Now at Mt. Zion Prep playing under Lafayette Dublin, Matthews will be one of top pure athletes in attendance at DMV Live. He’s an active wing to gets his eyes above the rim in the open floor on lobs or straight-line drives, can cause havoc on the defensive end with his physical traits and instincts all while bringing a competitive motor that forces your attention. This Mt. Zion group will feature a lot of new faces, so working out the chemistry kinks could be rough at times, but in an uptempo game where Matthews’ athleticism can take centerstage, it’ll be likely he’s a name that ends up with an asterisk in the college coaches packet by Sunday.

Tasked with playing with five, Matthews was everywhere all the time versus Him League P32. He fervently crashed the boards on both ends, orchestrating transition offense after defensive rebounds. In the halfcourt, he applied pressure on the rim as a roller and a slasher and finished high in the air when he got there. And Matthews did all of that while protecting the basket and not coming off the floor until late in the game.

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A Top-30 all-star choice who figures to at least have been among the short list of contenders for camp MVP, Matthews made the most of his homecoming trip with a dynamic effort on both ends of the floor. A Delaware native heading down to DME as a repeat sophomore, the southpaw hybrid forward was all over the court wreaking havoc with his top-end intersection of size, length, foot speed, and vertical explosiveness. He was a force playing above the rim as both a dunker and shot-blocker, but also showed some improvements in his overall skillset including most notably on his perimeter jumper. While still a bit raw in some areas, Matthews’ ability to consistently impact games with his motor and athletic gifts should make him a popular name among D1 coaches in the years to come.

Matthews built off what I saw him do in July with the same physicality he brought to the table during the live periods. He has the ability be go coast to coast off the bounce and defenders struggle to keep him in front of them. He has a great blend of physical tools and gifts which he showcases often when he steps foot onto the floor. You cannot keep him out of the paint. He is always in the right spots to collect rebounds. I would like to see Matthews improve from the charity stripe.

Matthews makes his living battering his way to different spots on the attack. He is like a battering ram. He has no issues seeking out contact when he is on the attack. Matthews is a magnet on the glass and frequently found ways to get rebounds. He is a versatile defender who is switchable and covers different positions. Matthews has good timing when going up to alter shots.

An impressive athlete from the power forward position, Matthews is very explosive and can play above the rim. Sitting in the dunker spot or attacking a closeout were two ways Matthews got shots up at the rim. Matthews wanted to get back to his left hand to finish by using crossovers and spin moves to finish with his left hand. More developed physically than a lot of other players at the 15 U group, Matthews is tough to stop on the interior at this level.

A violent athlete on both ends, Matthews was one of the best overall performers in Henlopen, from January on. He was so disruptive on defense, pinning shots against the backboard and turning his deflections into highlight plays above the rim in transition. Already an effective cutter and lob threat, the subtle improvements in his handle allowed him leverage his athletic ability as a slasher in the halfcourt. The slashing then allowed him to play-make.