The next high school boys' basketball coach at Boyd Buchanan School is a product of one of the state's most decorated programs.
After spending more than 10 years as a teacher and coach at Brentwood Academy in Nashville, Matt Hoppe is ready to see if he can build state championship level success in the Scenic City with the Buccaneers.
The 47-year-old Hoppe, who was introduced as the school's new basketball coach on Friday, will inherit a Boyd Buchanan program that has won 49 games over the past two seasons. He will take over for Kenneth White, who went 24-9 in his first and only season before becoming McCallie's new basketball coach.
"If you only learn basketball from me by the time you leave here, then I have failed you miserably," coach Hoppe said to his future student-athletes in Jett Gym. "I want you to leave here prepared for whatever is next, whether that is going to play a college sport, going into the work force or military. It's my job to help you get to where you want to be and grow."
Hoppe was an understudy to TSSAA Hall of Fame coach Hubie Smith with Brentwood Academy, whose nine state championships in boys' basketball are tied with Memphis East for the state record. The Eagles are the only boys' basketball team in the state to ever win four state titles in a row twice, which they accomplished from 2003-06 and 2015-18.
As a 1995 graduate of Brentwood Academy, Hoppe was a part of the Eagles' 2017 and 2018 state title runs in which future Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland led the way as a three-time Mr. Basketball winner. Garland was in a large part responsible for taking down McCallie in the 2017 title game followed by Baylor in the 2018 championship.
"I met Darius when he was 5-feet tall and 95 pounds and was able to be his middle school head coach and coach him in high school as well," Hoppe said. "During his senior year we were at the Bass Pro tournament at Missouri State, where his dad's jersey number is retired, and Darius averaged 43 points in three games against some of the best players in the country. It was so fun to watch him grow and he is an even better person than he is player."
Hoppe has generated tremendous success in his first five seasons as a high school basketball head coach in Tennessee.
He took over the reins from the legendary Smith at Brentwood Academy and compiled a 68-12 overall record over three seasons from 2019-22. In Hoppe's second season leading his alma mater, the Eagles reached the Division II-AA state championship game where they lost to Montgomery Bell Academy in March 2021. The following year they reached the Final Four where they lost their only game of the season to Knox Catholic to finish with a 29-1 mark.
In June of 2022, Hoppe accepted a new role as the athletic director and head boys' basketball coach at Clarksville Academy.
In his first season at the helm, Hoppe led the Division II-A program to the Final Four where they fell 48-47 to eventual state champion Goodpasture, who went on to beat Notre Dame in the 2023 finals. Hoppe's team finished the year 26-9 overall.
Clarksville Academy ended this past season with a 21-8 overall record, which brings Hoppe's win-loss total to 115-29 (.799) in five seasons leading a TSSAA program.
Now, Hoppe will take over a Boyd Buchanan program whose lone state championship came in the 1996 season when the Bucs claimed the gold ball with a 48-47 victory over Perry County in the Class A state title game. He enters a district that has seen Notre Dame followed by Silverdale Baptist make a run to the state championship round and Final Four the past two seasons.
"God put a basketball in my hand when I was really little and I knew from there on that this sport would be my calling," Hoppe said. "Boyd is a school I have had my eye on for a while now and once I got down here and met people and saw the school it was a no brainer.
"We are going to play hard up and down the court. If you can't guard, you will have a hard time getting on the floor. We are going to work with all our guys to make that a big part of their game."
Hoppe has a vast basketball pedigree, which includes coaching at his college alma mater, Samford University, and also a three-year stint (2013-15) overseas in London, England where he started the London Pulse Basketball Club. He is a FIBA Level 5 basketball coach and was the head coach of England's 18U National League team. He has also hosted coaching and player development clinics in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
He accepted his first high school head coaching position in 2015 at North Florida Christian School before moving back home to Nashville and remaining at Brentwood Academy from 2016-22. He also served as an assistant basketball coach for Brentwood Academy from 2008-13.
Hoppe was also an assistant coach at the University School of Jackson, while he also spent time at Union University.
"The Boyd Buchanan community is excited to have someone the caliber of Matt Hoppe directing our basketball program," Boyd Buchanan director of athletics Matt Pobieglo said in a press release. "Matt is an outstanding, high-level coach who understands the complexities of Division II and have a proven track record of success. His ability to connect and develop student-athletes at all levels along with his experience in Christian education makes him a natural choice."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.