MATT GOLDSMITH – MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH – EPISODE 1132

Website – https://athletics.middlebury.edu/sports/mbball

Email – mbb@middlebury.edu

Twitter – @CoachMGoldsmith

If you listen to and love the Hoop Heads Podcast, please consider giving us a small tip that will help in our quest to become the #1 basketball coaching podcast.

Matt Goldsmith is entering his first season as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Middlebury College.  He previously served as the Head Coach at The College of New Jersey for 10 seasons where he piloted the Lions to over 150 victories and Two New Jersey Athletic Conference championships in 2020 and 2024. 

Prior to TCNJ Goldsmith worked for Dave Hixon at Amherst College, where he was an assistant coach for three seasons.  In his first season at Amherst in 2012-13, he helped guide the Jeffs to a 30-2 record and the second national title in program history.

Goldsmith has spent time as a volunteer assistant coach for USA Basketball and has been a coach and instructor at the Jay Bilas Skills Camp since 2016.   He also serves as head coach and general manager of ‘The Nerd Team’ in The Basketball Tournament.
 
As a player at Amherst College, Goldsmith was a member of the Jeffs’ 2007 National Championship team. He continued his playing career after graduation, playing professionally in Germany during the 2008-09 season.

On this episode Mike and Matt discuss his experiences and insights regarding the transition from his previous role at the College of New Jersey. Matt recounts the excitement that accompanied the opportunity presented by Middlebury, a prestigious institution with a rich athletic heritage. Goldsmith emphasizes the significance of community within the athletic department and the broader Vermont area, which he believes plays a vital role in the success of the program. He contrasts the environments he has worked in, discussing the importance of maintaining relationships with alumni and the challenges of upholding the legacy left by former coach Coach Brown. Goldsmith articulates his vision for the team, focusing on foundational principles such as player development, defensive strategies, and fostering a culture of excellence.

As the conversation progresses, Goldsmith delves into the logistics of building his coaching staff and the essential resources needed to compete at a high level in Division III basketball. He reflects on the challenges of retaining players amidst the transfer portal climate and the importance of establishing rapport with returning athletes. Goldsmith also shares his strategic approach to practice and game preparation, highlighting the significance of adaptability in coaching styles to align with the strengths of his players. The discussion culminates in Goldsmith’s commitment to instilling a winning mentality and the importance of community engagement, aiming to build a program that not only achieves success on the court but also fosters personal growth among student-athletes.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @hoopheadspod for the latest updates on episodes, guests, and events from the Hoop Heads Pod.

Make sure you’re subscribed to the Hoop Heads Pod on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and while you’re there please leave us a 5 star rating and review.  Your ratings help your friends and coaching colleagues find the show. If you really love what you’re hearing recommend the Hoop Heads Pod to someone and get them to join you as a part of Hoop Heads Nation.

Take some notes as you listen to this episode with Matt Goldsmith, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Middlebury College.

What We Discuss with Matt Goldsmith

• His enthusiasm about returning to the NESCAC and coaching at Middlebury College
• Why he believes the head coach position at Middlebury is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, emphasizing the rarity and prestige of such roles in Division III basketball
• The importance of contesting shots, limiting rim attempts, and clearing the glass defensively
• The significance of having a strong assistant coaching pool to attract and retain talent, which he sees as crucial for long-term program success
• Understanding the community and culture of Middlebury
• Effective communication and transparency during a coaching transition can help preserve meaningful relationships with former players and staff
• Establishing a strong leadership culture among players is essential for navigating challenges throughout the season
• The importance of finding a place that supports both his career and family life
• Success will be defined by the team’s growth and improvement in core areas rather than solely by win-loss records
• The importance of leveraging personal and professional networks to secure career opportunities like this one at Middlebury
• Maintaining strong alumni connections and building on past successes
• Offensive tracking metrics like throw-aheads and potential assists that help measure team performance

Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

We’re excited to partner with Dr. Dish, the world’s best shooting machine! Mention the Hoop Heads Podcast when you place your order and get $300 off a brand new state of the art Dr. Dish Shooting Machine!

Your first impression is everything when applying for a new coaching job.  A professional coaching portfolio is the tool that highlights your coaching achievements and philosophies and, most of all, helps separate you and your abilities from the other applicants.

The key to landing a new coaching job is to demonstrate to the hiring committee your attention to detail, level of preparedness, and your professionalism.  Not only does a coaching portfolio allow you to exhibit these qualities, it also allows you to present your personal philosophies on coaching, leadership, and program development in an organized manner.

The Coaching Portfolio Guide is an instructional, membership-based website that helps you develop a personalized portfolio.  Each section of the portfolio guide provides detailed instructions on how to organize your portfolio in a professional manner.  The guide also provides sample documents for each section of your portfolio that you can copy, modify, and add to your personal portfolio.

Hey coaches — you’ve got a game plan for your team… but do you have one for your money?

That’s where Wealth4Coaches comes in.

Each week, they deliver simple, no-fluff financial tips made just for coaches. Whether you’re getting paid for camps, training sessions, or a full season—Wealth4Coaches helps you track it, save it, and grow it.

It’s time to stop guessing and start building.

Subscribe now at wealth4coaches.beehiiv.com/subscribe
And follow them on Twitter @Wealth4Coaches for daily money wins.

Your money needs a coach.
Start with Wealth4Coaches.

THANKS, MATT GOLDSMITH

If you enjoyed this episode with Matt Goldsmith let him know by clicking on the link below and thanking him via Twitter.

Click here to thank Matt Goldsmith via Twitter

Click here to let Mike & Jason know about your number one takeaway from this episode!

And if you want us to answer your questions on one of our upcoming weekly NBA episodes, drop us a line at mike@hoopheadspod.com.

TRANSCRIPT FOR MATT GOLDSMITH – MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH – EPISODE 1132

[00:00:00] Narrator: The Hoop Heads Podcast is brought to you by Head Start Basketball.

[00:00:21] Matt Goldsmith: I truly believe you can play pack, you can play no middle. You can play hard hedge, you can play blitz, you can play drop ball screen covers. I think you can play anyway. At the end of the day, you have to contest shots, you have to limit rim attempts and you have to clear the glass. And I think whatever our style is, those are three things we’re going to take a lot of pride in.

[00:00:45] Mike Klinzing: Matt Goldsmith is entering his first season as the head men’s basketball coach at Middlebury College. He previously served as the head coach at the College of New Jersey for 10 seasons where he piloted the lions to over 150 victories and two New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships in 2020 and 2024.

Prior to TCNJ, Goldsmith worked for Dave Hixson at Amherst College where he was an assistant coach for three seasons. In his first season at Amherst in 2012 13, he helped guide the Jeffs to a 30 and two record and the second national title In program history, Goldsmith has spent time as a volunteer assistant coach for USA basketball and has been a coach and instructor at the J Billis skills camp since 2016.

