Matt Wise - Staff Directory
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Matt Wise enters his second season as the head coach of the Samford women’s basketball program in 2026–27 after leading the Bulldogs to a Southern Conference Tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season at the helm.
In his debut season as head coach in 2025–26, Wise guided Samford to a 16–19 overall record, highlighted by an impressive postseason run that saw the Bulldogs capture their first SoCon Tournament championship since 2020 and earn their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012. Entering the conference tournament as the No. 6 seed, Samford knocked off the top three seeds, culminating in a 72–67 victory over top-seeded Chattanooga in the championship game on March 8. The Bulldogs earned a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament and faced Southern University in the First Four in Columbia, S.C.
Samford won eight of its final ten games entering the NCAA Tournament, including three consecutive victories in the SoCon Tournament.
Wise was named the program’s head coach on April 18, 2025, after spending the previous three seasons on the Samford coaching staff, including time as associate head coach under Carley Kuhns. During his time as an assistant, Wise played an integral role in all aspects of the program.
"We are excited to promote Matt Wise to the position of head women's basketball coach. During his time on the staff here, he has shown that he is ready to take this next step in his career. I look forward to seeing him continue to build a winning program here at Samford." – Athletic Director Martin Newton
"Thank you to President Taylor, Martin Newton and Michelle Durban for this opportunity. Samford is a special place where people grow athletically, academically, spiritually and as overall people. Add to that a connected community and you really do have a family. We look forward to building Samford women's basketball and winning championships, as has been done across this department. My wife Katie and I understand how fortunate we are to raise our children in this community and be part of Bulldog Nation. Now it's time to roll up our sleeves and get to work." – Matt Wise
During the 2024–25 season, Wise helped several Bulldogs earn postseason recognition. Freshman Claire Johnson was named Second Team All-SoCon, earned SoCon All-Freshman Team honors and was selected to the SoCon All-Tournament Team. Junior Emily Bowman also earned a spot on the SoCon All-Defensive Team. As a team, Samford led the conference in three-point field goal percentage and ranked third in scoring offense.
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Wise previously spent time at Alabama, ETSU, Wyoming and Florida. Wise was a four-year letterwinner at Transylvania University (2007-11), where he earned his bachelor's degree in business administration. In 2013, he graduated with a master's degree in sport management from Florida.
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Wise comes from a coaching family. His mother, Mary Wise, was a legendary volleyball coach at the University of Florida for 34 seasons, earning 1,068 career wins, fourth-most in NCAA Division I history.
