Matelski Logs 2,000 Points, Aims Higher
February 5, 2016
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
BOYNE FALLS – It's been one milestone after another for Marcus Matelski in 2016.
In the last four weeks, the Boyne Falls senior has eclipsed the school's single-game scoring record three times, while becoming the 36th player in MHSAA state basketball history to score 2,000 points in his career.
To top it off, Matelski led the Loggers to a 53-50 win over previously unbeaten Alanson last Friday to forge a tie atop the Northern Lakes Conference. Earlier in the month, Alanson handed Boyne Falls its first league loss in five years, a streak that stretched nearly 60 games.
Matelski, who scored a school record 50 points in Monday's win over Traverse City Christian, has been instrumental in the Loggers’ success over those five years since he started on varsity as an eighth-grader. Because of the school's enrollment – Boyne Falls has fewer than 40 students – the MHSAA allowed Matelski to play on the varsity as a 13-year-old. He scored more than 200 points that season, although those numbers are not included in his high school career totals.
A two-time Associated Press all-state player, the 6-foot-2 Matelski is averaging 38 points, 11 rebounds, 8.0 steals and 4.5 assists per game for the 12-2 Loggers. He currently ranks 11th on the MHSAA’s statewide all-time scoring list with 2,226 points and is on track to break the single-season steals record of 131 set by three different players.
Records to gloat about, right?
Matelski, though, is not the attention-seeking type.
"I don't like to think about (records) too much," he said. "That way I don't get overwhelmed by it. I just like to go out there and play."
The night he surpassed 2,000 career points, officials stopped the game for a brief presentation. Matelski's reaction? He asked his coach, Tim Smith, how long it would take because he wanted to get back to the game.
Matelski spent the post-game posing for pictures with family and friends and talking with the media. There was no celebration in the locker room.
"Marcus would not have wanted that," his friend and teammate Andrew Campbell said. "He's humble. He's an under-the-radar type of guy. You talk to him about his accomplishments and he acts like it's nothing."
Matelski's averages speak volumes. So does his team's success. In his five years on varsity, Boyne Falls is 91-10. They are seeking a fifth consecutive league title and a third straight District championship.
For Smith, Matelski is a once-in-a-lifetime player.
"Marcus could be an impact player for any school in northern Michigan, no matter the level," he said. "He's a coach's dream. What I'm most proud of is how hard he makes those around him work, including me. He demands you coach him. He demands you make him better. I haven't played many rounds of golf the last four years because he's calling me every night, saying, 'Can I get in the gym and put up 500 to 600 shots?'”
Smith describes Matelski, a National Honor Society student, as a quiet leader, a hard worker who leads by example.
"Marcus is the type of kid who will work eight hours in the mill (at the family’s lumber yard), deliver a couple truckloads of wood afterwards, go mow his grandmother's grass and then call me around 8 or 9 at night wanting to get in the gym," Smith said.
The fact that Smith is there for his players is not lost on the 17-year-old.
"We're very lucky to have a coach like coach Smith because he will not say no," Matelski said. "If I call, or a couple of the other guys call and ask if we can get in the gym, he'll be there in five minutes. That's pretty special."
Smith, who has coached for more than 20 years at four schools, is a Boyne Falls graduate. He played on the basketball team in the early 1980s with Marcus Matelski's father, Chris. Smith scored nearly 1,400 points in his three years on varsity and held the school's single-game scoring record of 43 points until Matelski tossed in 44 in a win over Alba in early January. Three weeks later, Matelski went off for 48 against Central Lake. Then 50 on Monday.
"Marcus is the most well-rounded player I've ever coached," Smith said.
"He's so athletic. The night he hit 2,000 he didn't miss a shot (at the start). He scored on a crossover pull-up. He scored on an offensive rebound. He scored on a back cut. He scored on a two-handed dunk. He scored on a 3."
Matelski needed 16 points in that mid-January contest with Harbor Light Christian to reach 2,000. A deep 3 with two minutes left in the first quarter put him over.
