SFA announces new basketball coach

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KETK) – Stephen F. Austin State University has announced the hiring of their new head men’s basketball coach, who will be the 13th head coach in program history.

Matt Braeuer, who has served as an assistant coach at Texas Tech for the past two years, has been hired to take over the Lumberjacks’ basketball program. Prior to joining Texas Tech’s staff, Braeuer spent several years at the University of North Texas coaching under Grant McCasland, who he followed to Tech.

During his time at Tech, Braeuer helped rejuvenate the program, which is currently ranked 9th in the country with 23-7. He also helped lead the team to the 2024 NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.

Braeuer spoke about his excitement about joining SFA and rebuilding the universities promising basketball program.

“My family and I are honored to join the Stephen F. Austin community, and I want to thank Dr. Weaver and Michael McBroom for their trust in me,” said Braeuer. “SFA has a rich basketball history, and I am excited to build a program that reflects the passion and pride of this university and its fans. We will work tirelessly to bring the championships back to Nacogdoches, and I can’t wait to get started.” 

SFA is currently 14-17 and 7-13 in conference play this season. The program has not made it to the NCAA Tournament since the 2017-2018 season. Longtime head coach Kyle Keller was fired back in January and interim head coach Tony Jasick has been leading the team since then.

 SFA Director of Athletics Michael McBroom believes that Brauer’s coaching experience along with his competitive spirit will contribute to SFA becoming contenders once again.

“Matt Braeuer is quite simply a winner,” McBroom said. “It became clear during our search process that he brings the competitive fire, integrity, passion, connections, and coaching acumen that we were seeking. He has had some of the finest mentors in the game and has prepared himself extraordinarily well for this opportunity. I’m excited to work alongside him to prepare to return SFA to championship basketball.”

Brauer will take over at SFA once Tech’s season concludes. An introductory press conference and reception will be scheduled at a later date.