High school basketball is losing one of the good guys in the 9th Region.
Conner boys basketball coach Matthew Otte has decided to step down from the team after leading the Cougars for eight seasons. Otte made the decision last week.
Otte won 131 games, three district titles, made a region championship and was KABC 9th Region Coach of the Year twice.
“It was a family decision,” Otte said. “With three boys six and under at home, I’m looking to do more stuff with them. I know that’s a pretty boring answer, but that’s what it came down to. Wanting to spend more time with my family.”
Otte helped continue the standard in Hebron and had a memorable four-year run that produced 79 victories from 2019-23 with three 33rd district championships and four trips to the 9th Region tournament, including a run to the region championship game in 2021. After seven seniors graduated from the 2023 team, the Cougars endured a bit of a rebuilding year this past season while still putting out a competitive product on the court. They finished 11-17, only the second losing season under Otte, but seven of those losses came by five points or less, including all three 33rd District battles in the regular season.
“We didn’t miss a beat at all with him coming in,” Conner Athletic Director James Hicks said. “He continued to move our program forward, saw a lot of success and was very proud he continued on the tradition. Matt was very well respected in the coaching community.”
Otte was Hicks’ replacement after he took on the AD role in 2016 after 13 seasons leading the program.
“We were not expecting this. He’s done such a great job keeping the program moving forward and it surprised me,” Hicks said. “But it’s something I understand raising a family as a basketball coach and teacher.”
Otte said the decision weighed on him throughout the year where he had to miss some family time due to his coaching obligations.
“I needed a few weeks after the season to kind of wrestle with it and see what the best decision was to make,” Otte said.
Prior to coming over to Conner, Otte was an assistant at Covington Catholic for five seasons. He was also an assistant at St. Henry and St. Xavier in Louisville. He played his high school basketball at St. Henry before playing for Bellarmine University.
Otte said he wants to be remembered most in Hebron for how hard his kids played and played the right way.
“The bigger picture is I hope the players in the program over the eight years enjoyed playing for me on and off the floor and someone they can turn to in keeping those relationships going after basketball,” Otte said.
He helped put numerous players to the next level while some went on to play in college in another sport. Otte said he’ll continue to teach special education at the school and while he didn’t rule out a return to coaching the game eventually, says it’s nowhere near in any immediate plans.
Hicks said the job opening was posted on Friday and he’s already received a strong set of applicants. He said the plan is to start the interviewing process with a committee after the high school’s Spring Break that runs April 8-13.
“It’s a great job to have,” Hicks said. “We’ve already had some great candidates that applied and it will be a fun ride to keep this tradition going.
Whoever the next coach is, they’ll inherit a team that loses four seniors, but returns four starters.
“The program is in good shape,” Otte said. “I feel it’s at a good point and there’s definitely some talent coming back and coming up. We did it the right way while we were here and built upon what was already established here.”