"We knew he was going to get it that night," Campbell said. "But in the first quarter? That was crazy. I guess if the well's not dry you keep going to it."
Matelski admitted it was a "surreal" night, one that brought out a flood of emotions as he started recalling "everything that went into" making that moment so special. At the top of his list? All the support he's received from his family, community, coaches and, of course, teammates.
"I get all this recognition for putting the ball in the hoop, but they do the behind-the-scenes work," he said of his teammates. "And I thank them for that."
That gratitude is a two-way street because his teammates contend Matelski makes them better players.
"He averages insane numbers, but it's not like he has the basketball all the time," Campbell, who also averages in double figures, said. "He gets everybody involved. Marcus expects just as much from us as coach does. He wants us to be on top of our games, too, so we can have success as a team."
Opponents try to make it difficult, double- and triple-teaming Matelski in order to slow Boyne Falls down. Alanson held Matelski to 30 points last Friday, but Leszek Wasylewski, Shea Ross and Cody Milbrandt all hit key fourth quarter baskets in the Loggers' comeback win.
"I take it as a compliment and as a challenge," Matelski said of the double- and triple-teaming. "I like to see what I can do (in those situations), to see if I can still deliver for the team."
His analytical approach to the game might be his greatest strength as a player – that and his mid-range jumper.
"I always try to get a feel for the game, try to decipher what's going to happen," he said.
The gym is Matelski's home away from home. He started playing in elementary school and was the varsity team manager as a seventh grader. His two older sisters, Kristen and Emily, played as well.
Although Matelski is known for his scoring, it's another aspect of his game that his father Chris appreciates.
"Defense," he said. "Marcus has great hands."
That partly explains why Matelski is nearing the state's single-season steals record.
Smith said Matelski plays with an even keel, never letting his emotions get the best of him.
"You can talk to anyone who has ever officiated our games and they'll tell you he's never given anybody a hard time," Smith said. "I looked at his twitter page (after he scored 2,000 points) and I couldn't believe the number of opponents who were congratulating him. A kid doesn't get that kind of respect from the people he plays against unless he handles himself with class."
Turns out, Matelski's scoring average is not all that's been heating up since the start of the new year. His recruitment is picking up, too. Most of the interest is from Division III and NAIA schools, although Division I South Carolina Upstate has been in contact.
Smith said the biggest challenge is convincing college coaches that although Matelski is playing Class D competition in the north, he has the tools, especially the athleticism, to succeed at the collegiate level.
"(Recruiters) say, 'We don't have any video of him dunking the ball,’" Smith said. "So I’ll say, 'Hey Marcus, when you get a breakaway why don't you dunk the ball.' He'll say, 'Coach, I don't want to dunk the ball if we're up 30 points.' We all know he can dunk the ball, but now we have to prod him a little, saying it's OK to showcase your stuff. You're the one who did those power cleans and squats for hours to get yourself that athletic.
“I think everyone is a little gun shy about a kid from Boyne Falls. There were those who said Chris Hass couldn't play because he basically played the same caliber of competition."
Hass, who prepped at Pellston, is now a standout at Bucknell, where he averages a team-high 18 points a game.
Hass is currently third on the state's all-time scoring list with 2,522 points, and that mark is within range for Matelski. Mio's Jay Smith (2,841) and Hastings' Mark Brown (2,789) are the top two scorers.
Boyne Falls has six regular season games remaining before a tough District that features state-ranked Bellaire.
“Bellaire is very good,” Smith said. “If we don't play anything but our best we won't win the District."
A year ago, the Loggers reached the Regional Final before losing to Frankfort. Boyne Falls has never won a Regional, which is something Matelski and Campbell have dreamed about.
March Madness is still a month down the road, though. But if this last month is any indication, there could be more special nights ahead.
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Boyne Falls’ Marcus Matelski fires a jumper as three Ellsworth defenders shade to his side of the court. (Middle) Matelski pulls up for a shot over a Pellston defender. (Below) Matelski dunks for another two of his more than 2,000 points. (Photos courtesy of Rachel Lange.)
