After 16 seasons of building brick by brick, Coach Matthew Driscoll is officially stepping away from the University of North Florida, accepting a new role as Associate Head Coach at Kansas State — and reuniting with longtime friend and coaching partner Jerome Tang, the man he started this journey with 22 years ago at Baylor.

This isn’t just a coaching move.
It’s the closing chapter of one of college basketball’s most authentic, underdog-driven stories.

The UNF Blueprint

When Driscoll took the reins at UNF in 2009, the program was overlooked, underfunded, and largely unknown.

He turned it into a name that mattered.

  • 248 career wins

  • Three ASUN Coach of the Year awards

  • UNF’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015

  • The winningest coach in both school and ASUN history

But what Driscoll did best wasn’t just building rosters — it was building belief.

He made UNF a launchpad for hungry talent — and as the game evolved, that strength became a vulnerability.


A Resume That Deserves Respect

Coach Driscoll didn’t just coach — he established a lasting identity for the Ospreys. Under his leadership:

  • UNF won the 2015 ASUN Tournament Championship and punched its first-ever ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

  • The team followed that with back-to-back regular season titles in 2015 and 2016.

  • UNF led the nation in three-pointers made per game in multiple seasons, earning national recognition for its free-flowing, high-octane offense.

  • Driscoll coached numerous All-ASUN selections and developed players who went on to succeed at the high-major and professional level.

He built a system that empowered overlooked players, turned walk-ons into threats, and taught his team to play with an identity — fast, fearless, and unselfish.

Transfer Portal: A New Kind of Opponent

In the final years of Driscoll’s tenure, the transfer portal changed everything.

The same development system that made UNF competitive became the very reason the team kept getting gutted. The program grew stars — and bigger programs took notice.

  • Chaz Lanier, runner-up for ASUN Player of the Year, transferred to Tennessee and became an All-American and SEC Newcomer of the Year.

  • Jasai Miles, UNF’s undeniable leader in 2024-2025, transferred to Indiana.

  • Liam Murphy, a lights out shooter, made his way to Purdue.

  • And this past season, the entire starting five hit the portal.

In today’s game, mid-majors don’t just play to win — they play to survive the offseason.

For Driscoll, that constant rebuilding process became less about strategy and more about starting over, again and again.


A Family Move, A Full-Circle Moment

The move to Kansas State isn’t just professional — it’s personal.

Driscoll reunites with Jerome Tang, his coaching brother from the Baylor years, in a conference they once dreamed of reaching together.
Even more special: his son, Chase Driscoll, joins the Kansas State staff as Director of Video and Analytics.

It’s a legacy move, both on paper and in purpose.

 What It All Means

Coach Driscoll’s run at UNF may not have ended with banners or viral highlights — but it was authentic, player-first, and culture-defining.

In an era where mid-major coaches bounce at the first payday, he stayed, built, and elevated.

The portal may have taken players.
But the blueprint Driscoll laid down?
That stays in the DNA of North Florida basketball forever.

BallerTube salutes Coach Driscoll — for showing that belief, consistency, and grit still matter in a sport that too often forgets where the grind starts.