Ex-Hart Star Steffe is Boy Wonder of Division I Coaches

Matt Steffe finally made it to Division I basketball at the age of 24.

But he’s not an older player, he’s one of the youngest coaches in the nation.

Steffe, a former All-Valley forward at Hart High, is in his first season as a full-time assistant at Portland State, a Big Sky Conference team that defeated Cal State Northridge on Thursday.

“This is a good situation,” he said. “I’m very happy. Coaching is all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

Steffe’s playing career ended a year ago. He played one professional season in Croatia after starring at Quincy, a Division II school in Illinois.

Quincy won 20 games twice during Steffe’s career, competing in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, recognized as the toughest in Division II.

Quincy has a pipeline to the Valley area, thanks to Coach Steve Hawkins and assistant Jeff Dunlap.

Hawkins is a Ventura native and Dunlap coached at College of the Canyons.

Point guard Mike Posey of Quincy went to Hart and College of the Canyons, and swingman Justin Beach is from Camarillo.

“Steve Hawkins is my best friend,” Steffe said. “He’s helped me every step of the way.”

Steffe’s latest step is a position on the youngest coaching staff in the nation. Coach Joel Sobotka of Portland State is 29 and the oldest assistant is 31.

“Sometimes older coaches are stubborn and unwilling to change,” Steffe said. “Here, everyone is open to ideas. It’s a great working environment.”

Bobby Braswell had plenty to be displeased about in Cal State Northridge’s 76-62 loss to Portland State on Thursday. But his doghouse was reserved for point guard Markus Carr, the Big Sky Conference assist leader.

Carr, who averages more than 33 minutes a game, was benched for the last five minutes of the first half after getting blasted by Braswell in a team huddle.

“He’s going to challenge us as a coach,” Carr said. “I know he knows what he’s doing when he does that. It’s up to us to respond.”

Carr played most of the second half and finished with four points and two assists in 27 minutes. The assist total was his lowest of the season.

Freshman point guard Craig Calloway had one assist and two points in 13 minutes.

Jason Hartman was one of the Big Sky Conference’s most dominant players the last two seasons, averaging 21.2 points for Portland State.

Hartman, a former Ventura County player of the year from Thousand Oaks High, is getting paid to play now. He has already spent time in three professional leagues.

He played in Luxembourg, then for a short time in Israel before settling into a starting position for a team in Hungary.