Breslin Bound: Boys District Preview
March 9, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
If cold and snow send us into the gym every winter with basketball on our minds, the recent warmup (at least downstate) lets us know we’ll be moving to Breslin Center shortly.
Those who join us at the end of this month will take their first MHSAA Tournament steps this week.
District tournaments tip off all over the state, and again, for the first time, with the top two seeded teams separated on opposite sides of the bracket. Check out “Tracking the Tournament” on MHSAA.com for every matchup from all of them, and see below for some of last week’s most eye-catching scores and three Districts in each division that especially pop off the page.
“Breslin Bound” is powered by MI Student Aid and based on results and schedules posted for each school at MHSAA.com. Send corrections or missing scores to [email protected]. Rankings below are by Michigan Power Rating (MPR).
Week in Review
The countdown of last week’s five most intriguing results:
1. Ann Arbor Huron 64, Ypsilanti Lincoln 54 – This matchup could very well have been a preview of Huron (19-1) meeting Lincoln (17-3) again in this week’s District Final, as explained below. (Lincoln did bounce back to beat Grand Rapids Catholic Central on Thursday.)
2. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 70, Detroit Cass Tech 65 – The Eaglets (19-1) came out on top in the Operation Friendship matchup of league champions and Division 1 championship hopefuls, with Cass Tech (18-2) also in play for a trip to Breslin.
3. Negaunee 52, Iron Mountain 51 – A last-second basket gave Negaunee (18-2) shares of two conference championships with Iron Mountain, and avenged an 18-point loss to the Mountaineers (19-1) from Jan. 28.
4. Stevensville Lakeshore 53, Portage Central 27 – Lakeshore (16-4) avenged a six-point Jan. 31 loss to Central (16-4) in a big way, and in doing so clinched the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West title outright.
5. Benton Harbor 82, Wyoming 72 – Both finished 18-2 with this final tune-up before the playoffs begin, with Benton Harbor headed into the Division 2 bracket and Wyoming into Division 1.
Districts at a Glance
These could be among our most competitive brackets. Host sites are in bold:
DIVISION 1
Dearborn Fordson
1. River Rouge (19-1), 2. Detroit Cass Tech (18-2), Detroit Western (7-9), Melvindale (6-14), Dearborn Fordson (6-14).
It would take a pretty serious upset for No. 4 River Rouge and No. 9 Cass Tech to not meet in the championship game, and that matchup should be one of the best of the entire Division 1 bracket this month. Rouge was last season’s Division 2 runner-up, falling by three points while in pursuit of its first MHSAA Finals title in this sport since 1999. The Panthers then ended up in Division 1 this season, opened with a 10-point win over Lincoln, and have only an overtime loss to Division 2 contender Grand Rapids Catholic Central on an otherwise perfect ledger. Cass Tech won the Detroit Public School League West and Tournament titles, and its only losses were by one to No. 7 Flint Carman-Ainsworth and in overtime last week to No. 1 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.
Detroit Martin Luther King
1. Eastpointe (17-3), 2. Hamtramck (16-3), Grosse Pointe South (16-4), Detroit Martin Luther King (13-6), Grosse Pointe North (3-16).
There isn’t an easy path through this District, as Eastpointe opens with North and then would face King, while South and Hamtramck match up in the other semifinal. All four of the anticipated semifinalists are ranked between Nos. 21-30 by MPR. Of Hamtramck’s three losses, two were to River Rouge (see above), while Grosse Pointe South and Eastpointe were league champions within the Macomb Area Conference and King won the PSL East (and also took an early loss to Rouge).
Saline/Eastern Michigan University
1. Ann Arbor Huron (19-1), 2. Ypsilanti Lincoln (17-3), Belleville (16-4), Ann Arbor Pioneer (12-8), Saline (13-7), Ypsilanti Community (9-11).
