Matt Joseph is North Olmsted’s new boys basketball coach after spending the past decade as a Midview assistant. (Photo courtesy of Midview Athletics).
After spending the past 10 years at Midview, it was time to Matt Joseph to find a new home.
That new home is North Olmsted, as he was hired to be the Eagles’ new head boys basketball coach.
Although it was bittersweet for Joseph to leave Midview, he felt it was the right time to see what he could do running his own program.
“It just felt like it was the right fit,” Joseph said. “I felt like I was mature enough to be able to make that jump. The stars aligned, and North Olmsted is a great community and a great place to start a program. I seized the opportunity, and I was lucky enough to get it.”
Joseph was officially hired in mid-June and has the hit ground running with his new team. He has spent the past couple of weeks getting to know the players and getting them in the gym. It has been a quick transition, but he is happy to see the senior leadership already being established early on in his tenure.
He’s used to running offseason programs and playing a huge role in the summer, but it’s on a different scale on the varsity. Joseph said he’s excited to take on the challenge.
“JV was more on the scale of making sure your 12 guys were bought in,” Joseph said. “With varsity now, you have to do it from 12th grade down to youth. You have to make sure that you’re making the right decision in what’s best to help our guys grow to be great humans first and then great basketball players.”
Joseph started with Midview in 2014 when he was hired by Troy DiFranco as the Middies’ freshman coach. Once current Midview coach Jim Brabenec started leading the program in 2016, Joseph took over the JV position. For the past eight seasons, Joseph was Brabenec’s right-hand man.
“I can’t even put into words my time at Midview. I enjoyed it so much,” Joseph said. “It was still hard to leave, but I wanted to progress in my career. I’m glad that I had the support from (head coach) Jim Brabenec and (Athletic Director) Dan May to help push me and guide me to achieve my goals.”
On the flip side, it will be a different feel around Midview’s program without Joseph being a part of it. Brabenec enters his ninth season as head coach, but it will be the first without Joseph beside him.
As tough as it was to see Joseph go, Brabenec is fully confident in his now former assistant to do big things with his own team.
“Matt has been my JV coach since I got the job, and he’s fantastic,” Brabenec said. “Matt’s a gym rat. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be super committed to North Olmsted and their program. That’s the big thing for him, is whatever you need Matt to do, he’ll do it.”
Joseph has left the Middies, but it won’t be long before he’s back again. His first game as North Olmsted’s coach will be against Amherst on Midview’s Troy DiFranco Court as part of the DiFranco Classic.
The Eagles will also come to Midview on Feb. 11 as Joseph gets to take on his former mentor. He has coached every one of the Middies over the past few years.
Everything will come full-circle for Joseph as he begins forging his own path.
“I think everything happens for a reason,” he said. “I think that it’s so cool to be part of such a great cause with the DiFrancos and all of the history they have with Midview and with Troy hiring me in. I guess it all come full circle now that my first varsity game will be coached at Midview.
“I think it will be a lot of fun (facing Midview). Me and Jim know each other very well. We’re very good friends. Like I told Midview when I left, I want to see the best version of the Midview Middies come Feb. 11.”