McFarland native Matt Hockett takes over UW-Stevens Point women’s basketball program | High School Basketball

McFarland native Matt Hockett was named UW-Stevens Point’s women’s basketball coach.

Hockett, who is the sixth head coach in the program’s 50-year history, replaces longtime coach Shirley Egner.

Egner retired after leading the program for the past 33 years.

Hockett’s coaching career began at Stoughton High School.

“Ever since I picked up a basketball, I knew that was the sport for me,” Hockett said in a UW-Stevens Point release, “and I couldn’t be more thankful to get back on the hardwood at UWSP. The opportunity to take over for a living legend (coach Egner) is one I don’t take lightly, and we will make it our mission to carry on the culture and proud tradition of Pointer women’s basketball — striving for excellence in the classroom, competition, and community.

“With a strong group of returning players, and some of the best facilities in NCAA Division III women’s basketball, the future of our program is nothing but bright. We can’t wait to get to work.”

Hockett, who was named the coach Wednesday, has been with UW-Stevens Point since 2018, serving in different roles.

He was a men’s basketball assistant for three years, then directed the Pointers to a 30-9 record in two seasons as women’s tennis coach.

Prior to UW-Stevens Point, Hockett was a Minnesota-Duluth men’s basketball assistant for three years, where he helped the Bulldogs earn their first back-to-back winning seasons in almost a decade.

His head coaching experience began at Stoughton, where he led the boys basketball team for six seasons and earned more than 100 victories.

The Vikings won the Badger South Conference four consecutive years and advanced to the sectional final three times. Stoughton made a trip to the WIAA state tournament in 2013, the first time in 74 years.

He spent the 2008-09 season as an assistant coach for the Stoughton girls team, his first coaching job in basketball.

While a player, Hockett was the leading scorer in McFarland history with 1,596 points and earned second-team Associated Press All-State recognition as a senior.

He then played at Minnesota-Duluth, where he was a team captain, four-time letterwinner and two-time most improved player.

“We had a deep pool of candidates and Matt really impressed everyone with his blueprint for continued success,” UW-Stevens Point athletic director Brad Duckworth said in the release. “We have had one of the best programs in the country for a long time and I expect we will stay there.

“Matt is a family man committed to building culture of competitive excellence, academic exploration and community service. He is certainly someone that will earn the respect of our players, alumni, and fan base.”

Egner announced in April that she was retiring. She had a 572-292 record at UW-Stevens Point, including winning the program’s second national championship in 2002. She was a four-time WIAC coach of the year. She is in the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.