ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Put yourself in the shoes of Anthony Mathis. As a freshman in 2015-16, he played in 25 games, and saw 164 minutes. He scored 57 points. In 2016-17 as a sophomore, that playing time went down to 10 games, just 64 minutes and just 29 points. A pure shooter, Mathis wasn’t playing, and wasn’t having any fun. He announced that he would transfer away from the one place he didn’t want to leave.
Then a coaching change happened, and Paul Weir took over the program. He watched game film … game film that never saw Mathis leave the bench, but the tape never lies, and what it showed was a player engaged with his team on the bench, and someone with fire. Weir knew there was a player in Mathis dying to bust out, and if he wanted to stay, Mathis would get his shot. Now, Mountain West opponents are ruing that fateful day, because Mathis now just makes shot after shot after shot. The NCAA’s leader in three-point shooting, Mathis’ story isn’t complete, but it’s a story of perseverance, of never giving up, always being there for a teammate, and what a positive attitude can do not only for a single person, but those around him.
Enjoy this week’s eighth installment of Lobo Pride, on Anthony Mathis and his drive to see Lobo Basketball succeed. To view all previous episodes, visit www.golobos.com/LoboPride.