Matt Scherbenske, a renowned recruiter who previously spent three seasons on Mike Montgomery’s staff at California, returned to Berkeley as an assistant coach under Mark Madsen in 2023-24 and has helped reinvigorate the program and its fan base. He helped lead the Golden Bears through their first season as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in his second year on Madsen's staff in 2024-25.
Scherbenske’s recruiting prowess played a critical role in Cal landing the eighth-best transfer class in the nation (On3) in 2023, highlighted by Jaylon Tyson – who went on to be selected No. 20 overall in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers in June 2024 – and Fardaws Aimaq, who led the Pac-12 in rebounding (11.0 RPG) and was one of only six major-conference players to average a double-double in the 2023-24 season.
The Bears restocked their roster again through the transfer portal in the 2024 offseason; 10 of Cal’s 11 scholarship newcomers came via the transfer portal and collectively ranked as the No. 12 transfer class in the country (On3). Among the 11 total scholarship newcomers were sophomore guard Andrej Stojakovic (2024-25 All-ACC honorable mention; NABC All-Pacific District Team) and freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (2024-25 ACC Sixth Man of the Year; ACC All-Rookie Team).
Cal won 14 games in 2024-25 and reached the ACC Tournament second round following a double-overtime win over Virginia Tech in the opening round; the Bears became just the second No. 15 seed to win a game in the ACC Tournament. Cal went 11-6 at home – including wins over ACC foes Virginia, Florida State, Miami, NC State and Boston College – and picked up a 71-66 road win at USC in nonconference play.
Scherbenske’s first year in Bear Territory saw the Cal program and fan base reinvigorated by a 10-win improvement. The Bears earned their best finish in the Pac-12 Conference standings since 2016-17 with a tie for sixth place (13-19, 9-11) and their nine conference wins – each against a different opponent – included marquee victories against UCLA and NCAA Tournament squads Washington State, Oregon and Colorado.
Scherbenske spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons at Texas Tech, where he served as the Red Raiders’ Director of Recruiting. His efforts on the recruiting trail landed Texas Tech the top-rated transfer class and 18th-ranked overall recruiting class nationally in 2022, per 247 Sports. The Red Raiders reached the 2021 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and won 43 combined games in Scherbenske’s two years in Lubbock.
Prior to Texas Tech, Scherbenske spent six seasons (2015-21) playing a pivotal role in turning around Central Arkansas' program. He was the Bears' associate head coach in 2020-21 after five seasons as an assistant coach. Scherbenske helped UCA set a program Division I record with 18 wins and win its first postseason game in the CBI first round in 2017-18. The Bears' 2018 recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in the Southland Conference according to 247 Sports, while 247 Sports also tabbed Scherbenske as the 57th best recruiter nationally the same season.
Scherbenske's original stint in Berkeley was a three-year span (2011-14) in which the Golden Bears won 66 games and made three postseason appearances – including two NCAA Tournament berths – under Montgomery. After spending the 2011-12 season as a graduate assistant at Cal, Scherbenske accepted the Director of Basketball Operations title at The Citadel, only to quickly return to Berkeley when Montgomery hired him back as the Bears' Video Coordinator ahead of the 2012-13 campaign. Scherbenske assisted in the development of Cal standouts and NBA Draft picks Allen Crabbe and Jabari Bird.
After earning his undergraduate degree in business management from Kentucky in 2010, Scherbenske interned with NBA skill trainers Mike Procopio and Tim Grover and helped work out a multitude of NBA stars including Kevin Durant, Dwayne Wade, Anthony Davis and Gilbert Arenas. He served as the head coach at Christ Prep Academy (Lenexa, Kansas) in 2010-11 and was also an assistant coach for the AAU KC RUN GMC squad.
Scherbenske played two seasons at Kentucky (2007-09) after transferring from Oral Roberts following his freshman season (2006-07). While at Kentucky, Scherbenske made the SEC All-Academic Team and played with more than 10 NBA draft picks. He played one prep season at perennial powerhouse Oak Hill Academy prior to arriving at Oral Roberts.
Scherbenske is a native of Lexington, Kentucky.
LAST UPDATED: March 18, 2025