He also serves as the head coach and general manager of the NERD team in the basketball tournament as a player at Amherst College. Goldsmith was a member of the Jeffs 2007 National Championship team. He continued his playing career after graduation, playing professionally in Germany during the 2008 2009 season.

Hey Hoop Heads, Dr. Dish’s 4th of July sale is here from now until July 31st, 2025. You can save up to $4,000 on the top shooting machines chosen and trusted by thousands of coaches across the United States. Secure your Dr. Dish CT Plus All Star Plus or Rebel Plus while supplies last. Learn more at drdishbasketball.com and follow their incredible content @drdishbball on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Mention the Hoop Heads podcast and save an extra $300 on the Dr. Dish. Rebel All Star on CT models. Those are some great deals Hoop Heads! Get your doctor Dish shooting machine today.

[00:02:29] Joe Stasyszyn: Hi, this is Joe Stasyszyn from Unleashed Potential and you’re listening to the Hoop Heads Podcast.

[00:02:35] Mike Klinzing: Take some notes as you listen to this episode with Matt Goldsmith head, men’s basketball coach at Middlebury College.

Hello and welcome to the Hoop Heads Podcast. It’s Mike Klinzing here without my co-host Jason Sunkle tonight.

But I am pleased to welcome back to the Hoop Heads Pod, Matthew Goldsmith. Now, the head men’s basketball coach at Middlebury. Previously the head coach when we talked to you last at the College of New Jersey. So Matt, welcome back my man.

 [00:03:02] Matt Goldsmith: Mike, I appreciate it, man. Excited to be here and talk a little hoops.

[00:03:12] Mike Klinzing: Thrilled to have you back on. Always good to have a second time around with people. So let’s start by looking at just the opportunity to come back, go to Middlebury. You’re back in your home league where you played previously at Amherst in the NESCAC. So just talk about how the experience, how the opportunity comes across your desk, how do you first find out about it, and then what are your immediate thoughts in terms of going after the job?

[00:03:40] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, for sure. I think  obviously being back in the NESCAC and being at a place like Middlebury is once in those one of those once in a lifetime jobs that just don’t pop up very often.  I think when I got into this business, you just think your dream jobs are going to come available pretty regularly, and the facts are somebody gets a job, they stay for 30 years and then they retire.

And  that timing could match up exactly with your career that that guy could be in, in the, in the the seat for the entire time you’re head coach. So  as soon as I heard Coach Brown was retiring, I was, I was pretty excited about the potential of the opportunity.

 I love TCNJ. I love what we’ve been able to build and I think we’ve gotten into a really, really special place, but being back in the NESCAC and at a place like Middlebury, it just comes with a lot of  benefits and sys systemic success across their department. I think there we, we are fantastic in almost every sport.

They play 31 varsity sports, so places like that don’t often open. And so when I heard about it obviously with my connection to the NESCAC and understanding Middlebury and Coach Brown and what he was able to accomplish over the last especially 15 to 16 years when he was just running NCA tournament appearances every year like there’s five jobs in Division III that can say they did that and Middlebury’s one of them.

So I was super excited to hear about it. And then obviously when the job came, a available you go through your network and you start talking to people who has connections there.  how can I get in front of the athletic director, a couple people. Reached out to me directly. So that was nice because I already had some interest and then they showed interest in me.

So that helped. And then I have a, a, a little bit of a adjacent connection. My oldest brother was a Middlebury football player back in 2001. So I had known about the school and how special it was for quite some time. So once one, when jobs like that come up, you have to kind of tap into everybody and poke around a little bit, shake the trees and see and see who has the connections you need.

[00:05:58] Mike Klinzing: What was the most helpful connection? What was the most important call that you made in sort of that pre-interview process?

[00:06:04] Matt Goldsmith: Process? Yeah, for sure. I think there were a few so I don’t want to just pick one here. But obviously Coach Hickson, my old boss at, at Amherst College he, he was in the league as a player and a coach for 45 plus years.

And has a ton of relationships up there and. Middlebury’s really cool because a lot of the administration and and the leaders of the department, including the athletic director, the associate athletic director, they’re all lifelong NSCA guys. So they were really familiar with Coach Hixon and, and had good relationships with them.

So I think that helped a ton.  an alumni of Amherst actually is really friendly with another alum at, at Middlebury. So he connected me pretty quickly. Barry Broka and then probably the one who was the heaviest hitter I would say was Kobe Altman. So, Kobe Altman is the, the GM and president of the Cavs has been there since been the GM since 2017 and obviously has done a tremendous job there.

But he’s a Middlebury basketball alum. He’s on the board of trustees up there as well as he was. The assistant coach when I was at Amherst College, he worked for Coach Hixson. So I’ve known Kobe and had a great relationship with him since I was 20 years old. So I just reached out to Kobe and said, Hey I would, I would think you’re still pretty involved back at Middlebury, but if you are I’m really interested in this, in this job, and you know if you know anybody or can put me in touch with anybody, that’d be great.

And your job is to get in the room and nail it and you try to use your network to, to give you that opportunity, right? Put you in the room when you, in front of the people you need to be in front of.

[00:07:44] Mike Klinzing: So let’s go from the informal of reaching out and making those calls and trying to get in contact with people in your network who had the connections.

Once you get to the formal part, where does the first call go from you to Middlebury? From Middlebury to you? Who are you talking to and what’s the job search? What’s the interview process look like from your end of it?

[00:08:05] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah. So most D three jobs are pretty similar in how the process goes down.  I think in division one it’s, it’s like an ad or a search firm has a name in mind.

They kind of make a call and 36 hours later somebody’s hired. Division three is really different. You go through a full process it takes some time. So the initial call we have, up there is with hr just double checking you’re interested and asking a few kind of standardized questions.

And then when you show let ’em know you’re still interested. Then you move into the zoom phase.  I think most D three jobs typically zoom 1215 candidates from their pool. And then from there they’re going to pick.  anywhere from two to five, I think to campus is pretty standard.

I think Middlebury ended up picking four and bringing us all up to campus and then those are pretty intense days.  they’re they start the, everyone’s different. But at Middlebury, we started the evening before with a dinner and then woke up immediately was kind of picked up by the associate athletic director for breakfast.

And we moved from there. So it started the night before, probably around six o’clock, probably six to eight, six to eight 30, and then the next morning was eight. And I think I got back to the hotel to meet up with my wife around five, probably pretty full day.

[00:09:25] Mike Klinzing: What were the questions that you wanted to ask them?

I think people always ask somebody who goes on an interview, what questions do they ask you? I always think it’s more interesting. What questions did you have for them as you went through the process?

[00:09:38] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, I think I. I think it’s important to go into jobs and obviously you want to interview and present your best self, but at the same time you want to make sure it’s a great fit for you.

So coming in ready to go with a really high level questions or whatever you’re not quite sure on, I think is, is really important.  for me some of those questions aligned around like I have three small one little ones. My wife and I are pretty settled in we’re pretty settled in at TC and J.

 like figuring out the resources and, and what the position’s going to look like was really important and making sure it was the right fit for the family and how that was all going to work. And this was a, this was a family decision not just a coach Goldsmith decision. So understanding those pieces was, was really important.