The first five teams listed above rank among the top 50 in Division 1 MPR, with Huron No. 3 and reigning Division 1 champion Lincoln No. 5. Huron won the Southeastern Conference Red that included Pioneer and Saline, and defeated Lincoln last week 64-54. The Railsplitters, of course, feature super sophomore Emoni Bates, and he’s gone over 60 points this season and can put them on his shoulders at any time. Belleville is almost the forgotten team and shouldn’t be – the Tigers won the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East title and rank No. 27 in Division 1 MPR. The openers at this District are scheduled to be played at Saline, with semifinals and the championship game at EMU.
DIVISION 2
Bridgeport
1. Bridgeport (19-1), 2. Frankenmuth (17-3), Clio (15-5), Caro (7-13), Birch Run (3-17), Mt. Morris (6-14).
Home and mostly unstoppable this season, and ranked No. 3 in all of Division 2, Bridgeport is the presumed favorite. But Clio could provide the Bearcats a mighty challenge in tonight’s opener, and No. 11 Frankenmuth on the other side of the bracket and handed Bridgeport its only loss 43-38 on Feb. 7. Bridgeport still won the Tri-Valley Conference East by a game over the Eagles, and also beat them in last season’s District Final before suffering their only loss of the season the next game against Alma to start the Regional.
Hudsonville Unity Christian
1. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (17-3), 2. Hudsonville Unity Christian (16-4), Allendale (14-6), Grand Rapids West Catholic (10-10), Grand Rapids Wellspring Prep (9-11), Wyoming Lee (4-16).
Three of the top 14 in all of Division 2 MPR top this District – No. 1 GRCC, No. 7 Unity Christian and No. 14 Allendale. Unity Christian is the reigning champion in Division 2 and opens against Allendale, which it defeated by 16 in December. Unity went on to win the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green, while GRCC was first, Allendale second and West Catholic fourth in the O-K Blue. GRCC swept those two, losing this season only to Lincoln, No. 2 Benton Harbor and No. 5 Grand Rapids Christian.
St. Clair
1. Macomb Lutheran North (15-3), 2. Richmond (16-4), St. Clair (14-6), Marine City (15-4), New Haven (12-8), Algonac (20-0).
This intriguing grouping includes a pair of MAC co-champs in Marine City (Bronze) and St. Clair (Gold), and the Blue Water Area Conference and Detroit Catholic League AA runners-up in Richmond and Lutheran North, respectively. There have been just a pair of regular-season meetings among the bunch: Marine City edged St. Clair 43-42 on Dec. 19, while Richmond defeated Marine City 58-47 two days before that. All of the first four teams above are ranked among the top 36 in Division 2, with Lutheran North at No. 12 and Richmond No. 19.
DIVISION 3
Bridgman
1. Niles Brandywine (17-3), 2. Bridgman (15-5), Cassopolis (15-5), Watervliet (7-13), Benton Harbor Countryside Academy (7-11).
Brandywine enters No. 3 overall in Division 3 after winning the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference Red just ahead of co-runner-up Bridgman. Brandywine won their regular-season matchups by 10 and eight points, but they wouldn’t meet again this week until Friday’s championship game. The Bees tonight must get through Cassopolis, which shared the championship in the Southwest 10 Conference. That’s also a rematch, as Bridgman won a Dec. 28 meeting 70-60. Bridgman also opened this season with a 74-38 win over potential Wednesday opponent Countryside.
Erie Mason
1. Erie Mason (17-3), 2. Blissfield (18-2), Petersburg Summerfield (19-1), Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (12-8), Ottawa Lake Whiteford (2-18).
