Matt Woodley begins his third season at the helm of the Truman men’s basketball program after being named the 11th head coach in program history prior to the 2011-2012 season.
Woodley brings an 18-37 record into the 2013-14 season, having guided Truman to the MIAA tournament in its final season as part of the league in 2012-13. His 2012-13 squad posted a 10-17 overall record and finished with three players – Mike Carlson, Tom Norton and Seth Jackson – earning all-MIAA accolades.
In his first season, Woodley guided the Bulldogs to an 8-20 record and an eighth-place finish in the MIAA. The Bulldogs lost out on a tiebreak for the No. 8 spot but won six home games, including a 4-6 mark in conference games. He also coached freshman guard Seth Jackson to MIAA Freshman of the Year honors.
Woodley graduated with a degree in elementary education from Drake (Iowa) University in 2000, having played three seasons for the Bulldogs. He was a starter in every game played and ended his career as the program's all-time leader in steals and second in three-pointers. He twice earned honorable mention honors from the Missouri Valley Conference and was the team MVP his senior season.
He then served as a graduate assistant at Wayne (Neb.) State for one season before becoming an assistant coach at the University of Denver in 2001. The Des Moines, Iowa, native spent three seasons at Denver before joining head coach Kermit Davis' staff at Middle Tennessee State as an assistant coach. Woodley's responsibilities included recruiting, scouting, scheduling and film exchange, as well as the daily preparations for the team.
At both DU and MTSU, Woodley supervised the men's basketball academic programs, landing a combined 14 players on Sun Belt Conference all-academic teams.
Woodley then spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Washington State University for head coach Tony Bennett from 2006-09. During his stint at the school, the Cougars advanced to three consecutive postseason appearances, including the NCAA "Sweet 16" in 2008. He served as the program's recruiting coordinator, once again landing a top-20 recruiting class. On the court, he helped the program post back-to-back 25-win seasons and NCAA tournament appearances for the first time in school history.
With family roots in the state of Iowa, Woodley returned home to take the reins of the Waukee High School boys’ basketball program in 2009. In the past two seasons, the school won its first ever CIML conference championship, earning a trip to the Iowa state tournament in 2011.
Woodley comes from a coaching lineage, as his father and three brothers currently hold coaching positions at various levels. His father, Mike, is the head football coach at Grandview (Iowa) University, while his brother, Joe, serves as the team's defensive coordinator. His brother, Brian, is the head football coach at Johnston (Iowa) High School, while his brother Andy, who was a starting point guard at the University of Northern Iowa, won a state championship as the head boys’ basketball coach at Iowa City High School.
Woodley and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Kirksville and have two children.
