Furman University

Matt Aldred is in his sixth season at Furman and was promoted to assistant head coach/director of basketball health and performance in August of 2023. The strength and conditioning coach for men's basketball for the past five years, Aldred also handles strength and conditioning efforts for the men's golf program, men's and women's cross country, and oversees a strength and conditioning fellow. 
 
“Matt has done an incredible job of developing our players from a physical perspective, but there are many other ways he’s brought value to our program,” said Paladin head coach Bob Richey, at the time of Aldred's promotion. “His ability to understand, contribute to, and protect the culture of our program is unique, and he does a great job of balancing deep care and high standards in our weight room. He works hard to stay on the front lines of information and technology in our profession and is in constant pursuit of any way to better the development of our people. There is zero chance we would be in the position we are today without him.”

During Aldred’s five seasons with the Paladin program, Furman has posted a 116-44 overall record, which is the best of any Southern Conference school. In 2022-23, he helped the Paladins to a school-record 28 wins, SoCon regular season and tournament titles, the school’s first NCAA Tournament bid since 1980, and a first round upset of ACC champion Virginia.

“Coach Richey is a winner and to have been a part of his staff these past five seasons has been life changing for me,” said Aldred. “Serving this program, this university, and this city has been a privilege. To be named assistant head coach is a pioneering move for our industry, and I’m blessed to work alongside such an incredible staff and group of young men.”

Aldred’s work has led to the notable development of numerous All-SoCon performers, including Mike Bothwell, Noah Gurley, Jordan Lyons, Clay Mounce, Matt Rafferty, and Jalen Slawson. Under his guidance, Slawson saw his production increase each season on his way to earning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022, SoCon Player of the Year and SoCon Male Athlete of the Year accolades in 2023 and being selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. Bothwell and Slawson did not miss any games due to injury during their five-year careers and finished as Furman’s all-time winningest players with 116 career victories.

Aldred has collaborated with the Furman health science department to produce research with professor Scott Murr and athletic trainer Justin Games. The paper, “Monitoring Countermovement Jump Performance for Division I Basketball Players over the Competitive Season,” focused on force plate data collected during the 2021-22 season and was published by the American Journal of Sport Science. 

Prior to this time at Furman, Aldred, a native of Eastbourne, England, spent one season as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Florida.  He assisted with both the Gators’ men’s and women’s basketball programs, while also serving as the head strength coach for Florida’s men’s tennis program during the 2017-18 season. 

A 2010 graduate of Loughborough University (England), Aldred received his master’s degree in exercise science from the University of West Florida in 2012 and his master’s in human resource management from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2017. He served as an adjunct kinesiology professor while in Huntsville, Ala., and was a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Chargers from 2015-17. During this time, he was the lead strength coach for men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s lacrosse.

Aldred holds Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist qualifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is CPR AED qualified by the American Heart Association. He is qualified in Fascial Abrasion Technique (FIT Institute) and Frederick Stretch Therapy level I.

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