And my wife and I, we wanted to be at a place that. You know had a family environment  cared about connecting to the entire group, not just  kind of be in silos and do their own thing from program to program. So we were trying to get a vibe around that and that experience up at, at Middlebury and from the, from the jump the community and the connections and the warmth of the, of the department and the people up there really showed brightly, shined brightly for us.

And it became super appealing from the start.  some of the classic questions to get around in division three especially, I think there’s a ton of super elite. Basketball minds and basketball coaches and because of the level and the resources at the level not all of those coaches have the ability to be successful.

And it’s kind of not their own fault in a lot of ways.  their hands might be tied by certain, certain things within the department or the school or the way college athletics is moving these days. So I was trying to establish, I thought that. Those things were being done at a really high level at Middlebury.

But  when you’re up there and you’re, and you’re, you’re, you’re going through the process you ask those questions just to make sure that what you’re seeing from the outside is actually what’s happening from the inside. So  trying to sort out those resources and do you does, does the institution really care and want and want to do well?

And do they want to do so well that they don’t care about anything else, right? Like, there’s all these, there’s a balance to it. And I thought for me, Middlebury was a really, really special place because they win national titles in almost every sport. We want to do that and build on what Coach Brown has, has been able to accomplish at Middlebury and get, get the men’s basketball program there.

But at the same time they want to do it the right way and make sure we’re teaching young student athletes to be like great people, great citizens and great leaders down the line. So I was really excited about that balance that they sh that, that they were striking at the college.

[00:12:44] Mike Klinzing: When you say resources, what are exactly, are the things that you look at that in your mind are things that have to be in place in order for you to be able to have success? As you said, at the highest level, you may be able to have success within the confines of what your program can be because of those resources, but if you want to compete at the highest level and be able to compete for national championships, like what you’re talking about, what are one or two of the resources that you feel like, hey, this has to be in place in order for us to be able to.

Compete for national championships at the D three level?

[00:13:18] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, I, I think one of the biggest ones honestly is  assistant pool and what that looks like and who you can bring in the, the, the resources and amount and your a your, your assistant pool. Not only does it have an effect on the type of talent you can attract as your in your staff, but in the longevity of your group, right.

And when you can really provide  a good life to your assistance and, and your staff, not only can you, again, attract great people, but you can keep them around for a long time. And I think in division three, that’s a really big difference maker at TCNJ. Over the years we had elite assistants and whenever there were transitions within our program, like is normal across all levels of basketball, certain things go missing or get lost in the shuffle, or you’re reestablishing kind of a recruiting do’s and don’ts and what we’re looking for and things of that nature.

So some things occasionally dip, but having some longevity and connection from staff to staff or having the same guy for a significant period of time, I think makes a really big difference at our level. And Middlebury was able to provide that. And again, we’ve been really fortunate at at TCNJ that we, we were able to keep people around for a relatively long long time for what we were giving ’em, but.

They also understood that I was going to fight for them to get that next job and be able to  continue their growth in their career. So that, that was probably one of the bigger ones I was, I was looking for. In the search,

[00:15:04] Mike Klinzing: obviously you’re following a guy in Coach Brown that had a tremendous amount of success.

So in the process of interviewing, was there a discussion of, well, hey, the program has obviously been in a very good place for a very long time. They’re clearly wanting to continue that tradition. You’re clearly a different person than Coach Brown. Obviously we know everybody, coaches in their own style.

So was there a discussion of, hey, we’ve had success under this particular, again, the program’s been doing well under Coach Brown. How do we continue that and how is Matt Goldsmith going to bring something different? Yet continued to excel? Was that part of the discussion? Yeah,

[00:15:50] Matt Goldsmith: a hundred percent. I think  I went into it because of my knowledge of Middlebury as an institution and the league itself.

 I understood or valued from my end that continuation and ability to grow the program while also understanding the traditions and the connection that the alumni have already had. So that was high priority for me and would be high priority for me, whether Coach Brown was Coach Brown or not.

I think at a place like Middlebury, that’s really important and obviously with success. Comes great connection back to the program. So I want to make sure we can continue to build on that and and keep that moving forward rather than break those ties. And so that was we’ve been intentional with how we’ve tried to treat that since I I was hired and we will continue to be intentional, but obviously like filling a guy like Coach Brown’s shoes comes with a lot of pressure.

 it’s like a little nerve wracking everybody in the department’s winning national titles. Coach Brown has made Final Fours, elite Eights won a bunch of NESCAC titles. It’s like you almost get some of that imposter syndrome like, am I ready for this? Can I really handle it at this level?

And  I think we will be able to, I’m confident, we’ll we will be able to, but  the product on the court will let us know that sooner rather than later probably. How do you find out you got the job? Yeah. So  it’s so funny, but in the modern age I got hired at TCNJ 10 years ago.

This wasn’t a thing, but like Twitter is super active now. There’s like there’s guys out there like  trying to break news and this and that of every job search and especially even D three job searches. So for a while you’re just kind of trying to ignore it and stay disengaged.

But I think somebody on Twitter broke that somebody got the job before I had heard anything. And it ended up probably an hour later I got a phone call and I picked it up assuming I was not the guy to be honest. And and Aaron, our the athletic director at Middlebury, just, we, we had a little conversation at Star just catching up and then  said, Hey I want, I want you to  we think you, you, you’d be a great fit, and we want you to be the head coach of Middlebury College. And again, then your gears start turning. Just  the transition and your current guys and what that’s going to look like.

And I have to talk to my wife and the whole thing. But from the jump when I got that call, I was super excited about the opportunity because I did understand just how special a, a job and a place like Middlebury is and can be as we, as we move forward.

[00:18:46] Mike Klinzing: Tell me about the conversation with your wife.

Obviously you’ve been talking about it once the job comes open and you’re going through the process. Clearly, you guys have already talked about the possibility that it could happen, but when you officially get the job, obviously now there’s a lot of things going on. As you said, you got a young family, you’re going to have to uproot ’em and move and all the things that go along with that.

So what are the conversations like with your wife, sort of as this process is going on, and then eventually when you decide, Hey, I’m going to take the job. What are you guys talking about? What are you trying to figure out in those, in those days, right after you said yes and accepted the position.

[00:19:20] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, for sure.

I think  the, one of the, again, one, one of the things that I, we found super special about Middlebury and we’re, we’re extremely excited about was during the process  when we, when we went up there for the on-campus interview I, my wife came with me, right? And again, I think when I got T-C-N-J-I was 29 years old.

We weren’t married yet. We had no kids. I would’ve went down there. Taking the job for $5.  like I didn’t care about any of that stuff. I was so excited to be a head coach. And as my career has continued and my family has grown a lot of your priorities start.  you’re thinking about different things when you’re looking at stuff like this.

So immediately it was like, Hey, we’re going to move. Like, is this the right time for the kids switching schools? Things of that nature. Like, we have to find a new house.  like the housing market has changed significantly, right.  like, what are, what, what, what would my wife Laura do while we were up there?

