Matt Szalachowski - Men's Basketball Blog

Junior captain Matt Szalachowski is coming off of a strong sophomore season in which he started six games, and appeared in 26.  The Allentown, Pennsylvania native averaged nearly 15 minutes of play, shooting 82 percent from the foul line and handing out 26 assists in that time.  A multi-year member of the Dean’s List and Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, Matt ranks third among returning Mountain Hawks in number of three-point field goals made in 2006-07.  Check back soon for his latest update.

Season Update - January 8
Sorry it has been awhile since my last posting.

We just completed the out-of-conference portion of our schedule and currently stand at 7-7.  Initially, there were a lot of question marks surrounding our team coming into the season with a new coach and a lot of players inserted into new and demanding roles.  But so far, I believe we have certainly developed well and have come a long way since the start of practice. Every year, it is difficult to project the identity of the team and who is going to do what before you actually play your first game. Practice is a good way to simulate game situations but nothing is like playing in an actual game.  This year was especially difficult because we lost some integral players who have been a staple of Lehigh basketball for the past couple years.  But this situation has allowed players to step up and play a bigger role for our team.  Bryan White has really stepped up this year as the only senior on the team.  He has always played with a high energy level, but this year he appears to get even more rebounds and loose balls.  Also, B-White has expanded his game on the offensive end as he has become a consistent scorer for us this year. Marquis Hall has continued with his excellent play from last year and has done a nice job adjusting to being the focus of the opposing team’s defense.  Zahir Carrington has proven to be a consistent low post scorer and if he stays out of foul trouble, he is going to do even bigger things in league play.

I think the thing I am most pleased about so far this season is the identity we have developed on the team.  As I said previously, after losing four seniors from last year and then gaining five freshmen, it was hard to project the team’s dynamics. So far this season, we have really grown together as a team and get along really well with one another. On the court, Coach Reed has done an excellent job of promoting a balanced style of play on offense.  It is difficult to replace a scorer like Jose Olivero, but we have been able to spread out the responsibility of scoring instead of placing that burden on anyone individually. I think our team has created a tough inside-outside threat and we take what defenses give us.  Certain teams may play real aggressive on the perimeter so we’ll feed one-on-one in the post.  If a team packs it in on us, we can beat them from hitting shots on the outside.  We still need to keep improving on defense and rebounding because that is the identity that Coach Reed and all of the players desire as the strength of the team.  In certain games thus far, we have really controlled the game with our defense but we have to do so on a more consistent basis.

While we are at school over the winter break with no classes in session, we get to really concentrate on basketball without having to worry about completing school work.  What’s better than just having to wake up and play basketball? A typical basketball day during winter break consists of reviewing film and possibly shooting free-throws in the morning and than having a full practice in the afternoon.  We also eat some of our meals together as a team.  We did enjoy four days off over Christmas which allowed everyone time to go home and spend the holidays with their families.  I honestly did not do a thing over those four days except to relax and spend time with my family and friends. Usually, I’m so busy during the school year that it’s nice to just relax and recharge.

So now the major part of our season begins with Patriot League play.  Having been through it the past two years, I really look forward to starting this portion of the season.  League play appears to be so much more intense and physical than the rest of the schedule. All teams are quite familiar with one another because we play against each other year after year. But the bottom line is that all teams share the same goal of winning the Patriot League Championship and making it to the NCAA tournament.

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October 8 – Practice is right around the corner
It’s been a while since my last entry so there’s a lot to catch up on. First of all, preseason practice came to a close on October 5 before everyone headed home for fall break.  I think everyone could use a little time off right now due to the stress of midterm exams while still maintaining a high level of intensity throughout basketball workouts. 
 
Preseason is always one of the most difficult times of the year, but it is as crucial as any other period of the year. Basically, the key is to enter official practice in good shape, sharp on fundamentals, and healthy.  I think we accomplished all of those goals this year.  Everyone on the team is certainly in great shape and is ready for practice to begin.  The freshmen have been able to pick up on what we do here at Lehigh and adapt to Division I college basketball. The returning players have also continued to improve in smaller, but crucial, aspects of the game such as their footwork or close outs. And in general, for the most part, the team has remained healthy.  I missed two or three days earlier in the preseason after I came down on Michael Ojo’s foot and rolled my ankle in a pick up game. It wasn’t that bad, especially compared to past years where I missed more extended time due to an ankle injury.  I do have to mention that Matt Shamis had his appendix removed after feeling sick one evening. He actually drove himself to the emergency room at one in the morning.  Fortunately, Matt is doing fine and I expect him to come back and be a main contributor to the team this year because he was playing so well before he fell ill.
 
Previously I mentioned that with the fall pacing break, it basically allows our players to make it home for a couple of days before we start official practice this Friday evening.  I think it is necessary for everyone to recharge at this point in the season so that when we start with intensive practices, everyone is fresh and ready to go.  I spent my fall break at home resting up. I was also able to make it up to the Penn State football game against Iowa which was fun because I’ve been going to games ever since I was young. I don’t have the opportunity to make it up to many Penn State games anymore due to basketball.  Also, I caught the Phillies game on Saturday night and even though they lost to the Rockies, I believe it was a huge step for the team.  As a life long Phillies fan, it was an unbelievable finish to the regular season and hopefully by winning the National East Division this year, the Phillies can achieve even more next year.
 
I’m certainly ready for the next Lehigh basketball season to begin.

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August 28 – The year gets underway
First I have to open up with the big news that just occurred within the last 2-3 weeks and that is the naming of Coach Reed to the head coaching position here at Lehigh.  I just want to say that I am extremely excited about this decision and the direction of the basketball program.  I think Coach Reed is the perfect individual to take over our program and he has the complete backing of every member on the team.  Coach Reed has some excellent ideas on improving our program and I am looking forward to starting workouts.
 
As much as I enjoy summer, I was extra anxious to get back to school and see what the year will have to offer. Well, maybe it’s more that I’m anxious for everyone else to get back because I spend most of my summers here at Lehigh.  I’m fromAllentown so I can make the short commute to take classes and work out at Lehigh just about everyday in the summer. I have the best of both worlds because I can spend time at home with my family, but I can also work ahead on some classes and get better in the gym.
 
Luckily, many other members of the basketball team were around for parts of the summer so there was always someone to work out with. Returning players John Gourlay, Zahir Carrington, and Bryan White were here for a good part of the summer and incoming freshman Prentice Small was also here for a summer program.  Everyone on the team came back to work the Lehigh basketball camp for a week so it was nice to work out together as a team and bond a little bit over the summer.
 
Now that everyone is back at school, we play pick-up just about everyday until we get started later this week with our lifting and speed/agility testing. Next week we’ll start our preseason training, which will consist of individual workouts, lifting, speed training, conditioning, and playing pick-up.  The preseason is always one of the hardest parts of the year because it’s crucial to get the fitness level necessary to be a great team. I’m not too worried though because everyone came back in good shape.
 
I just want to say that I’m extremely excited to be part of a new era of Lehigh basketball and I truly believe our program can do some great things.

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