Former Brentwood Academy coach Matt Hoppe named basketball coach, AD at Clarksville Academy

Clarksville Academy reminds Matt Hoppe of his alma mater, Brentwood Academy, when he attended the school in the mid-1990s.

That was a big draw for Hoppe, who was named boys basketball coach and athletic director at CA on Monday.

"The size of the school is kind of like when I was a student and played (at Brentwood Academy)," said Hoppe, 45, who played basketball, football and ran track and field. "I was really drawn to that size of school and community."

Hoppe spent the past three seasons as boys basketball coach at Brentwood Academy. The Eagles went 68-12 during his three years, reaching the Division II-AA state tournament the last two seasons. Brentwood Academy lost to MBA in the state final in 2021 and to Knoxville Catholic in the semifinals in 2022. 

However, he and the Eagles parted ways in March.

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Clarksville Academy lost both head basketball coach Tyler Hickman and AD Jake Peterson during the off-season.

“Matt Hoppe was a standout candidate for both our athletic director and head basketball positions," said Jennifer Hinote, CA Head of School. "His passion for athletics, competitive spirit, and knowledge of independent schools made him the ultimate choice for athletic director. His knowledge of the game and experience at the DII level made him the clear choice for varsity basketball head coach.”

It will be Hoppe's first stint as an athletic director.

"I always wanted to get into athletic administration and be an athletic director," Hoppe said. "This is the perfect opportunity to do that. I'm super excited to be doing it at Clarksville Academy. The community, the mission of the school, the administration, and (Hinote) have all been fantastic.

"I'm just really excited to jump in and continue the legacy that (Peterson) left. They have a really strong athletic program."

Hoppe, a Samford graduate who got his master's degree at Belmont, is already familiar with Division II but will continue getting more familiar with the smaller division.

"It's going to be an exciting challenge," Hoppe said. "The basketball is fantastic in (DII-A). I'm already familiar with Goodpasture and Nashville Christian a little. I'll really have to study up and watch film and get up to speed on other teams in the league."