Like, how would we approach that?  how, what like all the logistics of life start getting involved in the conversation, you know? And again, we were lucky that we’re in a place our, our oldest, our twins, they’re five years old, they’re about to start kindergarten. So it was really a good time for the family to, to, to make an adjustment.

And if we were going to move, it was a, it was a good time to move. And I have a one of my mentors Sean Ford, who’s the director of operations for USA basketball. He has twins too. And we would always talk and when some of these jobs would come up one of the, some of the elite jobs in Division iii, like Middlebury  Sean would always say.

You want to find a place you can be at for 10 to 15 years at the least when your kids are around five or six. ’cause that’s when they start first grade. And ideally, if you can get ’em into a school system and through high school as a basketball coach, like you’re one of the lucky ones, right? If this doesn’t happen very often.

So funny enough, they’re five years old, they’re about to start kindergarten and  the opportunity came knocking. So again, after we talked through all the logistics and, and figured out those pieces, it was kind of like one of those, one of those jobs that was just a really great fit for, for us and our family.

And and I think  it’s going to be a special place to work.

[00:21:42] Mike Klinzing: So. I’m going to guess here that the next two priorities, after you kind of get your wife on board and the family and you sort of figure out that stuff, now you have to start thinking some basketball. So two priorities I’m guessing, are we have to figure out what the recruiting piece looks like, talk the returning guys, figure out what the team’s going to look like.

And then the second part is obviously you talked about earlier how important it’s from a staff standpoint to get a good assistant or assistance on board. So tell me about those two things. The, the next class of guys and talking to the guys from the returning that are returning on the roster. ’cause clearly they get nervous, right?

You bring in a new coach and coach, suddenly the opinions of the old coach go out the window. So guys tend to maybe have a little anxiety around that. And then getting a, getting a staff together. So talk to me a little bit about those two things. Just the roster construction and the, the, the construction of your staff.

[00:22:37] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, for sure. I think with Coach Brown retiring and when the announcement happened  a lot of those returning guys had a lot  a long runway to think about what they wanted to do. And in the current era with transfer portal and things of that nature, like a lot of those guys could’ve been off and elsewhere and we could be carrying a, a 10 man roster before you know it.

So I wanted to quickly connect with all the returning players to make sure they were comfortable and we could start building our relationship as we move forward. So right off the bat. Current guys were, first and foremost for, for phone calls and  having a team Zoom and things like that.

They were, when the announcement happened, I they were actually in finals, so it was a little tricky.  obviously Middlebury an elite academic institution, so you’re not, you’re not pulling guys out of finals to, I have a basketball meeting very often. So once finals ended, we had a team Zoom, but as they were occurring I was going back and forth on the phone with, with all the guys and had individual phone calls with each, each guy  just to catch up, get to know each other, and make sure we were all on the same page.

So we had a few guys in the transfer portal the majority of them all came back. The roster stayed relatively intact. And then from there I was reaching out to our incoming recruits. There were five guys committed. Again, we were able to retain all five. And I think that’s one of the.

Special pieces about working at a place like Middlebury is your guys are coming there. One A is usually academics, one B is usually basketball. And so they’re making that choice for  the next 40 years of their net, their lot their lives, not necessarily the four years of playing basketball for you.

So we were able to retain everybody and bring everybody back. And then very quickly from there, the focus became who’s going to be my lead assistant. Coach Brown had Sam Rubenstein Rubenstein, who had been there for quite some time. I think he’s going into his third year now. And he kind of knew the ins and outs of the institution.

He had a great list already.  we met a few times. We talked on the phone a few times. We got together at the end of the day in college basketball on any level, you know. Obviously you need a certain amount of urgency and feel for the game and all that good stuff.

But really your staff, you’re hanging out with this person for 12 hours a day, for six months, right? You just have to be able to make sure you have a good vibe together and you can be around each other and it’s enjoyable. And when that happens, usually staffs can, can, can fire on all cylinders.

So Sam was great. He came down, he kind of got the test early he stayed in our guest room down, down in pa outside of, of New Jersey. And my kids woke him up at like 6:00 AM the next day and he was rocking and ready to go from there. So we retained Sam and he’s done a great job of.

Getting me up to speed on Middlebury and the processes there. And he had a really good list together already. So we’ve kind of meshed our minds together where he had some names and some lists together, and then I kind of showed him what we want to look for in our, in our recruits and some of the things that I really value.

And I thought we hit the ground running really well this, this summer and this spring. And are in a good, good space for our 2026 class. And what’s incoming from there?

[00:26:02] Mike Klinzing: Returning guys, what kind of questions do they have for you when they’re getting to know you? Obviously you’re trying to get to know them, but they’re also trying to get a feel for you.

What were some things that they wanted to know from you or about you during those conversations?

[00:26:15] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, for sure. I think like style of play, you know. How many like, what’s your, how many guys do you typically play? Like, what does a practice look like?  what, what are the things you value on the basketball for pretty sim simple things, but obviously have a big effect.

 like, I’m not going to play the exact same way Coach Brown played, right? So maybe some of the players that were high minute getters or  foresaw a lot of minutes down the line, their skillsets don’t align quite as well with what we how we play at the end of the day.

Sam and I are going to try to put the best players on the floor and adjust our style to that. And over time while as we get more and more recruits in, we’ll be able to kind of morph into exactly what I’d ideally like to play. But we’re going to try to put the best product on the floor and in basketball you need to get your best players out there.

So if it’s two posts, if it’s two, two point guards, I don’t know, we’ll see. I still need, I haven’t funny enough in Division iii, like I have never seen these guys play in person. I’ve only been able to see film, so we’ll know a lot more in the fall when we get into those first few practices.

How much film have you watched of your team? Yeah, I think during the process, obviously I got on Synergy to watch some games. And then once I got hired I was, I was trying to pick through, not only watching  our team, but. Watching the conference and, and some of the elite teams that, that were playing in it, their style what are some things we need to be ready for or  how can we be a little different?

Or what can we bring to the table that’s going to give us some marginal gains or advantages in certain areas of the game? So yeah, the big thing was first watching Middlebury. And then from there was just kind of picking on some, some of the better games within the league and kind of how everybody else plays as well.

I’ve, I’ve obviously like, stayed kind of close to it and paid attention to it, just ’cause my experience at Amherst and my history there. So I’ve always on a Friday night, if nothing’s going on, I’ll throw on a game. So I’ve kind of stayed aware of it, but it’s a, it’s one thing to watch it not worrying and then a whole nother thing when you’re trying to win some games in the league, obviously.

[00:28:40] Mike Klinzing: Coaches, you’ve got a game plan for your team, but do you have one for your money? That’s where Wealth For Coaches comes in. Each week, we’ll deliver Simple, no fluff financial tips made just for coaches. Whether you’re getting paid for camps, training sessions, or a full season, wealth for Coaches helps you track it, save it, and grow it.

