Cam Matthews returns to Starkville prepared for a 'different feel' Mississippi State team
Finding Cameron Matthews name on an All-SEC list seems to be like trying to find Waldo these days, but he will always be at the very top of every coach’s scouting report.
Matthews has never seemed to care for recognition. Being counted out and overlooked comes with the territory for Mississippi products anyway. All Matthews cares about is winning and doing whatever he has to do to help Mississippi State win games.
It’s why Matthews decided to come back to Starkville for one last round. While many would have been content with moving on to the next stage of life, he felt business was left unfinished.
“Super excited, especially for the season. It’s my last go-round. Going to make the best of it and win a lot of games this year,” Matthews said. “I just weighed my options, looked at the pros and cons and talked to my guy (Josh Hubbard). I made a decision to come back and do it one more time.”
Matthews has been State’s heartbeat
At 6’7, 235 pounds, Matthews is a force of nature.
His build and skill set is one built for an SEC football field, perhaps catching footballs as a tight end instead of dunking and dribbling the basketball. What Matthews does on the court, though, makes him as valuable as any player in the SEC.
National basketball writer Jon Rothstein has been on the Matthews train for some time now. After listing him among his top 10 “glue guys” last season, Rothstein has him on the list again this year as well.
“Like a Queen on a chessboard, Matthews can be moved all over the floor and put in different spots,” Rothstein stated. “Capable of guarding five positions defensively, the 6-7 forward has had a major hand in back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the Bulldogs under Chris Jans.”
For the Bulldogs to get that elusive third-straight tournament appearance, Matthews will have to be even more for State this season.
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Matthews has improved his game every season as he went from averaging under three points per game his first two seasons on campus to 6.9 as a junior and 9.4 last year. His rebounding also went up each year and last year he had a new career-high with 62% shooting.
The Olive Branch native has spent most of his time working on his shot this season and becoming a more productive shooter. A career 18 3-pointers made in 93 attempts shows there’s plenty of room for improvement and expanding his midrange and long range shooting makes him even more dangerous.
“Me being an incomplete player, I was just working on my strengths, weaknesses and everything just trying to be the best I can be,” Matthews said of his offseason. “The way that basketball is evolving, you’ve kind of got to make threes now so that’s always been an emphasis for me.”
Things will look a lot different for a lot of the team this season as the Bulldogs shift their style of play. Matthews becoming a better shooter isn’t the only thing that could change as Jans improved his guard talent in the transfer portal and will have a faster offense to work with this season.
It hasn’t changed the priorities on the defensive side of the ball as Matthews and his teammates will still be pushed to defend at a high level. However, the Humphrey Coliseum could have a little more flare to it with the shooters added to the roster.
“It’s a very different feel from what everybody is used to. We’ve got some key guys that left, but we got some transfers and Jans and the coaching staff did a great job of recruiting,” Matthews said. “I feel like we’re going to have a good year.”
