For Immediate Release 

Contact:         Maryjane Briant
                        News and Media Relations Director
                        Galloway, N.J. 08205
                        Maryjane.Briant@stockton.edu
                        (609) 652-4593
                        stockton.edu/media

Galloway, N.J. - The court where Gerry Matthews had some of his greatest triumphs on the way to becoming the winningest college men’s basketball coach in New Jersey history will soon bear his name.

Stockton University will name the basketball floor in its Sports Center “Gerry Matthews Court” in his honor in a halftime ceremony during the Stockton vs. Ramapo game on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Matthews announced his retirement in August after 30 seasons at Stockton during which he never had a losing season. He went 603-243 (.713 winning percentage) and was one of just 16 coaches in NCAA Division III history to reach the 600-win plateau.

Matthews led his Osprey teams to nine New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) championships and 16 NCAA Tournament berths. He won conference titles in four different decades (the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s).

Matthew notched 18 20-win seasons on the Stockton bench and was voted NJAC Coach of the Year nine times by his peers. His success extended into the NCAA Tournament, where his squads advanced to the NCAA Final Four twice (1987, 2009) and went 25-17 against the nation’s best. His teams won at least one NCAA tourney game in 12 of their 16 appearances.

The Sports Center opened in 2000, replacing I-Wing Gym as the home of the Stockton basketball and volleyball teams. The arena was the site of where Matthews won five of his nine NJAC championships. Stockton also won numerous NCAA Tournament games on its home floor, highlighted by a 103-60 victory over Farmingdale State in 2009 that moved the Ospreys on to the NCAA Final Four.

Gerry Matthews Court will be the second Stockton athletic facility to bear the name of a former staff member. The university’s track & field/soccer complex was named G. Larry James Stadium in 2007 in honor of the legendary two-time Olympic medalist who spent 36 years at Stockton in the roles of coach, athletic director and dean.​