It’s time to stop guessing and start building. Subscribe now at Wealth. For coaches.beehive.com/subscribe and follow us on Twitter at Wealth for coaches for daily money wins. Your money needs a coach. Start with Wealth For coaches,

what are some things that you have to concern yourself with across the league? What, you don’t have to get into specific teams or things, but what? What are some things that you feel like you guys are going to need to do well in order to be able to compete at a high level in the league right away?

[00:29:35] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, for sure.

I think if you look at it  the nescac the size within the NESCAC is, is pretty elite in terms of within the division three landscape. So  you can’t teach height, right? We all say it, we all know it in basketball size matters. And then the other piece to it is if you looked at the two teams who were kind of in the front of the league throughout the year last year, Trinity and Wesleyan, they both made the final four last year with Trinity and eventually winning the national title.

 both those teams are pretty elite defensively. I think Tufts had a really good year defensively. They were in the three hole. All three are super well coached. But if you can’t guard. You’re going to have some problems within the league.  I think maybe back when I was playing or even as an assistant coach, it was more just kind of who can score the most almost at the time, the style of play.

And I think the biggest thing that’s changed is teams are really digging in their heels and every bucket is, is a tough bucket, especially later in the season. So  understanding that and seeing how a lot of the teams play and again, just kind of trying to strategically select some actions that I think would be good for us and style play that can, that can counter some of those elite half court defenses.

[00:30:51] Mike Klinzing: Alright. Let’s flip to the other side of the ball. What do you think that you have to do defensively? In an ideal world, what does a Matt Goldsmith team look like defensively? Clearly, again, you’re inheriting a roster for the most part that. You didn’t recruit to fit the exact style, like you said earlier, that you want to play.

So it’s going to be a, a process to get there, but as you look at what you’re going to need to do to compete defensively with the better offensive teams in the league, what are some things that you’re going to have to do really well on the defensive end of the floor?

[00:31:21] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah. Yeah. It’s, it sounds so simple and so goofy.

I truly believe you can play in any, you can play pac, you can play no middle. You can play hardhead, you can play blitz, you can play drop ball, screen coverage, like I, I think you can play anyway. At the end of the day, you have to contest shots, right? You have to limit. Rim attempts and you have to clear the glass.

I, and I think whatever our style is, those are three things we’re going to take a lot of pride in. We have to contest shots, we have to limit the rim, right? So that includes in the half as well as obviously out in transition. And then you have to clear the glass because if, if you’re giving up a ton of O boards, you really got no chance.

So we’re going to make sure we do those things. How we get there is going to be up in the air a little bit.  I have some things I like doing at TCNJ and and enjoyed over the last few years especially. But again, I have to have to see how we move and what we can do.  the big thing for me is.

A lot of your defensive principles are going to stem directly from your, your, your post and how they can guard what their foot speed looks like. Because once you figure out the best place you can put your, your post in terms of ball screen coverage, a lot of your other principles will just fall into place.

Right. And what we’re trying to take away and how we’re trying to guard. So once we can figure that out, and the more, the more film I watch and  see how the, our health is on in the middle of October I think we’ll really be able to establish  the exact principles of play.

But we’re going to contest everything. We’re going to really protect the rim and we’re going to make sure we’re clearing the glass on every possession

[00:33:04] Mike Klinzing: from a defensive standpoint. Is there an analytics metric that you like to look at that you feel like in the past has sort of been a pretty good indicator for what you guys are doing defensively?

[00:33:17] Matt Goldsmith: For sure. I think we really take pride in contest rate and we have it at TCNJ. And so post-game, when we re rewatch the film we’re going to watch it for specific things obviously, but I’m always going to have one assistant track our contests. So  on every field goal was did we have a high hand did we, did we contest?

Did we late contest? How many open layups did we give? And we’re going to get a percentage according to what we saw from the game, and we’re going to try to meet a certain area with those contests. When we, at TC and J, we found that when we had on every fuel goal temp, so even if you like if you give up a.

A live ball steel, and it’s an open layup that that counts as an uncontested layup, obviously. So we’re not just like skipping over those things. And when we, when we got over 70% in terms of like having a hand in the face, high hand on the catch, not chasing it on the shot our defense was pretty elite.

So that’s typically a number where we’re trying to look at in terms of a, a, a, a super efficient contest rate.

[00:34:29] Mike Klinzing: What about on the other side of the ball offensively? What do you like to look at there?

[00:34:35] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, for sure. So offensively honestly we would look at a few things, but eventually at TCNJ similar to the contest rate we were tracking throw aheads.

How many throw aheads in a game we had and how many sides the ball got to within the offense. And again, when we got to certain numbers every half we typically put up a pretty big number on the scoreboard. So throw aheads sides changed. And then actually another one that’s a little bit different that I just remembered that we love to track is we, we look at assists, but we also look at potential assists.

So like if I get downhill and I snap a strike to you in the corner and you miss the shot we’re going to, we’re going to mark that as a potential assist. And so when our assist, plus our potential assist percentage is high on our field goal, 10 percentage, again, we’re usually putting up a good number.

So we don’t want to, only award guys because their teammate hit the shot in the corner. We also want to track when they made the right decision through the right pass. And it didn’t work out in terms of the scoreboard, right? So when we were having a pretty good percentage on that piece too, comparative to our total field goals attempted those were two categories.

When we had high throw heads and good assist percentages including virtual assist or potential assist, that was when we again would put up 45, 50 points and a half and really got cruising from there.

[00:36:07] Mike Klinzing: Yeah, those are both things that are process oriented, right? When you start talking about making the right pass, but you don’t always get the result that you want.

’cause the shot just doesn’t go in. And then I think throw aheads, that’s an interesting one to be tracking because I think to the coaches, the teams that I’ve, that I’ve coached, the teams that I’ve coached against. And even thinking back a long time ago to when I played, I think the ability for somebody not to pound the ball on the back court, but to look ahead and to get the ball down the floor, it seems like it would be a simple skill, right?

I get the ball, I look up and I just kick it ahead. It it like, I’m, It boggles my mind sometimes that guys don’t do that. And yet you and I both know that it’s a lot harder skill to teach or to grasp or to understand or execute than what it should be. So when you’re talking about that with your team, is it just as simple as making that a point of emphasis every day in terms of when you guys are going up and down the floor, making sure that guys are kicking it ahead and that you’re showing them when they do it on film, when they don’t do it on film?

Is it just as simple as that, as sort of making it a point of emphasis?

[00:37:18] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, so I think you need to hit it from all. Directions. So obviously a point of emphasis and when you see it on the film clipping it out and making sure you show it to the group I think you can also, again, like you were saying with the process oriented stuff we’re going to track it in the games, right?

So we’re going to, we’re going to emphasize it with film, we’re going to track it with emphasis, and then we’re going to create games within practice that encourages it. So one of the areas one of our favorite drills we did, especially last year, we would adjust our shock clock from 30 to 15. And then I would put, I would count down three seconds from the ball getting in our hands, whether that was off a rebound or, or through the net.

