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Matt Elkin Headshot

Matt Elkin

  • Title
    Assistant Coach
  • Email
    me2967@columbia.edu
  • Alma Mater
    Wisconsin-Madison, '14 | Northeastern, '16
  • Hometown
    West Roxbury, Mass.
Matt Elkin joined the Columbia men’s basketball program as an assistant coach in April 2025.

He previously served as Assistant Recruiting Coordinator at Stanford in 2024-25 under former Columbia head coach Kyle Smith. Elkin helped coordinate all recruiting efforts including official and unofficial visits, off-campus recruiting activities, recruiting databases and scouting services, as well as directed all Stanford youth and elite prospect camps. During his time in Palo Alto, he also played an integral role in the development of All-ACC first team honoree Maxime Raynaud and helped the Cardinal to a 7th place finish in their inaugural season in the ACC conference as well as their first NIT appearance since 2018.

Prior to Stanford, Elkin spent four seasons at Yale as Director of Basketball Operations. Responsible for all logistics of the Bulldogs’ program, Elkin was a part of three Ivy League Championship teams in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and helped Yale to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2024. While in New Haven, Elkin coached multiple First Team All-Ivy League honorees including Azar Swain, Matt Knowling, Danny Wolf, as well as three-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Bez Mbeng. He was a member of the 2023 Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year under head coach James Jones and played a vital role in one of the most successful four-year stretches in Ivy League Men’s Basketball history.

Concurrent with his role at Yale, Elkin has served as an assistant coach with Team USA’s U18 team and helped lead them to a gold medal at the 2022 World Maccabiah Games. He also serves as the Executive Director for the Jewish Coaches Association, a network of coaches, administrators, front office executives, and other sports leaders world-wide spanning across all levels of basketball and beyond.

Before his time in New Haven, Elkin served as an assistant coach at the Windward School in Los Angeles, where he helped the program to a 53-15 record over two seasons, including back-to-back state tournament appearances and a CIF Southern Section Division I championship in 2020. He mentored several student-athletes who went on to play college basketball including Devin Tillis (UNLV/UC Irvine/Virginia) and two five-star prospects in the class of 2022, Dylan Andrews (UCLA/Boise State) and Kijani Wright (USC/Vanderbilt).

During his time in Los Angeles, he also worked with West Coast Elite, one of the premier event operators and grassroots basketball programs in the nation. He was primarily responsible for college placement and worked closely with their Under Armour Association sponsored programs in addition to leading their High Academic Elite Camps and operating one of the most successful Men’s Final Four networking events in the country. He also worked numerous camps and events across the country including the Pangos and Under Armour All-American Camps.

Elkin spent two seasons at Vermont Academy as a varsity assistant coach from 2016-18. Competing in the NEPSAC, he coached 15 players who went on to play Division I basketball, led by two-time ACC all-conference selection and 2021 NBA champion Jordan Nwora and McDonald’s All-American and former Top-10 nationally ranked prospect Simi Shittu.

He earned his BBA in Management & Human Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2014 and served one season as a student manager for the Men’s basketball team during the 2011-12 season in which the Badgers finished 27-10 overall and reached the Sweet 16. Elkin later worked as head manager and student assistant for two seasons at Division III Edgewood College, helping the Eagles reach the NACC Championship in 2014.

While earning a Master’s degree in Sports Leadership from Northeastern in 2016, Elkin was the graduate manager for the men’s basketball team for two seasons. In his first year, the Huskies posted a 23-12 record, captured the CAA Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, the school’s first appearance since 1991. During his two seasons, he helped develop five 1,000-point scorers, three first team All-CAA honorees and one CAA Player of the Year, TJ Williams.

Matt Elkin Timeline
Columbia 2025-present Assistant Coach
Stanford 2024-25 Assistant Recruiting Coordinator
Yale 2020-24 Director of Basketball Operations
Windward School (Calif.) 2018-20 Assistant Coach
Vermont Academy (Vt.) 2016-18 Assistant Coach
Northeastern 2014-16 Graduate Manager
Edgewood College 2012-14 Head Manager
Wisconsin-Madison 2011-12 Student Manager