Potential fits frame for SPC's Mattis

[Papa_Bull]

Help is on the way!  ;D

Colleges

Potential fits frame for SPC's Mattis

By RODNEY PAGE, Times Staff Writer

Published January 9, 2005

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McHugh Mattis certainly has the look of a college basketball player. The St. Petersburg College sophomore forward is lanky - 6 feet 6, 180 pounds - with a wingspan that seems to take up the entire court. With the potential for more growth, Mattis is the kind of player coaches seek.

But there was a time when nobody looked at Mattis. Rewind to his freshman year at Fort Lauderdale Coconut Creek High. Mattis was barely 5-9 and never had played organized basketball. He didn't even try out for the high school team.

After some coaxing from his father, Hugh, in his sophomore year, Mattis went out for the team and eventually became a standout. But few colleges came calling. He was still barely more than 6 feet and was skinny as a rail.

It was a fluke that SPC coach Earnest Crumbley even found Mattis. He was in Fort Lauderdale recruiting other players when local coaching contacts told him about Mattis.

"I was looking at some other kids but coaches were saying, "No, recruit this kid,' " Crumbley said. "I was looking at the stats and they weren't that great, but (coaches) were saying, "Trust me, this is the kid you want.' "

Mattis had growth potential, and did he ever grow. He shot up four inches during his freshman season at SPC and went from being a ball-handling point guard to a shot-blocking forward. He doesn't even resemble the 15-year-old kid playing on the local courts.

"I was only 5 foot 9 as a freshman so I was one of the smallest guys," Mattis said. "I'd just go play at the park every day, but that was it. Then I grew in my junior year.

"At first I tried to go to all the (Florida) schools, South Florida, Central Florida, all of them. I had heard that St. Petersburg was a good school, and my brother (Mainsworth) was a student at USF so I decided to go somewhere closer to him."

Mattis will be even closer to his brother next year. He signed a letter of intent to play at USF after impressing coach Robert McCullum.

Until then, Mattis is trying to improve his skills and help the Titans win the Suncoast Conference and reach the state tournament. He averages 15.3 points per game and leads the team with 30 blocked shots. He had 102 blocks as a freshman.

But the Titans are struggling; they were 6-11 before facing Polk Community College late Saturday. Mattis insists the Titans will do better in conference play - they did beat Pasco Hernando CC Wednesday in their league opener. And he insists he will do everything to make the team, and himself, better before he goes to USF.

"All I can do is work hard and make sure I'm ready to go," Mattis said. "I need to get bigger. After the season, I'll be working out. I'm going to try to get bigger, but my dad was skinny and I guess that's following me."

Crumbley believes if Mattis continues to improve he's going to have a following at South Florida.

"I think when McHugh gets to USF and starts playing the way I think he can, people are going to say "Where did this kid come from?' " Crumbley said. "They don't know who he is now but they're going to."

[Last modified January 9, 2005, 00:15:20]

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/01/09/Sports/Potential_fits_frame_.shtml

[Guest BasketBull.]

180 lbs is awful thin: EAT SOME FOOD, MAN!

I do like his blocks, though. That's awesome.

I can't wait until we get us a BIG center. Big Softie was big, and so was McDonald, but that was a different kind of 'system'.

[TripleB]

Are there that many BIG centers out there anymore? Does the Big East have a lot of them?

[Velcro]

Georgetown gets em all

[Guest BasketBull.]

I just glanced at the Big East teams and they are BIG and HEAVY -with big centers.

There are a few exceptions, like Notre Dame. Also, Cincy and Louisville are not chunky either.

[TripleB]

I just glanced at the Big East teams and they are BIG and HEAVY -with big centers.

Ruh roh ...

[Omniscientbull]

I hope you guys don't think he's going to be a center at USF.

He will play the 3 and maybe the 4 against an undersized team.

[Velcro]

He's definitely a 3... he's altron jackson size.

[beastiebull]

L'ville and Cincy are 2 of the smaller teams in the BE, yet they make us look like beanpoles every time we play.  As I said before, the BE is CUSA X 2 in terms of size (and skills).

[dabull80]

Cincy small ?  Beastie what team have you been watching for the last 10 years ?