AURORA | A profile look at Gateway junior Maximus Matthews who is on the roster of Team East for the 1 p.m. A-Town All-Star Boys Game on March 18, 2023, at Eaglecrest High School (purchase tickets, here):
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
MAXIMUS MATTHEWS
School: Gateway High School
Year: Junior
Height: 6-foot-4
2022-23 averages: 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.3 steals
Season highlights: In the wake of a 1-21 season in 2022, Gateway surged to a 14-10 record, the Colorado League regular season championship and a berth in the Class 5A state playoffs, which marked the program’s first postseason appearance since 2019. Coach Ibn Shabazz saw improvement from the players that returned from the previous season, but the transfer of Matthews, a ballhandler and playmaker with good size, turned out to be a major addition. He played at an All-Colorado League first team level as he led the conference in rebounding and was second on his team in scoring average and shot blocking. Matthews scored a season-high 25 points in a 62-61 overtime win over Castle View Jan. 7 (a game in which he also had 17 rebounds) and he had 14 games in which he scored in double figures. He pulled down 21 rebounds in a win over Adams City (the Colorado League tournament winner) and finished with eight or more rebounds in 14 games, including six double-doubles. Matthews earned selection to the A-Town All-Star Game for the first time.
Matthews vs. Aurora teams: vs. Hinkley (6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals); vs. Aurora Central (4 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks); vs. Aurora Central (12 points, 8 rebounds); vs. Aurora Central (14 points)