Marquette, MI — August 8, 2026 — This week on The Big Local Sports Show, we welcomed Luke Mattson, who has returned to the Northern Michigan University men’s basketball program as an assistant coach under new head coach Keil Ganz.
During the first segment, we took a look back at Mattson’s athletic career and how basketball became such an important part of his life. Mattson, a Negaunee native, shared how he first got involved in basketball and how the sport helped him build lifelong friendships along the way.
Mattson also discussed the difficult decision he faced coming out of high school, as he had opportunities to continue playing both football and basketball at the collegiate level. Ultimately, he chose to pursue his goal of playing basketball at the next level. His playing career began at Bay College, where he spent two seasons before finishing his collegiate career at Finlandia University.
In the second segment, we shifted our focus to Mattson’s coaching journey and the path that eventually brought him back to Northern Michigan. Mattson got his start in coaching at Finlandia as he got involved with Great Northern Basketball’s AAU program. It was through coaching that Mattson discovered his passion for helping develop young athletes and eventually decided he wanted to pursue coaching as a career.
Following the conclusion of his playing career, Mattson received an opportunity through his former coach, Matt Johnson, at Bay College. Johnson helped connect Mattson with former Northern Michigan head coach Matt Majkrzak, leading to a position on the Wildcats coaching staff during the 2023-24 season.
Mattson then spent the following season in Texas pursuing his master’s degree, an important step toward his long-term goal of becoming a head coach. Now, Mattson has returned to Marquette and the NMU program, joining Keil Ganz’s coaching staff. Ganz and Mattson previously worked together as assistant coaches at Northern Michigan, making his return to the program a familiar reunion.
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Coming Up Next Week
As for next week’s show, we’re still putting the finishing touches on our guest lineup. Once everything is finalized, the announcement will be posted on the mediaBrew Communications Facebook page and the Big Local Sports Show Facebook page.
The show will be live from Slabz Bar and Grill next Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. You can listen live on Fox Sports Marquette 105.1 and 99.9, watch the show streamed live on the mediaBrew Communications Facebook page, or catch the replay at 6:00 p.m. on 97.5 GTO.
