Matt Shonder grew up in the Midwest but cut his teeth in collegiate basketball in the south.
The Illinois native has returned to his roots, of sorts, with his new job as head men’s basketball college at the Vermilion campus of Minnesota North College.
His young Ironhawks team is a work in progress, with only one win thus far in the most brutal part of the 2025-26 season schedule.
But Shonder’s first win was a big one - a Nov. 14 home upset against perennial powerhouse Rochester - and the Ironhawks have competed much better against MCAC Southern Division teams so far than many of their Northern Division counterparts.
That gives Shonder high hopes that Vermilion will qualify for the regional tournament for a second straight year and even make a run at the Northern Division title.
“I think in the Northern Division, we could be one, two or three,” said Shonder. “Especially with the tough schedule we have been playing and how we’ve been competing in a lot of these games and other teams in the division haven’t had a lot of success. And our home game with Rochester that we won, and a lot of teams in the division are struggling against Rochester, so I think we can have the upper hand.”
Shonder was hired in August to replace Dawson Dickson, who guided Vermilion to its first regional berth in several years last winter.
But the new coach had to rebuild the Vermilion roster quickly, and he looked at as many as 40 potential Ironhawks during preseason workouts before settling on the current, freshman-dominated roster.
“We have a young, very talented team here,” said Shonder. “The style of play I brought to Vermilion is a lot different for these guys and something they’re getting used to.
Shonder spent the last three years as an assistant coach at NJCAA Division I Andrew College of Cuthbert, Georgia. Prior to that he was an assistant at NAIA Reinhardt, also in Georgia.
The time down south also had an impact on Shonder’s recruiting interests, and the Vermilion roster is dotted with players from south of the Mason-Dixon line, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Arizona.
“I love to recruit in the south as much as I can,” said Shonder. “It’s where I find most of the more athletic players are. But what I like are the Midwest players are a little more skilled. So we’re looking for a combination of both.”
One of the talented southern players on the Vermilion roster is one of four returning sophomores - guard Natorrius Truitt.
The Georgia native was named this week’s MCAC Northern Division Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week after scoring 38 points last week - including 16 in Friday’s loss at M State-Fegus Falls.
Truitt also had six rebounds, four steals and a pair of assists while shooting 41 percent of the field.
Another key sophomore is Mudia Gbowa, a 6-3 guard from Baltimore. He poured in 19 points, and Truitt finished with 14 as Vermilion fell 82-75 at St. Cloud Tech on Saturday.
Sophomore Rashad Parms added nine points and 10 rebounds in the same game. He hails from Miami.
Angelo Carver (Pompano Beach, Fla.) had eight points at St. Cloud while Kris Tiller (Glen Allen, Va.) and Andrew Johnson (Greenville, S.C.) finished with six points apiece.
Another key player for the Ironhawks is 6-8 Desmond Olatunji, who came all the way to Vermilion from Nigeria.
Shonder had to put together a roster on the fly after arriving in town just before the start of the school year, and the Ironhawks continue to make sides.
“I think eventually, with our team, it comes down to where I see them fitting in with both our offense and defense,” said Shonder.
Shonder said his team came out flat in Friday’s 74-53 loss at Fergus Falls, but the Ironhawks led by double digits at one point but couldn’t maintain that advantage against St. Cloud.
Vermilion was plagued by 22 turnovers in the contest, and the Cyclones’ Malachi Gant and Jack Boos combined for 46 point.
After a break for Thanksgiving, the Ironhawks open a three-game homestand on Friday, Dec. 5 against Anoka- Ramsey.
A Dec. 6 matchup against state and national powerhouse Riverland follows and Vermilion will host the St. Scholastica junior varsity on Dec. 8.
Shonder said the community will be entertained by his Ironhawks.
“It’s a different style of basketball,” he said. “We play fast for a reason. I want us to score in the 70s to the 90s every game.”
The new coach is also quickly adjusting to his new surroundings.
“I like the people,” said Shonder. “I like the town. It’s a great community. Everybody seems very helpful especially up here at the college.”
