MATC Hires Scot Vesterdahl as new Head Men's Basketball Coach
Posted 3-20-04 - MATC is pleased to annouce Scot Vesterdahl as the new Head Men's Basketball Coach. Vesterdahl replaces former MATC Head Coach John Verhelst. Verhelst announced his retirement from coaching at the end of the season.

Vesterdahl has coached Stoughton H.S. for the last three seasons. Prior to coaching Stoughton H.S., Vesterdahl coached at MATC. At MATC, from 1997-99, his teams combined for a 60-29 overall record and won two consecutive state and conference championships.

John Verhelst Retires from Coaching
Posted 3-4-04 - Madison Area Technical College Head Men's Basketball coach, John Verhelst, has retired from coaching at MATC. In three years at the college, Verhelst a 2001 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame inductee, recorded an overall record of 55-33 with am impressive 47-16 record against state junior colleges.

Verhelst claimed his 400th career basketball coaching victory this season and finished with a career coaching mark of 415 wins and 198 losses in 28 years of coaching basketball at the high school and junior college level in Wisconsin. Prior to coaching at MATC, Verhelst coached at Monona Grove and Madison Edgewood High Schools.

MATC Men Fall in NJCAA Regional Final
Posted 3-3-04 - The MATC Men's Basketball team (18-11 Overall, 15-6 WJCAA, 6-2 WTCC) advanced to the NJCAA Regional Final before losing to the WTCC conference champion, Milwaukee Area Technical College.

February 25 - NJCAA Regional Playoff - vs. Mid-State Tech @ MATC - Despite being outrebounded 55-26, MATC beat Mid-State Tech 87-77 to advance to the NJCAA WI Regional Final. MATC shot 58.8 % from beyond the arc. Ian Thomas poured in 25 points and the rest of the starters were in double-figures for the WolfPack.

February 28 - NJCAA Regional Final - vs. Milwaukee Tech @ Milwaukee, WI - The WolfPack could not overcome the host Stormers hot shooting as MATC-Milwaukee shot almost 67% from the field and 65% from three-point land. The WolfPack lost 77-92. Ian Thomas led MATC-Madison in scoring for the second straight game with 20 points. 

MATC Men Advance to Semifinals, Lose to eventual State Champion
Posted 2-24-04 - The MATC Men's Basketball team (17-10 Overall, 14-5 WJCAA, 6-2 WTCC) advanced to the WJCAA State Semifinals for the second straight year. Unfortuately, they ran into a team on a mission, Waukesha County Technical College, and lost in the semifinals 67-88..

February 21 - WJCAA Semifinal - vs. Waukesha Co. Technical College @ MATC - The MATC Men struggled shooting, going 3/32 from beyond the arc, while Waukesha County Technical College shot over 69% from the field. Waukesha Co. Technical College, who finished last in the conference and knocked off conference champion, Milwaukee Tech, to advance to the semifinal game, continued to play with confidence as they downed the WolfPack, 67-88. DeWayne Powell, a former Madison East H.S. athlete, led the WolfPack with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Ian Thomas added 16 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

February 18 - WJCAA State Playoff - vs. UW-Baraboo @ MATC - MATC advanced to the 2004 WJCAA State Tournament with a 89-69 win over visiting UW-Baraboo. DeWayne Powell, former East H.S. athlete, led all scorers with 24 points and recorded his fifth double-double of the season, dishing out 10 assists. Jacob Keller, a former Richland Center H.S. athlete, added 19 points and 8 rebounds.

February 16 - WJCAA State Playoff - vs. UW-Richland @ MATC - In the first round of the WJCAA State Playoffs, MATC jumped out to a 49-18 halftime lead and never looked back. Ian Thomas led all scorers with 19 points as the WolfPack rolled 79-35. With the win, MATC advances to the second round of the WJCAA Playoffs.

MATC Men Finish Second in Conference
Posted 2-16-04 - The MATC Men’s Basketball team (15-9 Overall, 12-4 WJCAA, 6-2 WTCC) finished the regular season with conference wins over Mid-State Technical College and Waukesha County Technical College and a loss against the, conference champion, Milwaukee Area Technical College Stormers. With a 6-2 conference mark the WolfPack claimed second place in the conference for the second consecutive year.

