-sportsmanship team after his senior season.

Academically, he twice earned Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) academic honor roll laurels.

The MBU men’s basketball team takes the court as a club team in 2020-2021 before rising to the varsity level in 2021-2022, becoming the 14th men’s basketball program in the USA South Athletic Conference, and the 15th athletic program at Mary Baldwin.

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