The Basketball Podcast: EP329 with Matthew Driscoll on Embracing Change
Driscoll has led his Osprey teams to multiple ASUN regular season titles (2015, 2016, 2020), an ASUN tournament championship (2015), and two national postseason appearances (2015 NCAA, 2016 NIT).
Discroll boasts an impressive record, having mentored 13 of UNF’s 18 1,000-point scorers (including transfers) while leading his teams to hold nearly every program record. His strategic approach resulted in a Top 20 final ranking in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll (2014-15) and twice led NCAA Div. 1 in 3-pointers made per game (2016, 2020). He’s also known for guiding UNF to victories over powerhouse programs like Purdue and Illinois.
Before coming to UNF, Driscoll spent twelve years as an assistant at Baylor University, Valparaiso University, Clemson University and the University of Wyoming.

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Matthew Driscoll Quotes:
“If I say ‘Fifteen,” we’ve got to shoot at :15 on the shot clock. We’ve got to get our shot, on our terms, at that particular moment. It’s not :15, I’ve got to shoot it. Not that, but as close as possible. And that has paid really good dividends for us.”
“When you can master the simple, then everything else becomes that much easier. When they decide to blitz early, take the ball out of Chaz’s hand, our other guys can make plays, and we do lead the country in threes.”
“I haven’t really got into anybody, but I’m trying to help them or allow them to grow a little bit through what we’re trying to do through this transition . . expectations are great, but standards are the pinnacle.”
“If you come in here and do what you’re supposed to do, the way you’re supposed to do it at a high level, and you continue to take your talents and treasures and don’t bury them in the sand, continue to expound upon it and grow them, then everything else will take care of itself.”
“I said, ‘Guys, listen, don’t take this the wrong way, if you’re playing for us as a junior and senior, you failed yourself.’ There’s so much money out there. There’s so much stuff going on . . look at the guys we’ve developed that have left and went and got paid. Just do what you’re supposed to do.”
“With the portal, you’re either going swim in it or you’re going to drown.”
“I said, ‘Why didn’t you leave?’ And he said, ‘Coach, I love you. I love the program. I love the staff. I love how we play. Everything was great. The only thing is I wanted to be more and do more.’ And I said to myself, ‘You know what? Do it, then bet on yourself.’”
“Here’s how we go about it: character, not characters. And I think we do a really good job with that. And then the next thing we really concentrate on is chemistry, whether it be positionally or how you’re going to do these things.”
Matthew Driscoll Breakdown:
1:00 – Coaching Strategies and Player Development
4:00 – Importance of Foundation and Fundamentals
13:00 – Mindfulness in Practice
15:00 – Fast and Furious
18:00 – Peer Pressure Drills
23:30 – Purposeful Drills
26:00 – Understanding the Game
28:00 – Player Freedom
32:00 – Consistent Coaching
36:00 – Transfer Portal Era
45:00 – Character and Chemistry in Basketball
49:30 – Program Success
57:00 – Adaptability to Change
1:06:00 – Personal Connections
Matt Driscoll
Chaz Lanier
Dorian James
Jose Placer
Nate Lliteras
Jake van der Heidjen
Ametri Moss
Jaylen Smith
Bobby Kennen
Bruce Evans
Stephen Perkins
Chase Driscoll
Jay Allison
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