MONROE — After 10 years at the helm, Monroe varsity girls basketball coach Sam Mathiason is turning in his clipboard. Mathiason resigned last week from coaching, but will stay on at MHS where he is a math teacher.
Mathiason said he took everything “one season at a time,” and made the decision to leave during the lockdown that closed schools.
“I always want to make sure I have the drive and the energy you need to coach,” Mathiason said.
His resignation is largely because of his family, he said.
“I’m not exactly sure when it came to me. What’s happened in the five weeks since this all started, you truly appreciate things like your family and the time you have together,” Mathiason said. “After 10 years as a head coach and 16 years in the program, I felt like it was time.”
His son Ryan will be a freshman in the fall, while daughter Grace is a senior this year and will be attending college in the Twin Cities next semester. Eldest daughter Sydney is a member of the University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team. By not coaching, it frees his schedule up to watch his kids play as much as possible.
“It’s hard to be in multiple places at once,” Mathiason said. He said that it will be an adjustment watching each game from the stands instead of on the sidelines. “Whenever you change roles, it will be different.”
Mathiason was a head coach at Monona Grove for eight seasons before coming to Monroe, where he was the assistant to Hall of Fame coach Kevin Keen for six seasons.
“I feel blessed and fortunate for all of these years. In my 16 years here, we went to state seven times, played in three state championships and won two gold balls,” Mathiason said. “He laid the framework for my second time as a head coach.”
Mathiason hails from Minnesota, while his wife, Ellen, was a key player on the Cheesemakers’ state tournament teams in the late 80s, including Monroe’s first title in 1989 — Keen’s first season at the helm.
As the leader of the program, Mathiason led his team to the state tournament in three straight seasons from 2017 to 2019. Sydney played in the first two, while Grace played in the second and third.
Sam Mathiason steps away from coaching with a career record of 181-214 overall, and an even 123-123 at Monroe. Mathiason’s head coaching career came full circle at the end. His final game as head coach saw his Monroe squad lose by three points Feb. 28 at Monona Grove, his former stomping grounds.
“We thank Sam for his years of dedication to the girls basketball program and the positive influence he had on the hundreds of players he’s coached over the last 16 years,” Monroe athletic director Jeff Newcomer said.
Neither Mathiason or Newcomer knew who might apply for the open position, be it from within the program or from outside the district.
“I’ll help whoever gets the job if they want it,” Mathiason said, whether that be information on players in the program, opponents or general tips on coaching. “I’m happy to have been a part of this community for 16 years.”
