Hawk Fanatic
06/07/25
Matt Gatens is heading back to Auburn to continue his coaching career, but with a somewhat different role.
The former Iowa assistant coach, and former Hawkeye player, has according to multiple sources accepted a position as General Manager under Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl.
Gatens previously served as a graduate assistant coach under Pearl at Auburn for the 2017-18 season.
The relationship between Matt Gatens and Bruce Pearl goes all the way back to when Gatens was born on June 13, 1989 in Iowa City.
Pearl was an Iowa assistant coach under Tom Davis at the time. Pearl was also close with the Gatens family and one of the first people to visit Matt Gatens in the hospital after Matt was born.
Matt Gatens would go on to become a star player for Iowa, making second-team All-Big Ten as a senior in 2012.
In his previous job at Auburn, Gatens assisted in travel, development, scouting, video and camps for the Southeastern Conference champions. Gatens also aided in the development of the team’s guards, including All-SEC selections Bryce Brown and Jared Harper.
The role of general manager is on the rise in college athletics, especially in football and men’s basketball, as schools adjust to the new landscape, which has changed dramatically due to the impact of NIL and the transfer portal.