Lebanon
Lebanon had lost to the top-ranked Clippers in the finals the year before. The Raiders’ core players all returned, creating lofty expectations for Matte’s group. Lebanon realized those hopes on Saturday in a 59-42 win over Coe-Brown for the D-II crown.
Next year’s Lebanon team won’t look the same. But Matte is committed to the system he’s created, despite the graduation of his son, an ever-elusive championship once again in his possession and a group of newcomers that will change the identity of the team.
The Valley News sat down with Matte in his office at Lebanon High on Monday.
The following is an edited transcript of that conversation.
Valley News: Let’s start with the past two days. Has it sunk in for you or is still surreal?
Kieth Matte: Saturday was a relief. First of all, it was a tight game for a while and then we pulled away. The last couple of times, we just told the kids, “Hey, look around and enjoy it.” It was a sense of. we’ve done it. Often in basketball games, it comes down to these really stressful moments. It didn’t come to that. It was just a sense of relief. Then Sunday came. It was a weird feeling. We’ve been working so hard for so long with these guys; now it’s over. Now we move on to the next challenge. I’ve already started to think about who’s coming back and what they need to do to get better.
VN: Do you feel like the stars aligned for Lebanon this season? Did everything just fall into place?
KM: We almost felt like the stars didn’t align. K.J. (Matte, guard and Kieth Matte’s son) broke his foot. It’s still broken. We’re trying to figure it out, but K.J. could get surgery next week.
VN: So he was still hurt during the playoffs?
KM: Oh yeah, it’s still broken. I’m so proud of him for sucking it up. We were just nervous the whole year. Maybe looking back on it now, the stars did align. But that’s not how we felt going through it. We were like, “We have to take this. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not supposed to be easy.” We use that term “take it” a lot. We’re just going to take it. We’re just going to do it.
VN: How about Ryan Milliken? He really stepped up in a big way this season, especially after K.J.’s injury.
KM: Ryan became really good. He wasn’t really good until about halfway through the year. Then he went off the charts. … He might just be one of those special kids that, when it’s that time, steps up in a big way. I think that’s what it is. You might go see him play at the CCBA, and he just looks like another kid out there. But when his friends needed him, when his team really needed him, he was unbelievable.
VN: You just finished your 20th year with the Raiders. How do you put this past season in perspective?
KM: It’s been an incredible four-year experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. It’s funny: There were times that I thought about leaving. I had other job opportunities. It was just like, I can’t. I’ve got this. You can’t trade the experience I just had for anything. There are a lot of people who would love to be able to be with these kids, including my son. I’ve known these kids forever. That may be why I’m not over-the-moon happy right now. Truly. I guess I could be happier. I mean, I don’t get these guys anymore. It’s kind of sad. I can clearly remember things, like those guys arguing about whether there’s a Santa Claus or not as I’m driving them to some tournament somewhere.
VN: What other opportunities did you have?
KM: I wanted to be an administrator. … I went so far as to apply for one at ConVal as athletic director. I talked to K.J. about it; he was going to go off to prep school, and he didn’t want me to (leave). What can you do? That was two years ago, when he was going into his sophomore year. Then I interviewed at Stevens for its athletic director job. They have to be happy as pie they hired Doug Beaupre. I withdrew my name from that, as well. I just couldn’t walk away. I thought I could until I was about to do it. It is what it is, but I’m so glad I stayed.
VN: Do you see yourself walking away anytime soon now that the program is, to some extent, back in a transition phase?
KM: I haven’t really thought about it. I’m passionate; I couldn’t imagine leaving Matt (Eylander, junior frontcourt). And the other thing is I’ve made fun of coaches who waited until the cupboard is bare and then eject. I could have walked off that floor with K.J. No question. But he doesn’t want me hanging around, going to his practices at Bowdoin. No, I’m going to stay with it.
VN: How much of that is because the system is in place, the foundation is already built and you don’t need to start over?
KM: Rebuilds are for young people. I’ll tell you that. I don’t know if I could start from scratch.
VN: What is it like coaching at Lebanon, which suddenly seems like a basketball school with the girls program winning a D-II title in the same year?
KM: Tim (Kehoe) is one of my best friends. We get along great. We root for each other. We do a lot of the same stuff. It’s not like that everywhere. Some places it’s competitive. When we weren’t doing well, Tim was one of my biggest advocates. That’s made it easy. This community is also so behind sports, that makes it easy. But you have to do well; they have high expectations for the kids.
VN: A lot of people say this year’s championship was a long time coming. Did it feel like that?
KM: There were years when we weren’t as good. … There was like 10 years where we won one tournament game. It was bad. This is going to sound like (nonsense) but it’s not: I always knew this was a good place to bring up my kids. We are a basketball family, so I was never stepping down during those 10 years. … I always knew these kids that I had coming were going to be really good. I was so vested in them from an early age.
VN: Now, after this group has come and gone, how does that change your perspective on the program moving forward?
KM: One of the reasons I feel like I don’t need to get out is that we’re rolling. The system is in place for us to be successful if we continue to do what we’re doing. To tell you the truth, there were nights I walked into the gym and I knew the other team had no chance. … Next year, we’re going to be fine, but I don’t think there are going to be times where we can walk into the gym and hold teams to 30 points, like we did this year. I’m so excited about it. There were so many years in my first 10 years or so where we went 11-7 or 10-8 or 12-6, fighting for our life in some opening-round tournament game. This year, there wasn’t all that excitement. It’s actually more exciting the other way. I mean, every night next year is a potential loss.
VN: Is that, as a coach, more fulfilling? Isn’t that the ideal that makes coaching fun?
KM: Most teams don’t win a championship. Next year, if we don’t win a championship, I’m not going to walk away devastated. It’d be ridiculous to expect to win it every year. We’re going to compete to win it; we have a chance. It depends on what we do between now and next March. But it’s definitely a bigger challenge with not as much pressure. It’s going to be cool. It’s going to be really cool.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.