Matt Winters recently ended his seventh year as the lead assistant coach at Otterbein in 2025-26. His efforts have directly impacted a turnaround in the program, which has reached new heights following the NCAA Tournament run in 2025-26.
The Cardinals turned in their best season since the 2001-02 season during the 2025-26 campaign, posting a 23-6 overall record and spending the final seven weeks of the season nationally ranked in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, closing the year in the No. 22 spot. He was a key to the staff that saw three All-OAC selections, the OAC Freshman of the Year, and his brother earn OAC Co-Coach of the Year honors. Julian Heckman was later named to the D3hoops.com and NABC All-Region teams under his guidance.
Winters, alongside his brother, helped guide Otterbein to its first top-three finish in the OAC standings in 19 years during the 2023-24 campaign. The group beat a pair of nationally-ranked teams along the way - No. 23 Illinois College to win the Smokey Ballenger Classic and then a notable upset of No. 1-ranked John Carroll in the final week. Three Cardinals were named all-conference and another four landed Academic All-OAC for their work in the classroom.
Otterbein went more than a decade without having a first team All-OAC representative but has since landed a spot in four consecutive years behind standouts Cam Evans (2022-23, 2024-25), Jack Clement (2023-24) and Julian Heckman (2025-26). In addition, the program has enjoyed three OAC Freshman of the Year selections by way of Dallas Patrick, Julian Heckman and Dominic Theado under their tutelage.
During the resurgent 2021-22 stretch, six of Otterbein's losses were to teams ranked in the national poll and the Cards also went an impressive 9-3 in games decided by two possessions or less.
Winters previously spent three seasons at Ohio Northern and, prior to that, worked the 2015-16 campaign at Rhodes (Tenn.) where he helped guide three all-conference players. He also served as an assistant coach at Denison from 2012-15. The Big Red advanced to the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament three times during his time in Granville, and five of his players earned All-NCAC honors.
The local product also holds high school coaching experience with three seasons at nearby Bishop Hartley High School, serving as the freshman head coach and varsity assistant. During the 2010-2011 run, his team advanced to the Division II State Tournament after claiming Division II district and regional titles.
A 2009 graduate of Ohio Dominican, Winters earned a degree in Integrated Social Studies Education while competing on the hardwood. His Panthers advanced to the AMC Tournament semifinals in the 2007-08 season, when he was also the recipient of the program’s “Commitment to Leadership” Award.
Winters obtained his Masters of Educational Leadership from Dayton in 2015. He and his wife, Emilyjo, currently reside in Westerville.
