How Mississippi State basketball's Cameron Matthews has exceeded 'glue guy' label
STARKVILLE — Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams thinks a new category should be added to the All-SEC ballots because of Mississippi State basketball forward Cameron Matthews. For a player not posting eye-popping numbers but having a strong impact on MSU’s return to the NCAA Tournament picture, Williams feels it’s unfair there’s no appropriate way to credit Matthews’ work.
In hopes of changing that, Williams presented a challenge to the media.
“You guys should create the first-team All-SEC look like an athlete, built like an athlete, plays like an athlete, multiple-sport looking athlete,” Williams said after MSU’s 69-62 win over A&M on Saturday. “I’m not a fan, but when I watch him play, he just plays with such a great motor.”
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Matthews’ vertical and wingspan are often put on display, and sometimes sequentially. His ability to get into passing lanes is frequently followed by a rim-rattling dunk. The eye test suggests the way he goes up for rebounds is different from many counterparts.
That’s part of what made the Olive Branch, Mississippi, native a standout prospect to former MSU coach Ben Howland and kept him as a crucial piece in coach Chris Jans’ first season in Starkville. However, during Mississippi State’s run of seven wins in nine games, Matthews has become more than his glue-guy label.
“That seems to kind of limit the impact he has on the game,” Williams said. “The numbers that we study, the offensive leverage when (Matthews) is on the floor and the defensive leverage when (he’s) on the floor are very, very good.”
Cameron Matthews' NBA comparison
Matthews leads Mississippi State with a plus/minus at plus-232. The next best mark for the Bulldogs is guard Shakeel Moore at plus-163.
Matthews ranks 63rd nationally in steal percentage, 313th in two-point field goal percentage and 474th in offensive rebound percentage, according to KenPom. Compared to SEC foes in conference play, those ranks jump to eighth, ninth and 19th, respectively.
KenPom’s analytics suggest Matthews is a similar player to Alabama Herbert Jones in 2020. Jones was SEC player of the year and defensive player of the year the following season before becoming a second-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
“(Matthews) is really comfortable in who he is,” Williams said. “I don’t think he tries to do something he’s not supposed to do. I don’t think he does anything that he knows he can’t do. His effectiveness – he’s just answering the bell over and over on both ends of the floor.”
Cameron Matthews coming up clutch
As a junior, Matthews’ responsibility late in games – plenty of which have been tight for MSU – has increased as March approaches. He’s a career 60% shooter from the free-throw line but is up to 73% this season.
In February, he’s shooting 29-of-35 (83%). He hit a pivotal pair in an overtime win at Ole Miss on Feb. 18 and made all six attempts in the final 1:39 of Saturday’s win against A&M – including a pair which initially worried Jans.
Soon after a careless alley-oop attempt to forward Tolu Smith late in the contest resulted in a turnover, Matthews was fouled. Jans was concerned the mistake would rattle Matthews, but that wasn’t the case.
Because of what Matthews did on nearly every other position, he and Jans could laugh about the moment postgame. Soon, Matthews could be the reason they’re dancing.
“He’s become a guy that isn’t just a defender and rebounder,” Jans said. “He’s facilitating the break. He’s a guy that we run stuff for late game to ensure he gets fouled. He does have a lot of confidence in himself, and obviously his teammates do as well.”
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State basketball's Cameron Matthews is more than glue guy
