Wesley Matthews
Encyclopedia
Wesley Matthews, Jr. is an American
professional basketball
player who currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers
in the National Basketball Association
(NBA). He played college basketball
for the Marquette Golden Eagles
. He is the son of former NBA player Wes Matthews
.
basketball and soccer teams.
despite being pressured to play for the University of Wisconsin–Madison
like his father did. He chose this after being selected Mr. Basketball
in 2005 for the state of Wisconsin while attending James Madison Memorial High School
.
Wesley was the biggest of the "three amigos", the three guards in the starting lineup for Marquette. This trio, Dominic James
, Jerel McNeal
, and Matthews, started nearly every game together from their freshman year onwards. With the lack of height in the 2008–2009 season at Marquette, Matthews learned to play bigger and became one of the most dominant players in the nation while driving to the basket. He grabbed 13 rebounds in a Marquette 48-point win over Division II opponent Lewis Flyers
on December 28, 2005.
Matthews missed a shot with 0.4 seconds left in the first half of a game against the Tennessee Volunteers
on December 16, 2008. The shot would have given Marquette the lead; instead the teams went into the locker room with the scored tied at 32–32. He avenged this miss with a three-point play to open the second half, and another basket on the following possession. Matthews scored a career-high 30 points, making 15 of 18 free throw
s. On January 7, 2009, he set a school record for field goal accuracy (minimum 10 attempts) when he went 10-for-10 en route to 23 points in an 81–76 win over Rutgers
.
, but was invited to play for the Utah Jazz
and the Sacramento Kings
in the NBA Summer Leagues.
On September 25, 2009, he was signed to the Utah Jazz to a one year deal as a rookie free agent. On October 22, 2009, Matthews made the official Utah Jazz roster, wearing the number 23. In February 2010, after the team's trade of Ronnie Brewer
, Head Coach Jerry Sloan
made Matthews the team's starting shooting guard.
On June 28, 2010, the Jazz extended Matthews the league-specified qualifying offer, thereby making him a restricted free agent and giving the Jazz the opportunity to match any other free agent offer. Matthews was actively pursued by the Portland Trail Blazers
, who on July 10 signed him to an offer sheet providing for a front-loaded 5 year, $34 million contract. Although allowed seven days to match the Portland offer sheet under league rules, on July 14 the Jazz announced their decision not to offer Matthews a matching contract, making Matthews a Portland Trail Blazer.
In his first season with Portland he averaged 15.9 points a game. His three point shot improved from 38 percent to 41 percent. After Brandon Roy
began missing time due to knee problems, Matthews gained a spot in the Blazers' starting lineup.
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Utah
| 82 || 48 || 24.7 || .483 || .382 || .829 || 2.3 || 1.5 || .8 || .2 || 9.4
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Portland
| 82 || 69 || 33.6 || .449 || .407 || .844 || 3.1 || 2.0 || 1.2 || .1 || 15.9
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 164 || 117 || 29.2 || .462 || .400 || .839 || 2.7 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 12.6
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Utah
| 10 || 10 || 37.1 || .386 || .357 || .813 || 4.4 || 1.7 || 1.8 || .5 || 13.2
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Portland
| 6 || 6 || 33.7 || .474 || .381 || .842 || 1.2 || 1.0 || .7 || .2 || 13.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 16 || 16 || 35.8 || .418 || .365 || .821 || 3.2 || 1.4 || 1.4 || .4 || 13.1
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA). He played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
for the Marquette Golden Eagles
Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball
The Marquette Golden Eagles Basketball team is the basketball team that represents Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school's 1977 team, coached by Al McGuire, won the NCAA championship. Currently the team competes in the Big East Conference. It last played in the NCAA Division I...
. He is the son of former NBA player Wes Matthews
Wes Matthews
Wesley Joel Matthews is a retired American basketball player.-Basketball career:A 6'1" point guard from the University of Wisconsin–Madison - after graduating from Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1977 - Matthews was selected by the Washington Bullets with the 14th pick of...
.
Early life
Born in San Antonio, Texas, to Pam Moore (an All-American runner and basketball player) and Wesley "Wes" Matthews, Sr., who met when both attended University of Wisconsin, Wesley Jr. starred on the James Madison Memorial High SchoolJames Madison Memorial High School
James Madison Memorial High School is a public school located at 201 South Gammon Road, Madison, Wisconsin, 53717, serving students in grades 9 through 12. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan School District...
basketball and soccer teams.
College career
Matthews chose to attend Marquette UniversityMarquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
despite being pressured to play for the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
like his father did. He chose this after being selected Mr. Basketball
Mr. Basketball
Mr. Basketball is an award given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in a specific U.S. state....
in 2005 for the state of Wisconsin while attending James Madison Memorial High School
James Madison Memorial High School
James Madison Memorial High School is a public school located at 201 South Gammon Road, Madison, Wisconsin, 53717, serving students in grades 9 through 12. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan School District...
.
Wesley was the biggest of the "three amigos", the three guards in the starting lineup for Marquette. This trio, Dominic James
Dominic James
Dominic James is an American basketball player. James' career with the Marquette University Golden Eagles men's basketball team was thought to have ended a few weeks prematurely when he broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot during the Golden Eagles' loss to Connecticut on February 25,...
