But the Otago Nuggets coach hopes to make another tilt at the National Basketball League title next year.
His coaching contract will come to an end once he has completed an exit interview with the club.
But Matehaere, who led the Nuggets to glory in the NBL Showdown in 2020 and was also at the helm when they won the league proper in 2022, is keen to return in 2025 and build on what he learned from a disappointing season.
"I still want to be involved," he said.
"I feel I learned more this season than I did when we have been successful and I still feel I have lots to offer."
The Nuggets finished ninth this season. The campaign started brightly but quickly faded.
A damaging five-game losing streak midway through the
season effectively put the
playoffs out of reach.
"On an NCEA scale, you’d get a ‘not achieved’.
"In our minds we certainly had the tools to be in playoff contention and we did not achieve that," Matehaere said.
There were some challenges that contributed to the slide.
Former Tall Blacks guard Tai Webster left after eight games to be with his partner, who was expecting the couple’s first child, 20-year-old Australian shooting guard Ben Henshall missed the last five games of the season, and talented young point guard Dontae Russo-Nance missed games at either end of the season through injury.
"Having players come in and out was a challenge, especially when they are marquee players.
"But, personally, there are areas where I felt I could have done a better job of mentoring some of the younger players.
"Dontae only got to play seven games for us, but only really five when he was tasked with being the guy. And Ben Henshall, his performances were sometimes sublime and sometimes the opposite of sublime.
"That is the challenge of youth. But I think the opportunities that they had to grow will stand them in good stead in the future."
Darcy Knox, Matthew Bardsley and Josh Aitcheson got more opportunities as a result of the shifting roster, and Jack Andrew made the step up from back-up to starting centre.
"I think the way we played, using Jack just in ball screens, probably didn’t give him the opportunity to demonstrate his skills as much as we would have liked. But I believe, when Dontae was on the court with Jack, they would have been the best games that he had.
"If you look at how he performed in those situations, there is a great deal of promise in Jack.
"He has taken big strides and he is heading in the right direction."
The two American imports proved a mixed bag.
Kimani Lawrence was "unstoppable in the paint when he had one-on-one opportunities".
"But when we didn’t have the firepower around Kimani then teams were able to clog the paint and create challenges for him.
"I feel like we didn’t get the best out of Zee [Zaccheus Darko-Kelly]. We saw what he can do when he hit 34 on an away trip to Nelson.
"The guy can play. He had the ability to score but I don’t think playing in traffic is one of his strengths.
"I guess there were areas there when the symmetry on the court was not what we would desire."
Darko-Kelly struggled with illness early in the campaign and "it took him a while to get back up to speed".
"That was certainly a factor for him. But if you look at the other side of it, they stuck it out. They were great in the community.
"The game is the focal point. But being in the community is also something the Nuggets try to do well. And those two were awesome at it."
