HAMILTON – USA Basketball announced that Colgate men's basketball head coach
Matt Langel will be part of the 2026 USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team staff. He will serve as an assistant alongside Alabama head coach Nate Oats. Dayton head coach Anthony Grant is slated to be the team's head man.
The coaching selections for the U18 National Team were made by the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Committee. For the U17 National Team, selections were made by the USA Basketball Men's Developmental National Team Committee. All selections were approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.
Langel returns to the U18 staff after serving as a court coach in 2022. In his 15 seasons at the helm of the Raiders, Langel is the winningest coach in Colgate men's basketball history with 258 victories and counting.
"This is an incredible honor to be part of a group that's going to try and win a gold medal," Langel said. "Just being in the room with amazing coaches, there's always something to learn. From the talented players and incredibly successful coaches around this program, I have a great deal of admiration for this opportunity. Without the great coaches and outstanding student-athletes who have believed in what we're doing here at Colgate, I wouldn't have these opportunities. I'm thankful for all those people."
The Raiders have earned a top three finish in the Patriot League in each of the past eight seasons. The team made the NCAA tournament in four of the last five seasons, and their 90-19 record in conference games ranks fourth-best in the nation over that span.
Langel and USA basketball U18 will compete in the FIBA U18 Men's AmeriCup this summer. The dates and locations have yet to be announced. Langel won gold at the tournament in 2022, and the United States has won the event seven consecutive times.
Grant has been the head coach at Dayton since 2017 and on pace for a fifth consecutive 20-win season. He will serve his first head coaching assignment with USA Basketball, previously serving as an assistant for the gold-medal-winning 2018 U18 National Team and silver-medal-earning 2008 U18 National Team.
Oats was named the head coach at Alabama in 2019 and has led the Crimson Tide to the NCAA Tournament five consecutive times, including the school's first Final Four appearance in 2024. He will make his first USA Basketball coaching assignment after serving as a court coach for the 2025 U19 National Team training camp.
The FIBA U18 Men's AmeriCup takes place every two years with the Americans having won 11 gold medals, including seven straight.
