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Lenoir Community College Athletic Director Shelly Barnes had never heard of Jacksonville native and White Oak High School alum Matthew Grantham.
Barnes agreed to interview the then current University of Mount Olive assistant coach after interviewing more than 10 candidates and receiving more than 20 applications for the position.
Barnes said she was going to interview Grantham anyway, based on his resume alone. But beforehand, Barnes did her research.
Grantham started his coaching career under Mack McCarthy at East Carolina University in 2009, working as a student manager. After graduation, it appeared the son of legendary White Oak Coach Greg Grantham, was at a crossroads.
Grantham decided to hang up his basketball shoes and shoot his shot into the world of information technology. He enjoyed his time in corporate America but something was missing. After a conversation with his father, the younger Grantham made the decision to get back in the game.
Now, he sits at the helm of his first collegiate head coaching position as the new men’s basketball coach at Lenoir Community College.
Grantham’s love of the game of basketball and the thrill of coaching young men is what motivates him. Grantham explained, making a positive impression in their lives is where God was leading him going forward.
A native of Jacksonville and graduate of White Oak High School, he still calls “J-Ville” home and is still a member of the church he grew up in, Kellum Baptist Church. Grantham was coached by his dad, who is in the North Carolina Basketball Hall of Fame.
During his time as a player under his father, Matt Grantham said he always thought he was being taught how to be a successful basketball player. What he learned was the time spent with Dad prepared him to be a coach. Not just a basketball coach, but a coach.
Grantham already has the coaching pedigree, but what stood out the most for Barnes was the levels of college basketball he has been in and has been successful in.
“I thought Matt has the bets resources to pull in the best players in Eastern North Carolina and to be successful,” Barnes said. “His list of references, the places he’s coached and the coaches he’s coached under, all of that was very impressive. I love his passion. He is hungry to prove himself as a head coach, and I’m eager to see what he can do at LCC.”
After, spending the last year as an assistant coach under Kinston legend Dory Hines at the University of Mount Olive, Grantham is ready to take on his next challenge.
Hines championed Barnes’ comments, who praised Grantham for his passion and drive.
“Matt is going to outwork 10 out of 10 coaches,” Hines said. “If his guys mimic Matt’s work ethic and use it s an example of how hard they should go at it, whether in practice or a game, his time at LCC could be very special.
“Being able to work with Matt for a year now, he’s been like a brother to me,” Hines explains He’s a hard working dude. This season, he coached offense and some defense, but we ended up leading the league in scoring,” Hines said.
“It’s funny, because during the season, all my assistants including Matt were all looking around seeing which junior college jobs were coming open and when we say Coach Brown wasn’t returning to LCC, we started advocating him for the job.”
Grantham has a vision and a philosophy regarding his style of play and what he wants the make up of his team to look like in a few years.
“I have things I believe in that I will work around the personnel available to me,” said Grantham. “Ball movement, player movement, touching the paint, which is the emphasis. Touch the paint and collapse the defense.”
“I really want to get downhill with the ball, dribble penetration will be another emphasis,” Grantham added. He went on to say his vision is to fill a roster with some “hard playing dudes.” He believes the best teams are ones that have guys who just put their head down and get to work.
“I want LCC basketball to be an Eastern North Carolina program,” Grantham said. “I like coaching guys that come from where I come from, guys that are built like I’m built, hard working dudes. I’m not going to turn my back on these local kids, but I plan on expanding the recruiting territories. If you go fishing in only one pond, you are limited to the fish that are in that pond, but I will have guys from Onslow, Lenoir, Greene, Pitt, Jones, Craven, Carteret, Wayne, all over, but they are going to be tenacious.”
