Addington selected for boys’ basketball

Published 12:00 am Saturday, May 5, 2001

Originally, Matt Addington was a candidate for the head football coaching position at Albert Lea High School.

Saturday, May 05, 2001

Originally, Matt Addington was a candidate for the head football coaching position at Albert Lea High School.

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Then the boys’ basketball job opened.

He jumped at the opportunity. And wound up as the No. 1 choice.

Addington, 28, is the new ALHS head coach for boys’ basketball, according to athletic director Ross Williams.

&uot;Matt actually was one of the candidates for football,&uot; said Williams. &uot;When he heard about basketball he decided to go after that position, because his heart is in basketball.&uot;

So are his family ties.

Addington’s father, Gary, was the head boys’ basketball coach for 15 years at Hibbing, where he coached Kevin McHale. Gary Addington is currently athletic director for all three Rochester schools and president of the Minnesota State High School League.

&uot;I want to make it clear we are not hiring Matt because of Gary,&uot; said Williams. &uot;We had eight or nine people on the hiring committee. Matt is top-notch.&uot;

He’s certainly familiar with the Big Nine Conference and no stranger to the ALHS boys’ basketball program.

Addington’s best friend in college was his predecessor, Jason Bakke, and they’ve remained close.

&uot;I feel like I have a finger on the pulse of what’s happened the last five years,&uot; said Addington. &uot;I feel very connected.&uot;

Addington is a 1991 graduate of Rochester John Marshall High School, where he played basketball and was all-conference in football. A quarterback, he attended Augustana College on a football scholarship and was a four-year member of the team.

Addington’s coaching career started at Augustana, where he spent a season and a half with the women’s basketball team. After a year as a girls’ basketball assistant at Hills-Beaver Creek High School, he moved to Kenyon-Wanamingo and was an assistant boys’ basketball coach for four years and head football coach for three.

This past season, Addington was a varsity assistant for Rochester Mayo boys’ basketball. He’s looking forward to the challenge of being Albert Lea’s head coach.

&uot;I’m very excited about it,&uot; said Addington. &uot;It’s a great opportunity to get into the Big Nine and a school and community that’s obviously very excited about things.&uot;

Addington plans to meet with his players as soon as possible, maybe as early as Wednesday, and hopes to have an open house including the players, parents, boosters and media sometime in the near future.

&uot;I feel it’s real important to meet with the kids, to let them know they’re the most important reason I’m here,&uot; said Addington.

And despite the struggles of the boys’ basketball team throughout the past decade, Addington feels good about the prospects.

&uot;Jason did a super job, he turned the corner,&uot; said Addington. &uot;I see great potential there. I see it as a place we can win, and I’m excited about the challenge of being a part of all that.&uot;