Kaitz Transformed Basketball Culture with Hard Work and Dedication

Not all Carnegie Mellon University alumni remember the details and feelings the last time they took the court as a Tartan at the historical Skibo Gymnasium, but Matt Kaitz (TPR'04) remembers all the details of that day, how special it was to play in front of his family one last time, and the focus on beating top-five nationally ranked Rochester at home for a chance at the post-season.

"My senior year was a culmination of so much hard work, commitment, and dedication to transform the program and just knowing it was all coming to an end for me made it a very bitter sweet day," said Kaitz.  "To this day, I think about that game and wish it would had ended differently, but when I left Skibo that day, I knew we accomplished so much as a program in my four years."

Kaitz, a New York native, even remembers the special details of the game when he scored his 1,000th point. It was made more special for the fact it was a University Athletic Association (UAA) game that the Tartans won against New York University (NYU) in Pittsburgh with his father in the stands.

In 2012, Kaitz was named to Carnegie Mellon's UAA 25th Anniversary Men's Basketball team.  When he found out he had received such an honor, he immediately thought back to some of the conversations he and Head Coach Tony Wingen had when he was just a recruit looking to attend Carnegie Mellon.

"The goal was to take a struggling program and turn it back into a winner and I really wanted to be a part of that," Kaitz said.  "As I look back on my individual accomplishments, I am most proud of the way we transformed the program in my four years."

"We changed the culture and created a winning atmosphere where hard work, dedication and doing the right thing was expected," Kaitz continued.

When he first arrived to campus in 2000, he was one of ten freshmen to join the program.  While trying to figure out how to fit in with his teammates, Kaitz never lost focus on success.

"My parents taught me at an early age that there was absolutely no substitute for hard work, and I knew the way to separate myself from the pack was to outwork everyone," Kaitz said.  "Being a three-time All-UAA honoree was a result of opportunity, a ton of hard work and having the chance to play alongside some very special teammates and for some great coaches."

Kaitz was last on campus two years ago for the annual basketball alumni weekend, but unfortunately hasn't been able to return to campus since.  When he does make the trip to Pittsburgh, Kaitz feels nostalgic being on campus.

"Carnegie Mellon holds a very special place in my heart," Kaitz said.  "I had an amazing four years at CMU and whenever I am on campus, I reflect back on all of the amazing memories and experiences I had as well as lifelong friendships I formed."

Since graduation, Kaitz has been working on Wall Street at a large investment bank in New York City, specifically in fixed income sales and trading.When he was graduating from Carnegie Mellon, Kaitz knew he wanted to do something in finance and more specifically work on Wall Street.

"Being a student-athlete at Carnegie Mellon opened a lot of doors and when I was given the opportunity to work at a major investment bank in New York City I wanted to take full advantage of it," Kaitz said.

Similarly to his time at Carnegie Mellon, Kaitz was given an opportunity to be successful, and he took full advantage.  Despite intense, stressful, fast-paced, and competitive work, Kaitz knew he would thrive in that type of industry.

"I have learned and experienced so much professionally in the 10 years since I have graduated, with tons of ups and downs, but there is no question I found the right career," Kaitz said.  "I am surrounded everyday by smart, very hard working people who challenge me to be better."

"There is no way I would be where I am today, both personally and professionally, if it had not been for my experiences as a student-athlete at Carnegie Mellon," Kaitz added.  "I matured into a leader while at CMU and found out how much success can be achieved through honest hard work, dedication, discipline, and commitment."

Kaitz does all he can to remain connected to the university and remain a part of the Carnegie Mellon community.

"It is very important to me to remember where I came from and how I got where I am," Kaitz said.  "There were so many people who influenced me along the way and so many of those people have ties to Carnegie Mellon."

"Carnegie Mellon University is a special place and Coach Wingen and the basketball program mean so much to me," Kaitz continued.  "I will always look back on my time with great fondness and hope to be able to continue to stay connected to the school and the basketball program in the years to come."

Following Kaitz's graduation, the men's basketball team saw a tremendous amount of success reaching post-season play in five consecutive seasons and won its first UAA Championship.  From 2004-2009 the men's team advanced to three ECAC tournament s and two NCAA Championship tournaments, winning the program's first ECAC Championship in 2008 and first-ever NCAA game in 2009.

"After I graduated I viewed the program's success like a big brother who gets to watch his younger brother accomplish his goals," Kaitz said.  "It was incredible to see the program and my friends accomplish so much and it made me proud to have been a part of the cultural change that took place to help the program transform into a winner."

"When you look at the numbers, Matt Kaitz is absolutely one of the best players in program history," said head men's basketball coach Tony Wingen.  "He is in the top ten in nearly every category, but his most important legacy is his leadership.  Matt helped lay the foundation for the success of those that followed."

Kaitz is still a huge basketball fan and always will be, but unfortunately doesn't get to play as much as he would like.  He loves watching and talking about basketball and looks forward to teaching the game to his children.