It’s possible no District this week has teams sharing more ties. Erie Mason rode one of the top scorers in the state, now-senior Joe Liedel, to last season’s Division 3 Semifinals. The Eagles won the Lenawee County Athletic Association title this season, claiming a second meeting against runner-up Blissfield 62-58 after falling to the Royals 61-59 in their first meeting. Erie Mason is 12-1 over its last 13 games, but that lone defeat came 47-33 to Petersburg Summerfield, which won the Tri-County Conference handily but suffered its lone loss Jan. 16 to Blissfield. Monroe St. Mary, meanwhile, has to be considered a scary darkhorse, just two season’s removed from making the Division 3 Semifinals and co-runner-up this winter in the Huron League with Division 1 Riverview behind Division 2 Flat Rock. SMCC was eliminated in its District opener last season – in overtime by Blissfield. If Mason defeats Whiteford tonight, it will see SMCC on Wednesday, while Summerfield and Blissfield meet Wednesday on the other side of the bracket.
Mancelona
1. Maple City Glen Lake (18-2), 2. Traverse City St. Francis (17-3), Elk Rapids (12-8), Mancelona (15-5).
All four of these contenders are ranked among the top 39 in Division 3 MPR, with No. 6 Glen Lake leading the way but No. 39 Mancelona looking pretty dangerous as a 15-win host. Those two meet on one side Wednesday, while No. 12 St. Francis and No. 36 Elk Rapids tangle for the third time on the other side of the bracket. St. Francis won both regular-season meetings on the way to the Lake Michigan Conference title, while Glen Lake won the Northwest Conference and Mancelona ran third of three superior contenders in the Ski Valley Conference. St. Francis defeated Glen Lake in last year’s District Final 59-44.
DIVISION 4
Brethren
1. Frankfort (15-5), 2. Brethren (16-4), Onekama (11-9), Manistee Catholic Central (12-8), Mesick (6-14), Bear Lake (2-18).
Frankfort finished the regular season No. 19 overall and Brethren at No. 20, and the Panthers finished Division 4 runners-up a year ago. The bracket is set up for those two to meet Friday. But given this season’s first three months, a number of possibilities for this week seem reasonable. Frankfort finished second in the Northwest Conference to Glen Lake, but split with third-place Onekama winning the first meeting by five but losing the second by three. Brethren shared the West Michigan D League title, but opened this season with a 10-point loss to Manistee Catholic Central before winning the rematch by three six weeks later. Mesick split with MCC and nearly upset Brethren, losing by just a point in their Jan. 31 game. MCC and Mesick join Frankfort on one side of the bracket, with Brethren, Bear Lake and Onekama on the other.
Litchfield
1. Camden-Frontier (17-3), 2. Hillsdale Academy (18-2), Litchfield (11-9), Hillsdale Will Carleton Academy (12-6), Tekonsha (4-15), Coldwater Pansophia (0-15).
If all goes as set up, top-seeded Camden-Frontier will get a third chance against Hillsdale Academy after the latter edged C-F by a game to win the Southern Central Athletic Association East championship. They split their regular-season meetings, the Redskins winning the first 67-46 with Hillsdale Academy winning the second 59-37. Litchfield lost to both but did win the SCAA Central. Will Carleton split with Litchfield, losing the first meeting by two and winning the second by 25. Both of those potential upsetters are on Camden-Frontier’s side of the bracket.
Painesdale Jeffers
1. Dollar Bay (18-2), 2. Chassell (16-4), Painesdale Jeffers (14-6), Lake Linden-Hubbell (9-11), Baraga (2-18).
Dollar Bay has reached the Semifinals and Breslin Center two straight seasons, and started this season off with 17 straight wins. But the Blue Bolts fell to both Chassell and Jeffers over the last 10 days, leading those three teams to share the Copper Mountain Conference’s Copper Country championship. That late surge also helped all three rank among the top 33 in Division 4 MPR, Dollar Bay still tops in the group at No. 11. The Blue Bolts play their first game this week against the host Wednesday after Jeffers won their Friday meeting 49-47. Chassell, which split its two regular-season games with Jeffers, has Copper Country fourth-place finisher Lake Linde-Hubbell tonight with sixth-place Baraga awaiting the winner Wednesday.
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PHOTO: Grand Blanc defeated Flint Beecher 62-55 in a matchup last week of contenders in Divisions 1 and 3, respectively. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)