Matthews recruited heavily after getting release from UConn
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Emmitt Matthews took one official visit last year before he decided UConn was where he wanted to play college basketball. When Kevin Ollie was fired by the Huskies last month, his plans changed.
The No. 135 prospect in the 2018 Rivals150 received his release last week and is now a popular prospect as one of the few ranked players still available. Since opening up, the Washington native says Georgia, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Virginia Tech, Washington and West Virginia have made contact with him.
The dead period for college basketball coaches ends Thursday at noon. Matthews said he believes West Virginia has made plans to be at his school on Thursday and possibly others.
RANKINGS: 2018 Rivals150 | 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2018 Team | 2018 Position
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Georgia: “I talked to Tom Crean a little bit and it was just him getting to know me and my family a little bit. He just sounded excited for the opportunity to coach there.”
Oregon State: “They were one of my very first offers. I have a cool relationship with coach [Wayne] Tinkle. He’s watched me blossom since I was pretty young. I have a good relationship with a lot of people there.”
Virginia Tech: “They’ve been to the NCAA Tournament the past two years. Their coaches have talked a lot about how big that is for them. They are in the ACC. I don’t know a whole bunch about them.”
Washington: “They aren’t on me super hard. They are full on scholarships right now, so they would need somebody to leave. I have a good relationship with coach [Mike Hopkins] though.”
West Virginia: “Jordan [McCabe] is going there and we are close. They did a really good job recruiting me before I committed to UConn, and they said they wanted to pick up where they left off before. They play great defense, have a great coaching staff, a great fan base, and they played Villanova the toughest of anybody in the tournament.”
RIVALS’ REACTION
If prior relationships mean anything in his recruitment this time around, Oregon State and West Virginia come into this battle with an advantage. Oregon State was the first high-major program to get serious with him by offering a scholarship, and he has relationships with players and coaches there.
West Virginia was heavily involved with Matthews prior to his commitment to UConn and he mentioned being close with Mountaineer signee Jordan McCabe. Matthews mentioned he has dreams he wants to achieve and he’s looking for the best fit for him long term, so other schools could potentially sway him.