Matt Croci, a 1994 Wittenberg graduate, was named Wittenberg's head men's basketball coach in 2016, making him the 19th head coach in school history. Croci brought with him a wealth of coaching knowledge and experience, including seven years at Kenyon before arriving at Wittenberg. Croci holds the distinction of being the only individual in the history of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) to win honors as the NCAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year (1994) and Coach of the Year (2008, 2018, 2020). He was inducted into the Wittenberg Athletics Hall of Honor in 2005.

"I am extremely honored and humbled to be named head men's basketball coach at my alma mater. The tradition and history of our program make this a special opportunity for me and my family," Croci said. "Wittenberg has always been home to me, I look forward to guiding the program into the future and leading our student-athletes to reaching their full potential. I'd like to thank Dr. Helton, the Board of Trustees for their support and trust in me to lead the program. I also appreciate the outpouring of support shown by our incredible basketball alumni."

Wittenberg Highlights

• North Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year | 2018, 2020
• NCAC Tournament Champions | 2018, 2019
• NCAC Regular Season Champions | 2018, 2020
• NCAA Division III Tournament Appearances | 2018, 2019, 2020
  • Advanced to the 2^nd round of the NCAA Division III Tournament | 2018, 2019
  • Advanced to NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16 | 2020
• National Association of Basketball Coaches - Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year | 2018
• D3Hoops.com - Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year | 2018
• Compiled a school record 22-game win streak | 2017-18
• Ranked No. 3 by d3hoops.com during the 2017-18 season
• Coached five of seven all-time Wittenberg NCAC Defensive Players of the Year: Shane Edwards (16-17), Chad Roy (17-18), Mitchell Balser (18-19), Jake Bertemes (19-20), Brice Hill (22-23)
• Croci has coached 1 All-American since taking over the program: Chad Roy (2018)
• Croci has coached 3 Great Lakes All-Region players: Shane Edwards (2017), Chad Roy (2018) and Connor Seipel (2019)
• Croci has guided 10 players to All-NCAC honors: Shane Edwards, Jaelin Williams, Chad Roy, Mitch Balser, Jake Bertemes, Connor Seipel, James Johnson, Landon Martin, Levi Boettcher, Trey Killens
• Coached 2 NCAC Tournament MVPs: Connor Seipel (2018), James Johnson (2019)

Prior Coaching Highlights

• 2008 North Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year - Kenyon College
• Croci led Kenyon to back-to-back top-four finishes for just the third time in program history
• Croci also led Kenyon into the NCAC Tournament in all 7 seasons, after having not made it in the previous 2 seasons
• Croci coached one All-American, one NCAC Player of the Year, two NCAC Newcomer’s of the Year and eight All-NCAC players in 7 seasons at Kenyon.

The Croci File:

• Hometown: Toledo, OH
• Alma Mater: Wittenberg University '94 (B.A. English)
• Master's: Sports Leadership (Northeastern University)

College Coaching Experience

• Capital University Assistant Coach (1994-96, 2000-03, 13-15)
• University of Mary Washington Assistant Coach (1998-2000)
• Kenyon College Head Coach (2003-10)
• Wittenberg University Assistant Coach (2012-13, 15-16)
  • Head Coach (2016-Present)

Honors

• North Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year (2008, 2018, 2020)
• Wittenberg Athletics Hall of Honor (2005)
• NCAC Player of the Year (1994)
• All-America (1994)
• Led Wittenberg in scoring twice (1993, 1994)
• Two-year team captain

The Toledo, Ohio native earned his bachelor's degree in English from Wittenberg in 1994, and he is currently finishing his master's in sports leadership from Northeastern University.

His wife, Patrice, is a 1995 Wittenberg graduate. They reside in Upper Arlington. They have three children, Sophia, Cecilia, and Cameron.

Matt Croci Year-by-Year

Season	Overall	NCAC
2016-17	18-9	11-7
2017-18	27-3	16-2
2018-19	24-6	14-4
2019-20	28-2	17-1
2020-21	1-7	N/A
2021-22	13-12	11-6
2022-23	13-12	9-7
2023-24	18-9	11-5
Wittenberg	142-60	89-32
Kenyon	66-116	43-69
Overall (2003-10; 2016-present)	208-176	132-101