Indiana State University men’s basketball coach Matthew Graves was scheduled to undergo triple-bypass heart surgery Monday morning in Union Hospital, and will be taking a leave of absence as a result.
ISU announced the situation in a news release Monday morning.
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Graves’ leave of absence, effective immediately, comes at the brink of the 2025-26 season. His Sycamores are scheduled to open play with a 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 exhibition game at his college alma mater, Butler.
Associate head coach Mark Slessinger — formerly the head coach at the University of New Orleans — will serve as the Sycamores’ acting head coach in Graves’ absence.
ISU’s release said, “Graves recently visited Union Hospital for an evaluation after experiencing tightness in his chest. Following a thorough examination, doctors determined that Matthew would need to undergo triple bypass surgery this Monday morning.”
A statement from Graves, who is 50 years old, expressed his confidence.
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“I’m truly grateful for the incredible doctors at Union Health for helping my family and me through this process,” Graves said. “I look forward to rejoining the program in the near future. With Coach Slessinger’s experience as a former head coach, I have complete confidence in his leadership during my absence. Can’t wait to see everyone back in the Hulman Center, Go Sycamores!”
Graves is in his second season as ISU’s head coach, following his debut in that role last season, when his team finished with records of 14-18 overall and 8-12 in the Missouri Valley Conference. He joined ISU’s coaching staff in 2021 as associate head coach under then-head coach Josh Schertz and was on the Sycamore bench through the 2023-24 run to a National Invitation Tournament runner-up finish and a 32-7 record.
ISU promoted Graves to the head coaching job after Schertz departed for Saint Louis University following the NIT appearances. Graves rebuilt the roster after all of the potential returning regulars left ISU via the NCAA transfer portal in the spring of 2024.
Schertz, whose Billikens team opens its season Thursday at Bradley, was jarred by the news Monday.
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“Long before we worked together, Matthew and I were friends, bonding over our shared love of basketball and family,” Schertz said later Monday. “He’s an amazing father; literally nothing gets him more excited than talking about his daughters and their accomplishments. He’s in the prime of his life and working at his dream job. All of us who know Matthew are praying for a successful procedure and a quick recovery so he can get back to his two passions, his family and his team.”
Graves and his wife Susan have two daughters, Abby and Lily.
A Switz City native, Graves starred as a high schooler at White River Valley and then played at Butler from 1993-98, helping lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in his final two seasons.
His 20-plus years in coaching include stints as an assistant with with Butler, Evansville and Xavier. Graves previously served five seasons as head coach at South Alabama from 2013-18 with a 65-96 overall record.
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Slessinger coached 12 seasons at UNO, compiling a record of 154-207. His 2016-17 squad won the Southland Conference title and reached the NCAA Tournament.
A native of Ellettsville, the 51-year-old Slessinger also served as an assistant at Northwestern State in Louisiana, an assistant and head coach at Northland Pioneer College in Arizona for three seasons; and as an assistant at Central Michigan and Aurora universities. He’s a 1996 Aurora grad.
On Monday morning, just an hour prior to ISU’s announcement on Graves, Slessinger filled in on a MVC Media Day Zoom call. He didn’t mention Graves’ situation, but did comment on the Terre Haute and ISU community’s support for the team.
“We’re blessed to be in a basketball community, and maybe as fine a basketball community as in this great league, with people that really care and love our team,” Slessinger said. “They love our team not just as players, but they love them as people.”
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Nathan Christensen, ISU’s athletic director, said in a posting on his X social-media account, “Please keep [Coach Graves] and his family in your thoughts and prayers during his recovery. His passion and dedication to our student-athletes and university are second to none, and we look forward to having him back leading our men’s basketball program in the near future.”
ISU’s official season opener is scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3 at Charlotte, followed by the home debut vs. Illinois Tech on Thursday, Nov. 6.