And you had to get it over half court within three seconds, or it was a a turnover or half court violation a back court violation. So the combination of the shortened shot clock, in addition to the quick back court really created we were throwing ahead plenty, but we also had a guard who was super high level.

He didn’t throw it ahead that much, but he was a jet, so sometimes he would catch it, he’d be over in a, in that second half, right? So in both ways, you’re getting done exactly what you want to do, which is initiate the offense with speed, put the defense on their heels a little bit, and try to get to an action within five seconds of, of acquiring the ball, whether it’s off a miss or make.

So we emphasized it with film, with, with conversation. We tracked it and then we tried to  create. Opportunities to successfully do it within practice. And on the other end of that you’re doing this drill that’s three seconds in the back court or it’s a turnover, and now defensively you’re actually doing a really good job of slowing the team down.

And so the, the byproduct of some of those drills was actually that our, our transition defense was super high level. So it, it was created to get us going and moving with pace, but it ended up helping us out on on both sides of the ball.

[00:39:23] Mike Klinzing: Yeah, for sure. Right. The best drills, even though it might have an offensive focus, there’s clearly some defensive value and then vice versa.

I think when you can design your practices where you’re getting the most out of everything, and guys, whether you’re on offense or defense in the drill, you’re still learning the concepts that are part of what makes your team successful, then you’re designing a practice in the right way to get the most out of every minute that you have on the floor.

With your guys, where are you in terms of. Putting together, I don’t know if you think of the year as a curriculum or a process of, Hey, this is what we want to get in, and it’s not like when somebody gets a division one job in May where you’ve got the entire summer to work with your guys to put things in so that when you hit the ground in the fall, you’ve already got a lot of your stuff established.

So how have you thought about, clearly in the past when you’re returning at TCNJ you have a rhythm of, Hey, I know what guys have coming back. We’ve already gone through, they know how I run things. We, we know what we have to get in and when we have to get it in. How have you thought through that process, taking over a new job at Middlebury where you don’t know exactly how it’s going to go?

How has that affected your planning for what you’re going to do in the fall and then on into preseason practice?

[00:40:43] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, I think the biggest thing it’s done is. I think every coach comes in every off season. You, you almost think like you have to add something, right? You have to add a, an action or a defensive principle or whatever it is, because  there’s a new trendy one or you saw a clinic or whatever it might be.

And I think going into a running  a program that I haven’t been a part of yet and having a shortened time period to, to get everything in. I think I know the, the style of play and I know the actions I really enjoy, but at the end of the day, I really have to select two to three of them.

And kind of go all in on those for the first three weeks or so. And I have to make sure they’re ones that are  variable in their nature and can counter multiple styles of defense and still be effective. And then the same thing on the defensive end. I’m a big, like, rule of three person. I think, you know as, as the program builds and I’m here longer, I think you can add to that.

But for this year it’s going to be like, what are the three things that are absolutely non-negotiable defensively that we want to be great at? What are the three actions we want to be really, really good at offensively and kind of make sure that we’re wasting no time within practice and we’re focusing in on those areas.

Right. And I’ve always felt like 80% of the game is transitions ball screen. Or handoff offense and defense. And then like, can you make shots at and close out to take away shots? Right? So like the 80% of our practices will probably be around those three areas especially early on to make sure that we can, you know be great in those spots.

And then as we move forward, we’re going to get into more specific like situations or scenarios or styles that we, we can do and kind of build on it from there.

[00:42:45] Mike Klinzing: I dunno what you’ve done in the past with your eight days, but I’m assuming your eight days you’re going to use ’em all this fall before, before formal practice starts, regardless of how you may have used them in the past.

I’m guessing all eight are going to come before before practice starts.

[00:42:59] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah. So Mike, it’s actually super I wish that nsca does not allow basketball teams to use eight days. So don’t get any. We are we’re. Don’t get any, so, wow. It’s just I didn’t realize that. A wide rule. Yeah. It’s honestly, I kind of didn’t even realize it until I talked about it with my assistant at one point.

Like, how have you guys been using your eight days? He’s like, we don’t get them. So yeah, it’s it’s devastating ’cause I just want like you, you get a job, you just want to get in the gym it’s going to be months since I get it to when I can actually be in the gym. You just want to be in the gym and obviously try to take advantage of those eight days.

But yeah, we’re going to be we’re going to be sitting tight trying to sort it out and hope, hoping for the best, hoping our leadership is really good. Our pickup games are good. So it’ll be interesting. Do

[00:43:44] Mike Klinzing: you know who your leaders are in terms of putting together pickup games? Do you know who those guys are yet?

[00:43:49] Matt Goldsmith: We haven’t necessarily selected captains or anything yet.  normally in a normal year I’ll do that in the spring so that the whole off season we have a leadership group, but we’ll do it probably closer to the season this year just so we can get a, a little bit more of a vibe on each guy.

But there is one player returning who was a captain last year who’s going to be a senior Evan Flax. And I’m going to assume that Evan will probably take the lead in that way. But I think the other, the other seniors will step up as well. And  obviously with the new coach, I think everyone typically wants to put their best foot forward.

So I’m hoping and expecting like more leadership versus less again, to kind of get off to a, to a really good start. But yeah, we’ll see what happens.

[00:44:37] Mike Klinzing: As you’re talking to your guys about what they’re doing over the summer, where are guys. Finding games? Are they playing pickup? Are they working out by themselves?

Just kind of what, when you’re getting a feel for what your guys are doing, where are they, what are they doing? Just in, in general? Obviously you’re not going to go in there specific guys, but just what are they doing to, to, to, to make themselves better over the summer in the conversations that you’re having with them?

[00:45:03] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, for sure. I think it varies a little bit by guy, but most of them I think all of them are, you know getting in the weight room. I think gaining strength and making sure their body is in a really good spot, come back coming back in the fall is, is is paramount from there it varies a little bit with like access to good runs I think one of the things we were able to help them out with pretty early on is just.

The network that Sam and I have and the people we know and reaching out to the guys and saying, Hey, if, if you’re not sure where you can play or you need to run, or  you, you want to be connected to other college players or, or former pros or whatever it might look like reach out to us because we might know somebody in Charlotte, we might know somebody in Baltimore.

We, we definitely know people in New York. I know people in Jersey outside of Boston a lot of our guys have internships in, in some of the bigger cities, especially Boston and New York. So we know the good runs out there. We know good leagues. We can get you, we can help connect you to people to get into  on a good team and play really competitive high level basketball over the summer.

And I think you need that mix.  you don’t need to be in 10 leagues. But I do think getting in the weight room three, four times a week and then having one or two like competitive. Summer games a week is super beneficial. And then you can sprinkle in your skill work or whatever it might look like from there.

Some guys they’re in maybe more rural areas or don’t have access to a good game, but they’re going to work a lot on their skills and and their bodies.  I think all of it can help, but in an ideal world, it’s going to be a lot of weight room and and just some good high quality, competitive men’s leagues.

[00:46:49] Mike Klinzing: Yeah, it’s, it’s tough, man. It’s a challenge. My son’s going to be a sophomore at Ohio Wesleyan and trying to find good quality pickup games. To be able to play and supplement what he’s doing in the weight room and when he is working by himself.  it’s tough. It’s hard to find, it’s hard to find good games.

At least find him on a consistent level. And like he put together a whole list of not just guys from Ohio Wesleyan, but just guys that play here in the Cleveland area and just trying to pick a time and a day when day and find a gym where everybody can show up and be there at the same time and whatever.

It’s, it’s definitely, it’s definitely a challenge. It’s not, I always, I’m, I always tell ’em, I’m like, man, back when I was playing, you just go and you could find a park or find a gym and everybody, everybody was playing pickup. You could actually find good games. Now you go anywhere you try to find a good game with, for good high school or good college players, it’s, man, it’s almost impossible to find a pickup game that hasn’t been like pre-organized.

Like your, your ability to just show up at a court somewhere and have a good pickup game. It’s I don’t know, man. I, I’d have a hard, I’d have a hard time in today’s basketball world. I, when I think about just how easy it was for me to find, for me to find games back in the day, I always tell my son, I’m like, man, you, I didn’t know how good I had it back in the day.

Totally. A different, totally a different a different world. What’s been the most surprising thing about being at Middlebury? Is there anything that, I dunno if caught you off guard positively, I don’t want to say negatively, but just a, a surprise, something that maybe you didn’t realize from the outside.

[00:48:24] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, for sure. I think, you know being in the league and at a rival institution, you, you think you know everything about a place. Just from seeing it from afar. But I think until you’re inside of it, you don’t really understand it. And I’ve been going into the job and talking to people and you know.

Having conversations with people connected to the program and alumni everyone talks about the community, the community, the community. And  I’m sitting there thinking like, is it that special? Like what are we even talk the community, what are we, what are we talking about?

And  now being in it it is super special. And again, I don’t think I really appreciated that from the outside and now being inside it and understanding the care that. Not only Middlebury the college, the alums and the program and the athletic department has for men’s basketball, but  the Vermont as a state and the, and and Middlebury as a town and the surrounding communities and the amount of people who really care about the program and, and how we’re doing and making sure we’re bringing in the right people and really good kids is is on another level than I’ve seen or I’ve experienced.

So that piece has been really exciting. And I think it comes with a ton of advantages and it comes with  an eye on you too. So you have to, you have to do things the right way. And  it’s going to be a different level of, of pressure than I had at TCNJ and there’s going to be more eyes on us.

But again, I’m, I’m excited for that challenge. More so than than scared or anxious about it.

[00:49:59] Mike Klinzing: Had a conversation with Coach Brown since you’ve had the

[00:50:01] Matt Goldsmith: job. Yeah, for sure. I think  obviously when we were going through the process  during the day up there I was able to sit down with Coach Brown during the interview process, which was, was, was really valuable and super appreciated.

And then as soon as I got the job  we had a conversation on the phone and then the day he retired I made sure we, we got in touch a little bit there as well. So we’ve been, we’ve been talking and again, having Sam, you know as a continuation from him to me has been super beneficial and kind of understanding the program and the people within the program as well.

So yeah, you just try to, you try to stay, connect the people. Makeup programs. And so being able to stay connected to the people who built it and care about it and  put so much time into it, I think is really important. So that was a priority and we, we tried to be intentional with how we behaved around it and making sure Coach Brown feels welcome.

 it’s like the next year is going to be his first year, not in the gym  in 30 year, 40 years so, he’s always welcome. He knows that, but I’ll say it here too, so that every everybody knows it, but he can come to the gym anytime he wants. The door’s always open.

He’s such a humble guy that I bet he, unless I invite him, he won’t show up, you know because he, he probably doesn’t want to like overstep or anything. But I’d love for him to be around and stay around and have a, a guy to continue to pick his brain about certain things and what worked and how he got it rolling and how it kept it rolling and and making all those NCA tournaments.

So yeah, just trying to build a relationship with him and show the proper amount of respect towards him and and value everything he kind of put into the program.

[00:51:49] Mike Klinzing: What advice would you have for a coach who takes another job? Obviously, you have to leave behind the program where you were before, and for you, you built a tremendous amount of success at TCNJ.

You were there for a while, what advice would you have for a coach in terms of just that, the final talk that you have to have with your guys, with the people that are there at your previous school as you, as you walk out the door, what obviously was difficult to do and clearly those conversations are never fun, but what advice would you have for somebody who’s in that position?

What did you do well, what would you maybe do, I dunno differently, but just how did you handle that part of it?

[00:52:32] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, yeah. It’s the hardest part by far especially putting in 10 years at TCNJ and we were returning a lot for next year and we had a good year last year and I think we were going to do an have another great year next year and  the care you have for the guys ’em from junior year in high school or whatever, and you just build these relationships and you don’t expect something like this to happen.

 I think number one is. You just have to eat, eat. You just have to eat the frog as they say. Like just you have to go in there and just kind of rip the bandaid off and get it out in the open. Be super transparent, super honest. Hey, you know. This opportunity was something that for my family and I it would’ve been silly not to look at and ended up working out and making sense for us.

And it was never the plan necessarily, but  we always talk about family within the program, right? And if, if they’re putting their family in front of the program I gladly support that they should be. And that was kind of where this decision came from, is putting my kids and my wife and first and foremost in our lives.

So, getting in front of that early and then don’t assume I think this is really harder said that harder to do than to say, or whatever that phrase is. But don’t assume the reaction of your guys or oh man, I bet he’s going to storm out and be. Mad at me. I bet he’s going to curse me out.

 he’s going to talk trash beyond whatever. Just go in there and be honest and straight up about it and see how it goes.  like our guys were awesome about it.  they were really happy for me and my family and congratulated me. And  again, we’re just like so genuine about it and I think we deliberately recruited like great people who are also great basketball players.

So I think that helped. But just don’t put, don’t put, don’t assume you know what their emotional reaction’s going to be.  just go for it. Do it, you know. Kids are smart these days. They know how it works. And and see what happens. And when you’re honest and transparent in that way, I think you’re going to give yourself the best chance at like, maintaining those relationships.

 like I, like I told those guys, everybody who’s at TCNJ will always be my guys and I’ll always pick up the phone and I’ll always give them advice if they need it, or give them an ear if they just want to talk. But you know if you don’t handle that conversation well or you try to beat around the bush or whatever, you shy away from it.

I think sometimes that can  stain the relationship when you had a great one for so long, right? So you just have to rip the bandaid and go for it and and we’ll see what happens from there.

[00:55:18] Mike Klinzing: Honest truth, right? And I think coaches learn that over time that you can’t, as you said, you can’t beat around the bush, you can’t dance around it.