, Jerel McNeal
Jerel McNeal
Jerel McNeal is an American professional basketball shooting guard with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League. In March 2011, McNeal signed a brief 10 day contract with the New Orleans Hornets. In college, McNeal played with the Marquette Golden Eagles...
, and Matthews, started nearly every game together from their freshman year onwards. With the lack of height in the 2008–2009 season at Marquette, Matthews learned to play bigger and became one of the most dominant players in the nation while driving to the basket. He grabbed 13 rebounds in a Marquette 48-point win over Division II opponent Lewis Flyers
Lewis University
Lewis University is a private Roman Catholic and Lasallian university located in Romeoville, Illinois, United States . The enrollment is currently around 6,800 students...
on December 28, 2005.
Matthews missed a shot with 0.4 seconds left in the first half of a game against the Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee Volunteers
The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the National Collegiate Athletic Association college sports teams at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. Mike Hamilton is the most recent Men's Athletic Director, but resigned on June 7, 2011, and Joan Cronan is the current Women's...
on December 16, 2008. The shot would have given Marquette the lead; instead the teams went into the locker room with the scored tied at 32–32. He avenged this miss with a three-point play to open the second half, and another basket on the following possession. Matthews scored a career-high 30 points, making 15 of 18 free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
s. On January 7, 2009, he set a school record for field goal accuracy (minimum 10 attempts) when he went 10-for-10 en route to 23 points in an 81–76 win over Rutgers
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
.
College statistics
| |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | Marquette Golden Eagles Marquette Golden Eagles The Marquette Golden Eagles are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Marquette University.... |
23 | 23 | 24.9 | .399 | .438 | .788 | 4.0 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 9.0 |
| 2006-07 | Marquette Golden Eagles | 34 | 34 | 31.2 | .438 | .288 | .770 | 5.3 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 12.6 |
| 2007-08 | Marquette Golden Eagles | 35 | 35 | 28.8 | .434 | .338 | .790 | 4.4 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 11.3 |
| 2008-09 | Marquette Golden Eagles | 26 | 26 | 32.5 | .529 | .391 | .816 | 5.4 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 18.6 |
Professional career
Matthews went undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA Draft was held on June 25, 2009, the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
, but was invited to play for the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in the NBA Summer Leagues.
On September 25, 2009, he was signed to the Utah Jazz to a one year deal as a rookie free agent. On October 22, 2009, Matthews made the official Utah Jazz roster, wearing the number 23. In February 2010, after the team's trade of Ronnie Brewer
Ronnie Brewer
Ronnie Brewer is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for the Chicago Bulls. The Utah Jazz selected him with the 14th pick of the 2006 NBA Draft. Brewer played collegiately at the University of Arkansas, where his father Ron Brewer was a star in the late 1970s...
, Head Coach Jerry Sloan
Jerry Sloan
Gerald Eugene "Jerry" Sloan , is an American former National Basketball Association player and head coach, and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. NBA commissioner David Stern called Sloan "one of the greatest and most respected coaches in NBA history." Sloan had a career regular-season...
made Matthews the team's starting shooting guard.
On June 28, 2010, the Jazz extended Matthews the league-specified qualifying offer, thereby making him a restricted free agent and giving the Jazz the opportunity to match any other free agent offer. Matthews was actively pursued by the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
, who on July 10 signed him to an offer sheet providing for a front-loaded 5 year, $34 million contract. Although allowed seven days to match the Portland offer sheet under league rules, on July 14 the Jazz announced their decision not to offer Matthews a matching contract, making Matthews a Portland Trail Blazer.
In his first season with Portland he averaged 15.9 points a game. His three point shot improved from 38 percent to 41 percent. After Brandon Roy
Brandon Roy
Brandon Dawayne Roy is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. He was selected sixth in the 2006 NBA Draft, having completed four years playing for the Washington Huskies. In 2009, he served as the team's co-captain, along...
began missing time due to knee problems, Matthews gained a spot in the Blazers' starting lineup.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" | Utah
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 82 || 48 || 24.7 || .483 || .382 || .829 || 2.3 || 1.5 || .8 || .2 || 9.4
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| align="left" | Portland
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
| 82 || 69 || 33.6 || .449 || .407 || .844 || 3.1 || 2.0 || 1.2 || .1 || 15.9
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 164 || 117 || 29.2 || .462 || .400 || .839 || 2.7 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 12.6
Playoffs
|-| align="left" | 2009–10
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| align="left" | Utah
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 10 || 10 || 37.1 || .386 || .357 || .813 || 4.4 || 1.7 || 1.8 || .5 || 13.2
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
2011 NBA Playoffs
The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
| align="left" | Portland
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
| 6 || 6 || 33.7 || .474 || .381 || .842 || 1.2 || 1.0 || .7 || .2 || 13.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 16 || 16 || 35.8 || .418 || .365 || .821 || 3.2 || 1.4 || 1.4 || .4 || 13.1
External links
- Wesley Matthews Marquette men's basketball profile
- Trevor Banks (filmmaker), Wesley Matthews: Overlooked, short documentary. YouTube.com/ Retrieved October 10, 2010.