Eastern’s women’s head basketball coach Matt Bollant is in his seventh season with the Panthers. This season, his daughter Regan Bollant joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach.
“It’s great,” Matt Bollant said. “We’ve shared basketball our whole life. Now to be on the same staff, it’s pretty special.”
Matt Bollant has 22 years of head coaching experience at the college level, including a previous Sweet Sixteen appearance in the 2011 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Regan Bollant and her dad have bonded with basketball since she was young.
“I decided around age 10 that I wanted to play college basketball, and I feel like we’ve planned this since I was little,” she said. “Once I got serious about basketball, this was kind of in the plan.”
Matt Bollant was ecstatic when talking about working with his daughter.
“She’s seen the highs and lows, so she knows what she’s getting into,” Matt Bollant said. “When I found out, I was excited for her. It worked out timing wise; we room together on the road. She’s gone out recruiting with me all over the United States.”
He also mentioned that basketball has allowed them to travel to places like Paris and Puerto Rico.
“There’s been a lot of travel, and it’s been neat to see where basketball has taken us,” he said.
Regan Bollant gives her dad credit for motivating her to pursue coaching.
“I’ve seen him do it my whole life, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else,” Regan Bollant said. “I don’t know what I would be doing if he wasn’t a head coach. I don’t think I’d be in the profession. Basketball might be the smallest part of what I’m learning as a coach now. I’m learning people management, time management [and] facility management.”
Regan Bollant also noted that there were similarities and differences between Coach Bollant and ‘dad’.
“He’s very patient both as coach and as dad, but the biggest difference is his intensity when he’s on the court,” she said. “He’s intense because you need that intensity sometimes to be a good coach. A lot of my friends say he seems scary, but he’s a good dude once you get to know him.”
Regan Bollant’s future aspirations don’t end at working with her dad though.
“Even with my undergrad team, I would go on recruiting trips with my head coach,” she said. “I would do all the tours when recruits would come. I think I would be a good recruiting coordinator at an assistant level.”
Matt Bollant mentioned that being a positive force for others was a reason coaching has been both Regan Bollant’s calling and his own calling.
“It’s a chance to make a difference in people’s lives,” Matt Bollant said. “Certainly, that’s a part of why we do it.”
Matt Bollant kept the positivity going with touching on how the season has gone for them and the team.
“Overall, [the season] has been good,” he said. “We had a challenging non-conference schedule, but we’re 3-2 in conference including some close losses. We’ve had good wins and some ups and downs, but the season’s been good. We’re expecting more good things.”
Eastern’s next game is away in St. Charles, Missouri, where the Panthers will compete against the Lindenwood Lions on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 1:00 p.m.
Maurice Phipps can be reached at 581-2812 or at densportsdesk@gmail.com.
