Matt Coldren-Wilson

Matt Coldren played for Reggie Weiss and was an assistant for six years with the legendary high school basketball coach. Weiss guided Central Catholic to a state championship in 1985 and then went on to win a school record 362 games at Wilson. Coldren is just two victories away from breaking that record. I asked Coldren what Weiss means to him on and off the court. He replied, “I can’t say enough great things about him. I owe everything to him.” Coldren is in his 21st season as the Bulldogs’ head coach with a record of (361-170). He led them to their first District 3 title in 2020, as well as four Berks County championships. Coldren told me that he’s most proud of the relationships he has with his players. The 1990 Wilson graduate was an all-county selection as a senior when he made 63 three-pointers. The Bulldogs are off to a (4-3, 0-2) start. Two of their losses were by a total of three points. They fell at Gov. Mifflin 54-52 and got tripped up at Hempfield 51-50 this week. Coldren understands that qualifying for the Berks County playoffs won’t be easy this year. Reading is the defending Class 6A state champion, and Berks Catholic, Exeter, and Gov. Mifflin are all solid teams. We discussed how he handles a game like Wilson’s 64-36 loss to the Red Knights last week. Coldren talked about life after Stevie Mitchell. The Bulldogs’ all-time leading scorer (2,060 points) is now at Marquette. Mitchell helped Wilson finish (20-2) last season with a second straight county title. The Bulldogs have a brand new starting lineup including senior guard Keegan Coldren. Matt spoke candidly about what it’s like to coach his son. The Bulldogs visit (6-3) Exeter on Monday and host (5-1) Muhlenberg on Thursday.