NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Matt Bucklin has joined coach Mark Byington’s Vanderbilt staff after working with the Commodore head coach during his tenure at James Madison.
Bucklin comes to the Commodores after serving two seasons as an assistant coach on Byington’s staff at JMU. In 2023-24, the Dukes claimed the Sun Belt Conference championship and earned their first NCAA Round of 64 win since 1983.
“Matt has been with me the last two years and we have built a great connection and vision for what our team should look like on the court,” said Byington. “He is one of the brightest minds in the game and is constantly working to get even better.”
With Bucklin on staff, the 2022-23 squad also set four program records and earned 22 wins, the most since 1981-82. During his two seasons, JMU posted a 54-15 overall record and a 27-9 mark in Sun Belt action.
Prior to his time at JMU, Bucklin spent four years as the director of operations at Clemson under coach Brad Brownell. With the Tigers, Bucklin led defensive scouting along with coordinating travel, budget and academic components of the program.
Bucklin also brings SEC experience to Nashville, having served on Mark Fox’s staff at Georgia. He spent two seasons as a graduate assistant while earning a master’s degree before being promoted to operations coordinator in 2014 and helping the Bulldogs to postseason appearances in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The Marietta, Georgia, native played for Georgia from 2009-12 and was part of the Dawgs’ 2011 NCAA Tournament team. He earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Georgia in 2012 and a master’s degree in sport management in 2014. Bucklin is also a nephew of Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.
