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Philip Mathews
"I'm very intense. My players will play hard. We'll play defense. We'll play tough in the fullcourt and the halfcourt. A team should be a reflection of its coach. I go to work and work hard every day. I expect my players to do the same." Those were the words of USF head coach Philip Mathews as he accepted his appointment on July 11, 1995. For three years, Mathews promised his players the hard work would pay off and it did in 1998 as the Dons captured the West Coast Conference Tournament and NCAA tournament berth, the school's first since resuming basketball in 1985-86. Even early in his tenure at the Hilltop, Mathews lived up to his statements as he took a team that was 10-19 the year before his arrival and fashioned two consecutive winning seasons. The Dons' defensive intensity was the key to the turnaround. In one year USF went from being the worst defensive team in the league to the stingiest in points allowed. 1997 saw the Dons come within minutes of the WCC championship and a NCAA berth, as the Dons lost a heartbreaker in the WCC championship game. Without the many injuries suffered by the team, the result might have been different. The 1997-98 season was the year for the Dons to break through after two successful recruiting classes that had made them the preseason favorite. After making adjustments for injuries and illness, the team finally had the depth, athletic ability and talent to play the intense pressure game that Mathews prefers. The result was a West Coast Conference Tournament title. And while the 1998-99 team slumped to 12-18 after an injury-plagued season with young talent, USF quickly bounced back to win 19 games entering the 2000 league tournament. Prior to his arrival at USF, the 47-year-old Mathews won ten Western States Conference titles in ten seasons at Ventura College. His 1994-95 team won the California State Championship and was ranked second in the nation with a 37-1 record. The season after Mathews' departure, the team repeated as California state champions and was ranked #2 in the USA. Ventura had not won a league crown for 17 seasons before his arrival. The 1972 graduate of UC Irvine recorded a 298-56 mark over ten years with the Pirates. His teams won 30 or more games six times, including the last five years in a row when Ventura recorded a 173-16 (.915) mark. As much as athletic success means to the highly-motivated Mathews, he has shown in the past that he expects from his players the same work ethic in the classroom as he gets from them on the court. "If you don't go to class and work hard, you're not going to play basketball at USF," he proclaims. At Ventura he backed it up by removing from his team stars as well as benchwarmers who didn't meet his academic standards. "Of the 67 athletes who went through the program at Ventura in my stay," said Mathews, "sixty-three received Associate Degrees and moved on to four-year institutions." "My belief is that the development of the total person is important," he continued. "We will strive to help our players develop academically, emotionally and mentally, as well as athletically. We will demand 100% effort from our players on the court and in the classroom. Academic success is a high priority. We will be committed to seeing that our players receive a quality education." "The University community, our Alumni, former players and the entire Bay Area have had a great response to Phil," said USF Executive Director of Athletics Bill Hogan. "He has his teams playing hard and believing in themselves. Phil had four straight great recruiting years and we are proud of the job he has done with the program," he added. USF extended Mathews' contract through the 2002-2003 season. Mathews, who was also Athletics Coordinator at Ventura, previously was an assistant coach at UC-Irvine (1972-73 & 1974-78) and at Cal State Fullerton (1981-85). He also coached Santa Ana Valley High School from 1978-81.
Mathews at a Glance:Born: November 27, 1950 Riverside, Calif.Personal: Married to the former Margie Holland. Four children, Sabrina, Akilah, Jordan Philip and Jonah (born Feb. 10, 1998) Education: John W. North High School (Riverside, Calif.) A.A., Riverside City College (Education), 1970 B.A., UC-Irvine (Comparative Cultures), 1972 M.A., UC-Irvine, (Education), 1976 Athletic History; Coaching:
Administration:
The Mathews RecordAt University of San Francisco(5 seasons, 82-62) Season W L Notes 1995-96 16 11 Top WCC defense 1996-97 16 13 WCC Tournament Finals 1997-98 19 11 First NCAA berth since 1982 1998-99 12 18 Wins over Xavier, St. Louis, Weber State 1999-00 19 9 Best USF record since 1982Notes: USF improved from a 10-19 finish the last year prior to Mathews' arrival to 16-11 in his first Hilltop season, went from sixth place WCC finish to third and from most points allowed in the league to fewest...In 1996-97, USF finished one game out of first and made its first appearance in the WCC tournament finals...In 1997-98, USF led the WCC in rebound margin, defense, steals and assists and won the WCC Tournament title, beating #1 seed Gonzaga (23-9). Injury plagued USF was 12-18 last year after losing two point guards for much of the season. This year, USF opened 12-1 with its only loss in the opener at Maryland (preseason NIT).
At Ventura College Season W L Notes 1985-86 17 10 State Reg. Finals 1986-87 31 4 State Champions 1987-88 23 9 State Reg. 2nd round 1988-89 28 6 State Regional Finals 1989-90 26 10 State Playoffs, 2nd rnd. 1990-91 30 5 State Regional Finals 1991-92 33 5 State Final Four 1992-93 37 2 State Finalist 1993-94 36 3 State Finalist- #2 in USA 1994-95 37 1 #2 in the USA, StateChampions 10 yrs. 298 56 2 State ChampionshipsNotes: Four-time State Coach of the Year...six-times conference Coach of the Year...ranked #1 in California three consecutive seasons...ranked #2 in the USA two straight seasons. Coaching Staff
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