116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Former Iowa player/assistant coach Matt Gatens takes general manager job at Auburn
Gatens, one of Iowa’s all-time leading scorers, is returning to Bruce Pearl’s Auburn staff
Jun. 7, 2025 9:56 am, Updated: Jun. 7, 2025 3:28 pm
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
Matt Gatens, who was without a men’s basketball coaching job for two months after Fran McCaffery’s dismissal at Iowa, is returning to Auburn to be the general manager for Bruce Pearl’s national power.
Iowa City native Gatens had been an Iowa assistant coach for the last three years after holding the same position at Drake. Before that, he was on Pearl’s support staff as a graduate assistant at Auburn.
Gatens was Iowa’s high school “Mr. Basketball” in 2008 for Class 4A state-champion Iowa City High, and holds the school’s all-time scoring record. He played at Iowa from 2008-2012, starting for all four seasons and scoring 1,635 points.
After his college career, Gatens played professionally for teams in four different European nations.
Last season, former Iowa assistant coach Pearl coached Auburn to the Final Four for the second time in his tenure there.
Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters