Donte Mathis (2020) - Hall of Honor - Texas State Athletics

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Donte Mathis

Class
Induction

2020
Sport(s)

Men's Basketball

Donte Mathis was a four-year letter winner for the Bobcat Basketball team from 1995-1999. A guard for the Bobcats, he is the program’s 4^th all-time leading scorer, is the only Bobcat Men’s Basketball player to be named Southland Conference MVP and helped lead the Bobcats to the 1997 NCAA Tournament.

A four-year starter for the Bobcats, and under the direction of head coach Mike Miller, Mathis was a part of two Southland Conference Championship Teams: the 1996-1997 Bobcats and the 1998-1999 Bobcats. The 1996-1997 squad also won the Southland Conference Tournament Championship and advanced to the first round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament. The 1996-1997 team is still only one of two Bobcat Basketball teams to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

Gallery: (2-27-2021) Donte Mathis Hall of Honor

Mathis had a dominating career during his time at Texas State. He instantly made an impact on the basketball program and was named as Freshman of the Year Runner Up in the Southland Conference after his first season. During his sophomore campaign, the Bobcats went 16-13, and after winning the conference and tournament championship, Mathis was selected 2^nd team All-Southland Conference, was named to the Southland Conference All-Tournament Team and was recognized by his teammates and coaches as Team MVP. For his play against the University of Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Mathis shared Chevrolet Player of the Game honors.

During his junior season of 1997-1998, his team went 17-11, and he was again selected as team MVP after leading the team in scoring with an average of 18.6 points per game. He was recognized for his outstanding play earning 1^st team All-Southland Conference Honors.

During his senior year from 1998-1999, Mathis’ team won their second Southland Conference Championship and finished with an impressive 19-9 record. Mathis led his team in scoring again at 17.6 points per game, was named first team All-Conference, made the All-SLC Tournament team, and was awarded the coveted Southland Conference MVP, given to the best player in the entire league. He was also again named team MVP.

Mathis is a proud member of the 1,300-point, 500-rebound, and 100-steals club at Texas State, one of only four players in program history to achieve those statistics. His career statistics are at the top in many different categories, and his career point total of 1,622 is currently 4^th all-time in the history of the program. Mathis is 3^rd all-time in steals with 161, 10^th all-time in assists with 259, 5^th all-time in free-throws made with 352, 4^th all-time in field goals made with 596 and 16^th all-time in rebounds with 567. He is top five in both field goal and free throw attempts, and he is also tied for 2^nd all-time in career starts with 99, 9^th all-time in career minutes per game with 30.6, and 2^nd all-time in minutes played with a total of 3,402.

His individual season statistics are also some of the best in program history. He led his team in steals from 1996-1999, and in free throw percentage his senior year. He is 5^th all-time in steals in a season with 55 (1998-1999), is 6^th all-time in minutes per game in a season with 35.0 (1998-1999) and is 15^th all-time in most points in a season with 522. In 2013, Mathis was named to the Southland Conference 90’s All-Decade Team.

In the summer of 1999, Mathis transitioned into a decorated 13-year professional basketball career, playing for some of the top programs in European Basketball. His resume included two years as an all-star player, three years as a league champion, five years as a league finalist, five years as a team captain, and nine total seasons where he led his team to post season play. He had a short stint in the United States Basketball League immediately following his Bobcat playing career as a member of the USBL Dodge City Legends for two seasons. He helped the Legends win a 1999 USBL Championship and was the team’s leading scorer in 2000. Mathis played in Europe for several different countries, including stops in Germany and Slovenia where he was a member of a Euro Cup Finalist & Slovenian League Championship. He spent the majority of his professional career in Italy, playing 11 years for some of the best organizations in the country in what is considered some of the top basketball on the continent.

After an extraordinary basketball career, Mathis returned to Texas state to graduate in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Communications Studies. From 2017-2018 he served as Head Basketball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director at Texas Christian School where he coached three nationally ranked top 15 high school basketball players on one of the top private school teams in the country. He also served as the Head Director and Recruiter for both Adidas and Under Armor sponsored AAU basketball programs, where his focus on securing athletic and academic scholarships for elite high school basketball athletes has translated into 35 of his players receiving college scholarships since 2015. He moved to Austin in the summer of 2020 to accept the position as head men’s basketball coach at Brentwood Christian High School.

Mathis served as a board member for Cypress Fairbanks ISD Hoops, where he coordinated and organized the annual CyFair Invitational Tournament, whose proceeds go towards the Cypress Fairbanks ISD Educational Foundation. Internationally, he has served as a clinician where he has successfully provided and organized annual coaching clinics and camps for athletes in Asia, Lebanon, and the United Kingdom collaborating with Former NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon. He also partnered with Olajuwon and former NBA player Mengke Bateer to enhance the growth of basketball in China, Africa, and the UK by developing youth sports academies attached to the communities around the country’s professional basketball teams.

Mathis currently lives in Austin with his wife Karen, they have two sons, Adrian and Aaron.

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