Campus News
April 12, 2022
McCullough appointed as head men's basketball coach for GC
McCullough has served as interim hoops coach since last fall
Coach Matt McCullough
Reflecting on his first season at Garrett College, Matt McCullough's 2021-2022 season as interim head men's basketball coach was filled with both challenges and adversity.
"I was proud of the way our guys persevered and came together as the season went on," stated McCullough, who at 23 became the youngest head men's basketball coach in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference. "I felt the guys bought into their roles and the team became really close both on and off the court."
McCullough, a native of Garrett County and graduate of Southern Garrett High School, is particularly proud of several highlights and accomplishments from the 2021-22 season.
"One of the more memorable moments of the year was beating Beaver (Community College of Beaver County) to win the WPCC Conference Tournament, and we had three players awarded as All-Conference players," said McCullough, who was named WPCC Conference Coach of the Year.
"We played so many close games this year with 15 games being decided by 6 points or less," added McCullough. "Getting close wins against rivals Allegany College of Maryland and Potomac State are definitely a couple of the most memorable moments."
GC officials recently announced the appointment of McCullough to head coach.
"Matt has far exceeded our expectations and we are thrilled to have him as our permanent head coach," stated Robert "JR" Kerns, GC's dean of student affairs. "He is a team player and works well with others which is essential as we work towards building our athletic programs."
McCullough, who earned a bachelor's degree from Frostburg State University, will complete his master's degree in business administration from FSU this May and is already anticipating the start of the 2022-23 season.
"We have some key guys returning from the 2021-22 team, and recruiting for the 2022-23 class is off to a fantastic start," noted McCullough, who worked under Coach Tom Bosley at Southern Garrett High School and Coach Sean Brown at FSU. "I'm looking forward to the progression of our returners as well as pairing them with our newcomers, and seeing how they gel together as a team."
McCullough believes having a full offseason to prepare for the 2022-23 season is key to next year's success.
"Next year, we are certainly going to have lofty goals," he remarked. "When I accepted the position this year, I promised the returning players and incoming recruits that 2021-2022 wasn't a "rebuilding year", we wanted to have immediate success."
McCullough continued, "we set lofty goals of winning the Region XX and having an opportunity to compete in the national tournament. We fell a little short of those goals this past year, but we will continue to strive to compete for a Region XX title and get a chance to compete in the national tournament."
McCullough's goals for next season extend beyond the court as well.
"My number one goal beyond winning games is to help each of our student athletes make strides toward achieving their ultimate goals as players and as individuals, which includes transferring or advancing to a four-year school after Garrett.
"Off the court I want to continue to work on improving academically as a team. We want high-quality student-athletes who take their education just as seriously as they take their basketball game," McCullough stated.
In the end, McCullough, who's team finished with a record of 18-11 last year, believes success is directly tied to each student's performance in the classroom and on the court.
"If every student athlete is working towards their ultimate goals, we will have the best chance of achieving our on the court goals," he said.
