Matt Lynch is the only openly gay coach in men’s college basketball.

Just as he begins his second year as the head coach at the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie (USCS), in the small town of Allendale, Matt Lynch is only getting started.

Lynch is the only out gay coach in men’s college basketball today, but that fact thankfully has been a non-issue during his tenure on the courts.

Coming out publicly as of April 2020, Lynch has been the assistant coach for several programs, up until being picked up by Salkehatchie the previous season. In what The New York Times called the “worst college coaching job in the country,” the 33-year-old met head-on. From building the program up from scratch after it was disbanded, to raising money, recruiting new players, upgrading the facilities (painting and ripping out carpet himself in doing so), and finally the core job of coaching, Lynch has put everything into taking Salkehatchie from worst to first.

The payout has been immense. Lynch ended up with winning Coach Of The Year in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division 1 Atlantic District, a front page feature in the New York Times chronicling his journey and a conference title, after starting as the seventh seed in the tournament.

Winning the conference and garnering the positive media reception along the way has given much to the young coach, including the ability to speak at a conference as part of a panel called “Name, Image, Likeness,” held on October 18, to talk about his journey in the sport and as being an out coach.

“I was very blessed to not have my sexuality come up very often last year,” Lynch said in an interview with the website outsports.com. “I hope that continues. I hope to be judged by my character and my ability to lead a group of young men towards a collective goal. I pray that in time this becomes a non-factor, and I can just be an old ball coach.”

While the previous year had been a decoration upon what Lynch, together with those on his team in 2024, are able to accomplish, the 2024-2025 season is around the bend, and the coach is taking no risks. As the roster changes, so does the way everything will be executed.

“We have to be different, you can’t hit what you can’t catch, so we are working on a style that will make you play our way. Outside of that I think I am doing a lot the same way, focusing on things that effect winning and showing patience as much as possible.”

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