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Marc Matthews capitalizing on Tucson Summer Pro League experience

Posted at 10:41 PM, Jun 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-29 11:00:07-04

“When I was about 5 years old.”  That's when Marc Matthews, a Sierra Vista native, knew he wanted to play basketball professionally.  And while he's a fan of Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook...“Probably between a Klay Thompson or a Bradley Beal,” is who he models his game after.

 After graduating from Montana State University this year, Matthews is now turning to the Tucson Summer Pro League to help live out his dream and play pro basketball overseas in Europe.

 “Marc's the kind of player I had in mind when I started this league,” says Corey Williams, who is the man in charge of organizing the Tucson Summer Pro League.  A former Arizona basketball player himself, Williams has put on the pro league for 14 years.  With the goal of giving players more playing time, without having to worry about wins or losses.

 “There's not a lot of guys that are going to give him problems here, so we know he's definitely set for better things,” says Williams.

 Corey has been working with Matthews for 2 seasons now in the pro league...”I mean it's night and day.  He has a command of the game now,” says Williams.

 He also played professional basketball in Europe for 12 seasons, and is helping Marc network.

 “The one thing that's difficult is to find a good player, without having to come all the way to the United States.  So a lot of my buddies still trust me and I keep an eye out,” says Williams.

 And keeping that eye on marc Matthews here in Tucson.  “While I’m here in the summer I’m going to keep playing, “says Matthews.  Being able to say I can leave knowing I got better. That's always my goal when I’m on the court.”