Matthew Downing Jr. is in his first year as head boys basketball coach at Seabury Academy, but he owns a wealth of basketball experience.

His father, Matthew Downing Sr., coached Atchison High for 19 years, and the son played at the University of Maryland under Gary Williams from 1990-92.

“I’ve taken a little bit from almost every coach I’ve run into,” Downing Jr. said.

Downing, who described himself as 5-foot-10 “on a good day,” served as a three-point shooter off the bench for Maryland. Those Terrapins teams never reached the tournament because of NCAA probation, but the Walt Williams-led squads beat everyone in the Atlantic Coast Conference except Duke.

In 1999, Downing began coaching players needing extra basketball skills work for a club team called Gametime Recreation Inc. That served as a springboard to his current coaching gig at Seabury, where he has an installed an up-tempo offense and a full-court-pressure defense.

How far have your players come in understanding the new system?

We’re trying to go a little more up-tempo than I think what the kids are usually used to. We take a lot of quick shots simply because it’s hard for us to rebound. We’re trying to get a lot of our scoring out of transition. … They’ve come miles. They’ve made tremendous strides in starting to understand my philosophy, starting to play up-tempo and getting after it defensively and starting to create easy baskets for us. They’re getting the hang of it.

How would you describe your Seabury team?

They are ambitious. They want to learn. They are hungry for any kind of information I can provide them. All in all, they are a good bunch of a kids, which is a good thing for me as far as working with them day to day. I don’t have the other problems as far as behavior off the court. They’re all good students for the most part. In that respect it makes my job easier because during practice time we focus on basketball, and we are getting better in that aspect.

What was it like to play under your father at Atchison?

It wasn’t as easy as people may think. He was harder on myself and my brother (Clifford) than others because we got it at home as well.

What have you learned from your father about basketball?

Just keep it light. I mean, he was a fun guy. From him we understood when it was time to get down to business, but we also understood that it’s still a game. And playing that way kept it a little less stressful for us players. … From him what I’ve learned the most is to trust the kids and trust their talents and don’t overcoach.

SEABURY ACADEMY BOYS BASKETBALL COACH MATTHEW DOWNING JR. has a wealth of hoops experience to draw upon during his first season guiding the Seahawks. Downing played for his father, Matthew Downing Sr., at Atchison High, and also suited up at the University of Maryland under the watchful eye of longtime Terrapins coach Gary Williams.

Describe playing under Gary Williams?

I know people see him on the sidelines and how he gets after it. But he was like that full-time when I got there. He has mellowed out some. It was his second year. So he was going after everything. He was fiery. I really don’t have that, but I have learned a lot from him.

What did you learn from Williams?

I learned how to get the best out of your players. Being at the University of Maryland in that recruiting battle, they don’t normally get the McDonald’s All-Americans, but they do get talented kids. So what I did learn is to try to know each kid personally and see what pushes their buttons and what can you do to help that kid maximize his potential.

Describe your role on the Maryland team?

I was the three-point shooter. I was the shortest guy on the team. But I was a scorer in high school. The whole idea of distributing the ball didn’t really sit well with me. … The gist of the offense was to get it to Walt (Williams). We had a really closely bonded team. So it was fun. I spent some time with him once he got drafted, going to the lottery, and we became really good friends. And we stay in touch to this day.

What is the biggest challenge of your job coaching Seabury?

Just getting used to 1A basketball. Coming from basketball that was 4A, where we played a lot of 5A, 6A schools, it’s just a different atmosphere, but I’m getting used to it.

Describe the biggest adjustment between 4A and 1A basketball?

Understanding the little responsibilities like water bottles and med kits. And understanding that there is one person that does everything instead of having a manager for this and a manager for that. That’s been the biggest adjustment as far as 4A to 1A, because basketball is basketball. It’s universal, and at any level you can be successful.