Matthew Mitchell is bringing style back to the sidelines

ZZ Top’s Sharp Dressed Man.

That’s the song that plays on the Fertitta Center video boards before each Houston women’s basketball game. 

In the video, coach Matthew Mitchell, dressed in a signature suit, takes the court, shaking hands with players, embracing with Houston’s Sasha and Shasta before holding up the cougar paw, as the video fades to his autograph. A fitting entrance for a coach making his return.

A lot has changed in college basketball since Houston women’s coach Matthew Mitchell last roamed the sidelines.

The transfer portal has continued to play a hand in team-building, with the emergence of NIL only highlighting it further. 

Endorsements and brands have also entered the coaching scene. Most coaches now opt to wear polos or quarter-zips featuring their school’s apparel brand, such as Nike, Jordan, or Adidas.

It’s a choice Mitchell didn’t have for five years. 

While going on a run during a family vacation in March of 2020, Mitchell slipped on the rocky trail and hit his head. 

What he initially believed to be a concussion turned out to be a subdural hematoma upon further analysis, which required surgery. 

Months later, he still hadn’t fully recovered and decided to step away from his role as coach of Kentucky’s women’s basketball program at just 49 years old. 

When Mitchell got the itch to lead a program again, he turned to Houston, which was coming off a 5-25 season where it won just a single conference game.

Even given the state of the program, with Houston last making the NCAA tournament in 2011, Mitchell saw the untapped potential of women’s basketball in the city, and local, homegrown talent was one of his reasons for accepting the job.

Despite the change in scenery, roster overhaul and the game of college basketball shifting beneath his feet, Mitchell’s sideline presence has remained constant, down to what he wears. 

For Mitchell, formal wear is more than just expressing his style; it’s about getting value out of his investments.

“I have a lot of money invested in my wardrobe,” Mitchell said. 

After having his suits sit in the closet for five years, he realized the only way for him to get his money’s worth out of them was to step back into a role that demanded them. 

Pointing to his dri-fit crewneck shirt postgame, Mitchell added how he and the team wear the same clothes five days of the week, and that a change on the other two days is always welcome. 

“The other two days, it’s fun to put on a suit and tie, and it’s part of having some fun with it and enjoying it,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell has been a key supporter in making the college basketball experience enjoyable for his players, by hosting his “Cougar Red Fridays” and “Music Mondays” on Instagram, encouraging more team bonding and creating memories off the court.

He also famously performed the Dougie dance in 2010 while coaching at Kentucky, a memorable display of his personality and the joy he aims to bring to every game.

Whether through a viral moment or his sharp attire, Mitchell’s joy, which still persists 15 years later, has been a defining aspect of who he is on the sidelines.

Though the sport around him has evolved and shed some long-standing traditions, his choice to still wear suits offers a reminder that some traditions are worth keeping, and in his case, out of the closet.

“I don’t begrudge anyone who doesn’t (wear suits) but I have far too much invested to let them hang in the closet,” Mitchell said.