It didn’t take long for Matt Insel to be tapped to succeed his father, Rick Insel, as Middle Tennessee State women’s basketball coach.
His hiring was announced at the same time that Rick Insell announced his retirement at the end of the 2025-26 season on March 19.
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MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro said Matt Insell’s role in his eight years with the program, including recruiting and scouting, made him the logical choice to replace Rick.
“We had the opportunity to watch him and his recruiting success up close and Rick gave him more and more responsibility,” Massaro said. “It’s clear that Matt has all the tools to be a head coach.”
Matt Insell, 43, joined his father’s staff in 2018 and served as associate head coach for the past five seasons. He helped the Lady Raiders reach the NCAA Tournament three times (2021, 2023, 2024) and reach the WNIT semifinals in 2022.
He has head coaching experience, having guided the Ole Miss women’s program from 2013-18 to a 70-87 record. He led Mississippi State to 19 wins and a WNIT third-round appearance in 2014-15.
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“He’s qualified,” Massaro said. “But just looking at him and how he’s run our program and things like that and the continuity that we wanted from the Rick Insel era, I think that’s a no-brainer for us.”
Before getting the job at Mississippi State, Matt Insel spent five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky, helping the Lady Wildcats to four NCAA tournament appearances, including three trips to the Elite Eight.
He attended the University of Tennessee from 2001-05, serving as a student assistant and video coordinator for the school’s men’s and women’s programs. In 2005, after Rick Insell was hired, he transferred to MTSU and graduated in 2007.
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MTSU lost all of its starters from last year and is now 16-15 after finishing third in the CUSA regular season and losing to Missouri State in the league. The Lady Raiders will host a second-round WNIT game on March 23 at 6:30 p.m.
“I think our goal is not only to sustain success, but to build on that success,” Massaro said.
MTSU will hold an official press conference on March 24 to announce Matt Insell as MTSU women’s coach.
Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for the Daily News-Journal. Contact him at cjoyce@dnj.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter), @Cecil_Joyce.
This article originally appeared in the Murfreesboro Daily News: Matt Insel hired as MTSU women’s basketball coach following Rick Insel’s retirement