Matt Painter

2011 USA World University Games Team Head Coach

Purdue University head coach Matt Painter, who previously assisted the 2009 USA U19 World Championship Team, was named on Jan. 20, 2011, as head coach for the 2011 USA Basketball Men's World University Games Team.

As an assistant coach for the 2009 USA U19 World Championship Team, Painter helped the U.S. squad post a perfect 9-0 record and capture the gold medal in New Zealand, marking the first time since 1991 that the USA men returned home from a U19 World Championship in possession of the title.

“It’s always an honor to work with USA Basketball,” Painter said. “My experience with the U19 team in 2009 is one that I value greatly. The goal of any USA Basketball team is to represent your country in a first-class fashion and win a gold medal, and I’m excited for the opportunity to pursue that goal in China this summer.

“It’s going to be a great experience working with coaches whom I respect as much as Cuonzo Martin and Brad Stevens. They're hard-working, driven and passionate coaches, and they'll play a vital role on this team.”

In his sixth season as head coach at Purdue (2005-06 to present), Painter has the Boilermakers off to a No. 13 national ranking and a 16-3 start (all records as of 1/20/11), including a 5-1 mark in Big Ten Conference play. Overall, Painter’s record at Purdue is a striking 143-64 (.691), and he has upped his win total each year since taking over the program. Even more impressive, he owns a 119-40 mark for a remarkable 74.8 winning percentage from the 2006-07 season to present.

Following his first year on the sidelines, Painter produced four straight 20-win seasons, captured the 2009 Big Ten Tournament title, 2010 Big Ten regular season crown, made four NCAA Tournament appearances and advanced to the last two NCAA Sweet Sixteens.

His exploits at Purdue have not gone unnoticed. A finalist for the 2008 Naismith Coach of the Year, the 2008 and 2010 Jim Phelan Coach of the Year and the 2008 Skip Prosser Man of the Year awards, Painter was a 2008 and 2009 United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Henry Iba Coach of the Year nominee. He also earned a pair of National Association of Basketball Coaches District Coach of the Year (2008, 2010) honors, collected the 2010 USBWA District V Coach of the Year award and was named the 2008 and 2010 Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Painter and the Boilermakers in 2009-10 tied the program’s record for victories, finishing with a 29-6 slate, tied as the Big Ten regular season champs, made their second consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance and finished ranked No. 10 in the final Associated Press poll.

In 2008-09, Painter led Purdue to a 27-10 record, the Big Ten Tournament title and a NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2008-09, finishing ranked No. 14 in the final ESPN/USA Today poll.

In 2007-08, Purdue’s 25 wins were the most for the program since the 1997-98 season and the sixth most in school history. Painter led the Boilermakers to a 15-3 conference record, finishing one game out of first place, and to the NCAA Tournament where they won their 11th straight first round NCAA Tournament game. Purdue’s home record was an impressive 16-1, including a perfect 9-0 mark in conference action, and posted three wins over teams ranked in the top 11.

In his second season (2006-07) at the helm of the Boilermakers, Painter led Purdue back to the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the second round. Purdue finished the season 22-12, more than doubling their win total from the previous season.

Before being named head coach for Purdue, Painter joined Gene Keady’s staff for Keady’s 25th and final season in 2004-05.

Painter was head coach for one season at Southern Illinois University, compiling a 25-5 record and a NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003-04. The Salukis were ranked as high as 15th in the Associated Press poll during that season, and Painter earned Missouri Valley Coach of the Year honors.

He served as the top assistant under Bruce Weber at SIU from 1998-99 to 2002-03 before becoming head coach. In 2001-02, the Salukis finished 28-8 and made a NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance. In 2002-03 SIU claimed its second straight regular season conference title and made a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Painter made three coaching stops before joining SIU. He coached one year each at Washington & Jefferson College (1993-94) and Barton College (1994-95) before moving to the Division I ranks, spending three years on the staff at Eastern Illinois University (1995-96 through 1997-98).

Painter played guard at Purdue from 1989-90 to 1992-93, totaling 276 assists. He was a team captain during the 1992-93 season when he was named All-Big Ten honorable mention. He helped lead the Boilermakers to three NCAA Tournament bids and one NIT appearance during his playing career.