I, Matthew Douglas Van Pelt, am a 35-year old FIBA Certified professional basketball coach with hoops experience in 29 countries.
Just recently the Head Coach for four years of the back-to-back-to-back-to-back (4-peat) champions, the Saigon Heat, and Vietnam National Team in both 5v5 & 3×3. After coaching in Vietnam I then signed on to serve as the Head Coach of the Goldfields Giants in the Australia NBL1, where I took the Giants from a bottom-of-the-ladder team to a top-4 playoff team with the same local roster.
I then returned to the Vietnam Basketball Association to coach the Hanoi Buffaloes, where we finished 22-1 and won the 2025 VBA Championship and Supporter’s Cup Championship for the first time in our organization’s history. In 2026, we finished with a 19-1 regular season record, a Supporter’s Cup Championship, and set the record for most points per game in league history.
I am also serving as the Head Coach of the Vietnam Men’s National Team, and recently accepted a seasonal position as Head Coach of Hou Chon Basketball Club (Macau) in the East Asia Super League.
In addition to being a head coach, I am also a skill acquisition specialist, player development coach, retired professional point guard with playing experience in 13 countries, overseas basketball consultant, international recruiter, advanced scout, certified sports nutritionist, certified yoga trainer, co-owner of a basketball academy called The Performance Lab, owner of Pro Coaches Academy, and a sports writer and published author from the United States. Click on the tabs near the top of the screen to view my work and learn more about what I do.