February 4 - vs. Mid-State Technical College - The MATC Men traveled to Wisconsin Rapids to face Mid-State Technical College. MATC won 90-80 behind a 25 point, 9 rebound effort from former Marshall H.S. athlete, E. J. Vaquera. Jacob Keller, a former Richland Center H.S. athlete, added 19 points as MATC with the win set up a matchup with Milwaukee Tech for the conference title.

February 7 - vs. Milwaukee Area Technical College - MATC-Madison hosted Milwaukee Tech in a game that would determine the conference title. Milwaukee Tech jumped out to a five point halftime lead but the WolfPack cut into the lead in the second half shooting over 63% from the field. In the end, Ian Thomas missed a shot at the buzzer to put the game into overtime and the WolfPack fell 71-74. Ian Thomas and E.J. Vaquera each had 22 points in the loss.

February 11 - vs. Waukesha County Technical College - MATC played the last game of the regular season on February 11th against Wauksha County Technical College. MATC continued their hot shooting by shooting over 52.5% from the field on route to a 86-72 win. Ian Thomas recorded his fourth double-double of the season by scoring 23 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. DeWayne Powell only missed a triple-double by two points as he had 8 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

MATC Men Win Two Straight
Posted 1-3-04 - The MATC Men's Basketball team (13-8 Overall, 10-3 WJCAA, 4-1 WTCC) recorded their fourth conference win of the season with a 90-66 win over Western WI Technical College in La Crosse, WI on January 28. Five WolfPack players were in double-figures with Ian Thomas, a former Columbus H.S. athlete, matching his season high 27 points and recording his second double-double of the season, pulling down 11 rebounds. Trent Ritzenthaler (16 pts.), Kevin Klein (13 pts.), DeWayne Powell (10 pts.), and E.J. Vaquera (10 pts.) were also in double figures as MATC shot over 52 % from the field.

On February 2, the MATC Men hosted UW-Baraboo in a non-conference contest. MATC jumped out to a 40-27 halftime lead and never looked back as all five starters were in double figures. MATC was led for the third straight game by Ian Thomas' 21 points and 7 rebounds. DeWayne Powell added 10 points and grabbed a team season high of 14 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. MATC won 75-68.

MATC Beats UW-Richland, Hangs Tough Against Milwaukee Tech
Posted 1-28-04 - The MATC Men's Basketball team (11-8 Overall, 8-3 WJCAA, 3-1 WTCC) got a break from the conference schedule on January 22 when they traveled to Richland Center to face the UW-Richland Roadrunners. MATC got off to a 46-25 halftime lead and never looked back. MATC was led by former Baraboo H.S. athlete, Trent Ritzenthaler's 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. E.J. Vaquera (13 pts.) and Dewayne Powell (12 pts.) were also in double-figures for the WolfPack. MATC won 84-64.

In their fourth conference game of the season, on January 24th, MATC-Madison faced co-conference leader MATC-Milwaukee at Alverno College in Milwaukee, WI. In a back and forth game, the WolfPack trailed 37-41 at half. In the second half, MATC-Madison closed the gap and went up with only a few minutes left to go in the game. Unfortuately, the WolfPack could not hold on as a talented Stormers team put the game away with free throws, winning 76-79. Ian Thomas led all scorers with 18 points in the WolfPack's first conference loss.

MATC Wins Three Straight, Leads Conference
Posted 1-22-04 - The MATC Men's Basketball team (10-7 Overall, 7-2 WJCAA, 3-0 WTCC) has claimed three straight conference victories against Western WI Tech, Waukesha County Tech, and Mid-State Tech. At 3-0, MATC currently leads the Wisconsin Technical College Conferece by one game over Milwaukee Tech and Mid-State Tech.

In their second win, on January 14th, MATC traveled to take on conference preseason #1, Waukesha County Technical College. MATC jumped out to a 39-36 halftime lead and held on in the second half to claim a big conference victory, 81-78. Former Columbus standout, Ian Thomas, led the WolfPack in scoring for the third straight game as he scored 26 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

In their third straight conference win, on January 17th, at home, MATC beat last year's conference champion, Mid-State Technical College, 71-63. MATC shot 40% from beyond the arc and were led by the shooting of point guard Kevin Klein's 4-for-6 shooting from three point territory. MATC had five players in double figures while Ian Thomas recorded his first double-double of the season by scoring 13 points and grapping 10 boards.

