MATTEI DISMISSED
Coached at Regis Jesuit 17 years
Carl Mattei’s tenure as Regis Jesuit girls basketball head coach came to an abrupt end Thursday.
After 17 seasons, eight title game appearances and three state championships with the Raiders, Mattei was informed by the school that he was being dismissed one victory shy of career win No. 400.
Mattei said the school’s decision caught him by surprise Thursday morning. He declined to answer questions from The Post, but did release a statement highlighting his many accomplishments at Regis Jesuit.
“The standard has been set and the bar is set even higher as the new administration pushes their cancel culture to the Jesuit community in Aurora,” the last sentence of Mattei’s statement read.
When contacted by The Post, Regis Jesuit administrators released their own statement addressing Mattei’s dismissal but also declined to answer questions.
“Today, Regis Jesuit High School decided to end its relationship with the head coach of the Varsity Girls Basketball Team, Carl Mattei. Coach Mattei has been an integral part of the RJ Girls Basketball Program since its inaugural season in 2004-05. Since that time, the program has become one of the most competitive and successful in the state,” the statement read.
“At Regis Jesuit, we look beyond wins and losses and seek adult mentors who care for the holistic development of our students and programs. The termination of our agreement with Coach Mattei is the result of a growing lack of alignment with RJ leadership regarding the vision for the program and its support of the school’s mission.”
The school said it has already started its search for a replacement, and expects to have one in place before the 2021-22 season starts. Whoever Regis chooses will have some big shoes to fill.
The first and only coach in program history, Mattei guided Regis to a run of nine straight Final Fours at one point during his tenure. His teams won state titles in 2009, ’13 and ’14, with the latter finishing the season ranked No. 3 in the nation.
Mattei also sent 44 players on to Division I programs, with three named Gatorade state player of the year — Justine Hall, Diani Akigbogun and Fran Belibi.
Belibi, who was also selected as a Mcdonald’s All-american, became the second girl to win the event’s slam dunk contest in 2019 and won a national title with the Stanford Cardinal last spring.
The Raiders reached the Class 5A title game during last year’s Covid-shortened season, upsetting top-ranked Grandview (7369) in the semifinals before losing to Valor Christian (67-42) in the championship.
His 400th career win appeared to be a lock with Regis prior to Thursday. Now it will have to come at a different school.