Coaches

Matt Borchert, Head Coach
Natalie Cooley, Assistant Coach
Conni Holloway, Assistant Coach

Matt Borchert, Head Coach

There’s a lot of pride in being associated with the Solano Community College women’s basketball program. And no one knows that more than tenth-year head coach Matt Borchert.

Coach Matt has continued a long history of success that defined the program long before he arrived in the Spring of 2000.

Coach Matt is 172-114 as the Falcons’ head coach. The longest tenured coach in SCC women’s basketball history hasn’t had a losing season, has posted five 20-win seasons and has won three Bay Valley Conference titles – including the last two. More importantly than the wins and losses, he has moved on 29 players to four-year universities on athletic scholarships which is how success is defined at the community college level.

Coach Matt has coached three WBCA Kodak Honorable Mention All-Americans, two Bay Valley Conference MVPs, 20 BVC all-conference selections and three all-state picks.
When a player leaves Solano, they are ready to play at the next level.

Coach Matt’s success is due to the fact that he’s a student of the game. He strives to learn more about the ever-changing women’s game by watching videos, attending clinics and watching womens and girls basketball games across the state as well as on television. Therefore, his practices are always fresh, exciting and challenging.

Coach Matt is well-known in the community and is a staple at girls basketball games in Solano County and beyond. He’s a huge basketball fan and loves learning new ways to teach the game to the enthusiastic student-athletes who come to Solano with the hopes of improving their game.

On the court, Coach Matt is one of the most passionate and driven coaches around. His refuse-to-lose attitude rubs off on his players and he in turn gets the most out of them in practices and games.

Coach Matt has coached California community college women’s basketball for more than half his life and loves that he can teach the ins and outs of the game to athletes who desire to play at the next level. He believes that in order for his players to improve as athletes and people he must challenge them in every facet of the game as well as their lives.

By playing one of the toughest schedules in the state year in and year out, Coach Matt ensures that his players are going up against the best teams and therefore the best players in California. It’s the only way they’ll be ready to move on and contribute right away to a four-year program.

Preparation is key as well. That’s why his practices are very intense and structured – a drill is not complete until everyone gets it right. Solano runs complex offensive and defensive systems that are implemented throughout the season. Because Coach Matt believes in a run-and-gun style offense, lots of players see the court and are expected to contribute at all times.

Solano’s preseason and offseason conditioning programs are structured as well. The experienced assistant coaching staff puts together a combination of weights, pylometrics, running and core fitness training that keeps the athletes in shape year-round.

Coach Matt is a two-time Bay Valley Conference Coach of the Year, having won the award in two of the three years he led Solano to the conference title..

The Falcons are coming off back-to-back conference titles – having won the 2008-09 crown on the final day of the regular season. The team got off to a rocky start, finishing the regular season with a 3-10 record, and then dropping its first two conference games. Things turned around quickly though and Coach Matt and company reeled off 14 straight wins to capture a share of the conference title and earn the final spot in the NorCal playoffs.

In 2007-08, Coach Matt took his team up against some of the state’s best teams. The Falcons went the distance in three of four tournaments they played in, including playing four straight games at the prestigious College of Sequoias tournament in Visalia. The preparation that the team faced in the preseason helped the team cruise through its Bay Valley Conference schedule, going 14-0. The Falcons were the first team in program history to go undefeated in conference play.

Coach Matt won his first conference title in 2005-06. There were plenty of memories that year as he also won his 100th career game at Solano and posted the best winning percentage of his career.

Coach Matt’s teams are extremely fun to watch because of the up tempo style of play and it wasn’t just in the championship seasons when fans got their money’s worth. Solano tends to have a flare for the dramatic as evidenced by the 03-04 team’s last-second win at North power College of Marin; the team’s victory at the Chaffey Tournament in 2000, which gave the program its first-ever state No. 1 ranking. Later that year, the team won its own Solano Showdown in a thrilling finish and advanced to the championship game of the De Anza Classic.

In 2005-06, Solano helped its cause en route to the BVC title by beating rival Contra Costa College in San Pablo in front of a raucous crowd on a last-second half-court heave.

Coach Matt is not only an advocate for women’s basketball, but for community colleges. He is on the Solano Community College Hall of Fame committee and serves as the CCCWBCA Treasurer and Past President. He’s on the CCCWBCA Executive Board and serves as the District 8 National Coach of the Year representative for the WBCA.

Coach Matt has developed several young athletes through his highly successful basketball camps and clinics. In fact, former Solano standout Angela Franklin (07-08) was a frequent camper during her high school days at Vanden High in Fairfield. Several of the area’s top high school basketball players attended the camp prior to their prep fame.

Coach Matt is also a member of the WBCA and attends the NCAA Women’s Final Four developing relationships with four-year coaches across the country.

Borchert is the middle of three children; his sisters are Bonnie and Debbie.. Coach Matt and his wife, Angela, live in Vacaville with their daughters, Diana, 4, and Amy, who was born on July 23, 2009.

Natalie Cooley, Assistant Coach

Natalie joins Coach Matt's staff after playing for Solano from 2006-08.

Natalie had many accolades as a Falcon, earning the Falcon Award two years in a row. The Falcon Award is given to the player who earns the best GPA. She was also named Player of the Year as a sophomore.

Natalie earned her AA in childhood development from Solano and continued her athletic and academic careers at William Jessup University in Rockville. She was named team captain as a sophomore.

Natalie is attending CSU, Sacramento, where she is pursuing a degree in kinesiology. She hopes to go to physical therapy school to be a therapist.

While Natalie loves school, she also enjoys working at her family's pumpkin patch, Cool Patch Pumpkins, in October, riding her Ducati motorcycle, reading a good book and baking.

Natalie is from Dixon and attended Winters High where she played basketball for her dad, Matt, for four years. She also was a standout member of the school's track and field team.

Natalie is very excited to be back at Solano environment and helping Coach Matt on the sidelines and in practice.

Conni Holloway, Assistant Coach

Conni joins the Solano coaching staff for her first season on Coach Matt's staff.

Conni is a former player, having suited up as a Falcon from 2005-06. She was a highly recruited point guard out of Armijo High and had a great freshman season for Solano, helping lead the team to the Bay Valley Conference title and the postseason.

Conni played two years varsity basketball at Armijo High, playing under former Solano point guard Ana Gallegos-Adams. She was an all-league selection and named to the Daily Republic all-area girls basketball team.

Conni earned her AA from Solano this past summer in social science and is attending CSU, Sacramento, in pursuit of a degree in sociology. She would like to earn her masters in social work and pursue a career as a social worker.

She said she truly enjoys juggling school, work, family and coaching because the reward is greater than anyone can imagine.

Conni is married to Michael Holloway, a former Solano basketball player, who is also the boys varsity basketball coach at Vanden High in Fairfield. She has three daughters, Calonni, 4, and twins Makenna and Cadence, 2.