Sometimes others will see something special in you before you see it in yourself. That's what happened to Emmanuel Basketball alumnus, Jonathan Mattox.
 
Mattox knew he wanted to stay involved in basketball after graduating from Emmanuel but didn't know in what capacity. Following a game for the Lions, Mattox's coach, TJ Rosene, spoke to him and his family about Jonathan joining his staff as a coach after graduation. 

That conversation sparked an interest in Mattox to become a collegiate basketball coach and provided the motivation he needed to stay the course.

Now, Jonathan is entering his 2nd year as Head Coach of the Morehead State University Eagles, a dream that has become a reality.

Originally from Athens, GA, Jonathan transferred from Anderson University to Emmanuel to play for Coach Rosene, helping the Lions to a conference championship and national tournament appearance in 2011. 

That conversation with Coach Rosene was a pivotal moment in Jonathan's story and set him on a path to success.

After graduating, Jonathan spent two seasons with the Lions as an assistant coach, where he gained hands-on experience. 

"The biggest thing Coach Rosene did for my career was to let me be involved as a young assistant," Jonathan said. "He allowed me to be involved in doing scouting reports and leading segments of workouts and practices. This experience and his ability to delegate responsibilities to me and let me be hands-on in those first few years of my coaching career was huge."

With a dream of being a Division I coach, Jonathan worked camps during the summer at the University of Georgia and Mississippi State and made connections in the coaching world. One connection he made was with BJ Ellis, a then assistant coach at Morehead State. Although the Eagles didn't have an opening at the time, Jonathan took an unpaid Graduate Assistant role with the team and climbed the ladder over the next several years until being named the Associate Head Coach during the 2021-22 season. 

Following a 2-year stint at Murray State University, where Jonathan served as an assistant coach for the Racers, the opportunity of a lifetime came up at Morehead State to lead the Eagles program.

What did it mean to be handed the keys to a program he knew so well?

"It meant a lot," he said. "This program means a lot to me because of the people in the program and the community. They have supported me, my career, and my family, so to get back here with an opportunity to lead this program, I can't put into words what that meant. I'm eternally grateful and humbled and know that this is something only God could have orchestrated."

In his first year as Head Coach, the Eagles won 15 games which is the 2nd highest win total for a 1st year head coach of the program. The team's success on the court earned Jonathan a nomination for the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year award presented annually to the top first-time head coach in Division I. 

"The accolades are humbling," Jonathan said. "But, as I tell my players, any accolade an individual earns is a program accolade because it takes everybody. As far as the win total, I had a really good staff in place. Coaching and leading is hard – you have to have people around you who echo your message."

In his career, Jonathan has learned countless lessons, but the one he's taken with him is that it's all about who you're becoming. 

"We all have titles, but who you're becoming is much more important than your title right now," he said. "You could be a GA or an intern, but if your goal is to be the CEO or head coach, work like the head coach or CEO. Become the CEO, even if your title may be something else. It's all about who you're becoming daily as a person, an employee, a follower of Christ. Attack this journey one day at a time."

If he could give a piece of advice to a student-athlete interested in coaching, it would be to go into the profession to impact lives.

"Don't go into coaching because of the fame or glory," he said. "Go into coaching because you love the sport and want to genuinely build relationships and pour into the lives of young people you're coaching."

At Emmanuel, Coach TJ Rosene motivated Jonathan Mattox to pursue a career in coaching. Now, Mattox has the opportunity to motivate and pour into young men looking to do the same. But if you ask him, he's not just coaching basketball but teaching his athletes about life through the sport.

"It's a labor of love," he said. "You have to have a passion for the sport and the student-athletes. It's your job to pour into them as people because they don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."