You just have to come right out and say. It is that you think, whether it’s in the case here of taking another job or when you’re talking and having a difficult conversation with a player, when you try to fudge it and you try to soften it and you try to make it something that it’s not ultimately end up, I think making things a lot worse than you make ’em better.

And people, whether they admit it in the moment, I think they appreciate hearing the truth and hearing what somebody’s true thoughts and opinions are. Somebody, what, what they’re going to do as opposed to, Hey, let’s dance around this. And it does. It doesn’t work. That doesn’t work. And I think sometimes coaches early in their career figure you have a hard time sometimes having those difficult conversations.

And I think we all get better at those. Over time, they’re still never fun. They’re never easy, but you learn how to better handle ’em. I think you did a good job of articulating what that felt like for you to go and stand in front of a room of guys who clearly you were connected to and you care about, and that you want to continue to be able to have those relationships with them for forever.

And that’s never easy to have that, that type of conversation. But I think you did a good job of articulating how that went for you and how somebody else could, could handle it. As you look at this season, mm-hmm. When you get to the end of it, how are you going to define a successful season for you at Middlebury in this first year?

[00:56:47] Matt Goldsmith: For sure. I think it’s easier said than done, but again, I think you can tell from some of the things we’ve talked about so far of just  putting together, putting, putting in place the, the right processes and trying to make sure you’re emphasizing the right thing. So we’re going to look for growth improvement in the areas we’re emphasizing at the end of the day.

If we’re emphasizing the right things and doing the right things as a staff, that should lead to better basketball. Will that lead to more wins? I’m not sure because our, our league is so good. The coaching is so good, the talent is so high. But  are we improving and kind of setting the groundwork and the framework for how we want to behave, how we want to act on a day-to-day basis, the culture we’re looking for how we react to each other in the tough times, if we’re doing that the right way I’ll be pretty excited.

Obviously I wa I’m as competitive as they come. I want to win a lot of games, but if we’re showing improvement and we’re getting better, we’re at our best in, in February and March. I think that’s, that’s going to, that’s going to tell me that we had a really successful season. And were we able to stand up for what we believe in, in those tough moments or in those tough conversations.

So that’s the challenge. You just have to remind yourself of, of those things, like what you really care about and what you value, and put ’em on a sticker right in front of your, your, your face in your office every day to make sure you’re reminding yourself. But that, that’s what we’re looking for improvement from day one to, to, to the final day of the season in the areas we’re emphasizing.

Because if we’re not, obviously we’re doing something wrong, either we’re not emphasizing it the right way or teaching it the right way or, or whatever that looks like,

[00:58:28] Mike Klinzing: what’s going to be the hardest part of getting to that success? What’s going to be the most, the most challenging part of that?

[00:58:35] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, for sure.

I just think for me, and I think for everybody in this business, I. Not allowing a poor performance or a, a couple game skid or whatever. It might look like a bad weekend, right? We play Friday, Saturday in the nescac. Like, if you play poorly for 36 hours, you’re ING two. It’s and it’s only 36 hours of the season.

It’s like, how, how can you not allow that to affect your mood on Monday when practice starts or  your approach to the next game, right? And are you going to be able to stick to your guns in those moments? I think that’s the big thing because I, I think we have the the talent and the, the people in place to, to be really good next year.

But again, until you go through it, you’re not quite sure.  I haven’t been in the league in a while I haven’t seen those teams in a while. Again, so  I believe in the group we have coming back, but. Are we going to be able to stay steady in those moments where maybe it’s not going well because it’s not going to go well at some point.

And  over the last five years, we’ve won 20 games. Three out of those five years made three NCA tournament at TCNJ. Like if it’s not going well, am I going to be wearing that on my face every time I walk into the gym? Am I going to have bad body language?  I think I won’t, but I’m competitive so we’ll see when it, when it happens.

Right? That’s the challenge is kind of, kind of rise up to that occasion and be who you are no matter how the, the result goes on on Saturday.

[01:00:10] Mike Klinzing: Alright, final question. What are you most excited about? What’s the one thing that you haven’t gotten a chance to do yet that you’re most excited about being the head men’s basketball coach at Middlebury?  What are you most excited about?

[01:00:27] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah. It’s a great question. I think, kind of, it sounds a little weird, but within the department obviously at TC and J we had some legendary coaches, but within the department up there, there’s just a lot of like national championship winning coaches. So being able to just like, be at lunch and listen and ask questions and go watch other practices and this and that.

And then again I’d say one B to that answer is to be able to experience that community and that alumni group and the love they have for the program in person.  like that first homecoming, that first big alumni day when guys come back and and come back to a practice and those moments where the people who have kind of built the program, like come back and you get to know ’em a little better.

I think those are really cool. I’m super excited about that. I know. I feel confident we’re going to be successful up there. And I think having those guys behind us and getting that relationship right is going to be one of the main drivers of that success. So I’m really excited to be in those moments and kind of embrace those guys and get to know them and be around ’em and hear the stories that make up the program and the history of it all.

And hopefully form our own history as, as we move forward.

[01:01:41] Mike Klinzing: Well, I can feel your excitement and clearly new opportunity, new place, someplace that you’re familiar with, where, as you said, you’re going to have a great chance to be able to, to be able to win at a very high level. So wish you nothing but the best before we get out.

Share how people can find out more about you reaching, reach out, social media, email, website, whatever you feel comfortable with. And after you do that, I’ll jump back in and wrap things up.

[01:02:09] Matt Goldsmith: Yeah, for sure.  Instagram and Twitter @CoachMGoldsmith @midmbball for the team accounts.

Obviously you can go on the Middlebury athletics page and find me and my assistant  mbb@middlebury.edu goes to boast of both of us, so it’s a nice, easy way to get in touch. But we’re available open door policy. We love talking hoop and hearing from people, so reach out if you have any questions or just want to talk shop or whatever it might look like.

But we’re around and it’s been a, it’s been a pleasure, Mike. I love your podcast. I love listening to your guests and always learn something and take something away from, from every week. So appreciate what you do for the game.

[01:02:51] Mike Klinzing: Thanks for the kind words, Matt. Really appreciate it. Cannot thank you enough for taking the time out of your schedule tonight to join us.

Wish you nothing but the best in your new job there at Middlebury. We’ll be keeping an eye on it. And to everyone out there, thanks for listening and we will catch you on our next episode. Thanks.

Your first impression is everything when applying for a new coaching job. A professional coaching portfolio is the tool that highlights your coaching achievements and philosophies, and most of all helps separate you and your abilities from the other applicants. The Coaching Portfolio Guide is an instructional membership based website that helps you develop a personalized portfolio.

Each section of the portfolio guide provides detailed instructions on how to organize your portfolio in a professional manner. The guide also provides sample documents for each section of your portfolio that you can copy, modify, and add to your personal portfolio. As a Hoop Heads Pod listener, you can get your coaching portfolio guide for just $25.

Visit coaching portfolio guide.com/hoopheads to learn more.

[01:03:59] Narrator: Thanks for listening to the Hoop Heads Podcast presented by Head Start Basketball.