MATC Wins First Conference Game
Posted 1-10-04 - The MATC Men's Basketball team (8-7 Overall, 5-2 WJCAA, 1-0 WTCC) claimed their first Wisconsin Technical College Conference win on Saturday. MATC, led by four players in double-figures including Ian Thomas (21 pts.), Kevin Klein (19 pts.), E.J. Vaquera (11 pts.) and DeWayne Powell (10 pts.), held off a late Cavalier rally to win 80-72. Former Madison East player, DeWayne Powell also added 10 rebounds and 7 assists to claim his first double-double of the season.

MATC Men Beat Rock Valley, Lose One
Posted 1-8-04 - The MATC Men's Basketball team (7-7 Overall, 4-2 WJCAA) led by E.J. Vaquera, a former Marshall H.S. athlete, scored an MATC season high 31 points in their 55-51 win over Rock Valley College on December 16th in Rockford, IL. DeWayne Powell also pitched in nine points and Kevin Klein added 6 assists in the win.

In the January 7th game against UW-Manitowoc (9-1), in Manitowoc, WI, the MATC Men struggled in the first half and were outscored 21-46. Ian Thomas, a former Columbus H.S. athlete, had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field to lead all scorers. Unforunately, it was not enough as MATC could not overcome the halftime deficit and eventually lost, 63-89. E.J. Vaquera also pitched in 10 points for the WolfPack.

MATC Struggles against UW-Marathon
Posted 12-16-03 - The MATC Men's Basketball team (6-6 Overall, 4-1 WJCAA) struggled to find their rhythm without second leading scorer, Ian Thomas, who is out after having surgery to repair his broken nose. MATC shot 9-for-30 from the field and 5-for-21 from beyond the arc as they got off to a slow start and trailed 14-34 at halftime. MATC, led by Mark Scott's 12 points, lost 42-62 to the host Huskies.

Men's Basketball Wins One, Loses One
Posted 12-11-03 - The MATC Men's Basketball team (6-5 Overall) won one and lost one. The MATC Men faced UW-Rock County for the second time this season at home on December 3rd. The MATC Men maintained their undefeated (4-0) record against state junior college competition with a 93-46 win over the visiting Rattlers. MATC held UW-Rock County to a school record low of 5 points at half, leading them at halftime, 41-5. All the WolfPack players scored and Mark Scott (19 pts.), Andy Jorgensen (16 pts.), and Chris Waskow (16 pts.) each scored in in double-figures.

On Saturday, December 6th, MATC traveled to Joliet, IL to face the #4 team in the nation, Joliet Junior College. Joliet jumped out to a 50-34 halftime lead and continued to shoot the lights out from three point country. Joliet shot 48% for the game going 12-25. MATC could not close the gap in the second half despite shooting 51.6% from the field. Ian Thomas led all MATC players with 17 points. E.J. Vaquera and Mark Scott each added 15 points as MATC lost 68-82.

MATC Men Beats Riverland CC
Posted 12-3-03 - The MATC Men's Basketball (5-4 Overall ) team looked strong against the visiting Blue Deils. MATC came out shooting as the team shot more than 47% from the field and 60% beyond the arc, jumping out to a 46-25 halftime lead. The WolfPack never looked back as Ian Thomas led all eleven WolfPack scorers with 21 points. Mark Scott and E.J. Vaquera both recorded double-doubles for the game.

Men Play Tough Against Stiff Competition
Posted 11-21-03 - The MATC Men's Basketball team has played tough against stiff competition over the last week. With five games in the last ten days, the MATC Men have faced top competition from Illinois including Division III powerhouses Joliet Junior College (ranked #13 in the nation) and Rock Valley College and NJCAA Division I Sauk Valley Community College.

MATC Wins 400th Game For Coach Verhelst
Posted 11-12-03 - MATC Head Coach, John Verhelst, a 2001 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame inductee, claimed his 400th career basketball coaching victory as the WolfPack downed UW-Richland 93-45 at MATC last night (November 11th).  Mark Scott, a WIAA Division IV All-Star from Black Hawk H.S., recorded his first college double-double by scoring 17 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.  The MATC Men are now 3-1 overall going into this weekend's MATC WolfPack Classic.