About this episode

Matt Wise discusses his first year as head coach of Samford women's basketball and the team's remarkable turnaround season.

Samford women's basketball head coach Matt Wise reflecting on his first year as head coach and the team's remarkable turnaround season. Wise discussed the challenges of starting with a difficult non-conference schedule that included five Power 5 opponents, leading to an early 1-6 conference start. He explained how the team's confidence and belief improved throughout the season, culminating in winning the Southern Conference Tournament Championship as the sixth seed and earning an NCAA tournament berth. The Bulldogs overcame a double-digit deficit in the championship game to advance to the NCAA First Four, finishing the season with an overall record of 16-19. Wise shared insights about roster retention, strategic adjustments including shifting to a tougher defensive lineup, and the importance of maintaining team culture during the tournament run. He emphasized the value of staff alignment and staying true to coaching principles, while noting that the current landscape of college basketball requires constant creation and adaptation due to high roster turnover. Wise has extensive previous coaching experience, including serving as a Graduate Assistant for the University of Florida’s…

People in this episode

Host: Chris Oliver

Guest: Matt Wise

Topics covered

• coaching
• basketball
• team culture
• NCAA tournament
• strategic adjustments

Keywords

• Matt Wise
• Samford women's basketball
• Southern Conference
• NCAA tournament
• coaching experience

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Samford, University of Florida, University of Wyoming, University of Arkansas-Little Rock, East Tennessee State University

More episodes of The Basketball Podcast

• Arthur Moreira on Building a Winning Standard (EP421) · April 22, 2026 · 55 min
• Tony Irons on Elite Coaching Perspectives (EP419) · April 8, 2026 · 48 min
• Zach O'Brien on Coaching Principles and CLA (EP418) · April 1, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Jared Mocaby on Youth Basketball Coaching Strategies (EP417) · March 25, 2026 · 60 min
• Roneeka Hodges on Player-First Coaching (EP416) · March 18, 2026 · 46 min
• Jamill Jones on Running an Elite Youth Program (EP415) · March 11, 2026 · 48 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Basketball Podcast podcast page.