Matt Insell grew up on the sidelines of the basketball court at the Shelbyville Central High School (SCHS) gym. As the son of Rick Insell — the “all-time winningest coach” in the history of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) — the thrill of the game pulses in his veins.
“My love for basketball was sparked at a very young age with having a father who’s been so successful as a basketball coach, particularly at Shelbyville. The love for the game of basketball in that city — you know — you just had no choice but to love it,” Matt said. “From my early childhood, my dad coached and worked with me, along with Aaron West and Mark Clanton, who coached me in junior pro basketball. These guys helped shape me, and it just carried over and continued into my adulthood.”
He graduated from SCHS before attending MTSU and served as the head coach of the AAU Tennessee Flight Nike Elite program from 2001 to 2007, coaching dozens of Division I players. When his father started the group in the 1980s, it was called Shelbyville Sports Shop. Matt led his 15-under team all the way to the 2004 AAU national championship. Matt’s oldest brother, Tom Insell, is now the CEO. The premier basketball travel program has produced more than 400 NCAA Division I players and 15 professional players.
After graduating from MTSU in 2007 with a degree in political science, Matt became the director of basketball operations at Louisiana Tech before spending five seasons as an assistant coach for the Kentucky Wildcats. He helped lead the team to four NCAA Tournaments, three Elite Eight appearances, and several top-25 finishes. During this time, he leaned into one of his many gifts — seeking out and recruiting dynamic, well-rounded players who blazed a trail both on and off the court.
“I am very passionate about growing my players in three areas — socially, academically, and athletically. When a coach only worries about the sport, he isn’t doing the player any justice. The one thing I hope my players remember me for is that I became an extension of their family and that I grew them in these three areas. This world is ever-changing, and there will be a day when they can’t dribble the basketball. Who they are on that day is just as important as who they are as a basketball player.”
Matt continued to set — and break — records while coaching for Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi. On Nov. 23, 2014, Matt’s Ole Miss Rebels came head-to-head with his dad’s team, the Lady Raiders. Matt had been an assistant coach when the Wildcats played the Lady Raiders, so this was the first time in our nation’s history that dueling head coaches in Division I women’s basketball were father and son. Both Sports Illustrated and Fox News reported on this historic event.
Matt longed to return to his roots in Middle Tennessee, so in 2018, he accepted a position as an assistant coach at his alma mater. His father, Rick, became his boss. Before becoming the head coach at MTSU, he compiled a 775-148 record over 28 seasons at SCHS. He won 10 TSSAA Class AAA state championships and earned four national coach-of-the-year honors. Over the course of his career, which spanned 48 seasons, he amassed 1,264 wins with 313 losses. He earned dozens of honors, including Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year, and was inducted into multiple halls of fame. He also helped launch the professional careers of at least five WNBA draft picks. If anyone could help Matt continue to find success on the sidelines, it was his father.
“I first began coming to MTSU in 2005 when my dad was hired to be the women’s basketball coach. I was in school at the University of Tennessee and transferred back to be here with my family. I fell in love with the Blue Raider community while growing up in Shelbyville. This community — this university — from day one of our family getting here has made us feel at home,” Matt said.
Four years passed quickly, and Matt was promoted to associate head coach at MTSU in 2022. The Lady Raiders advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2021, 2023, and 2024, along with a Women’s National Invitation Tournament semifinal run in 2022. With the combined leadership of the Insell dynamic duo, the 2023-24 team finished 30-5 overall, sweeping the Conference USA regular-season and tournament championships and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Raiders beat Louisville, earning the program its first end-of-season ranking since 2010.
“My coaching philosophy is very similar to my dad’s, but different,” Matt said. “I want to be more pressing, up-tempo. I try to cause a lot of chaos with defense by turning defense into offense. I take bits and pieces from every place I’ve been, and I work toward compiling my own system of how I would like to do things. That’s how I’ve evolved over the years.”
After Matt settled in at MTSU, he married his wife, Autumn. They have a son, Clark, and a daughter, Evie. After 21 seasons at MTSU and more than 500 wins, Rick announced his retirement at the end of the 2025-26 season. On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, a formal ceremony was held to introduce Matt as the head coach of the MTSU women’s basketball team.
“I can’t wait to get started,” Matt said. Matt will always be one of our own. As he begins his first season as head coach this November, we will be rooting for him from the sidelines. GN
