Hewson will prove the critics wrong

At 7 feet 3 inches, Seton Hill University’s (SHU) Matt Hewson, a junior, stands three inches taller than Greg Oden, the first overall draft pick in the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) June draft. This makes Hewson the perfect fit for the SHU basketball program.

Hewson started playing basketball in ninth grade, excelling at the sport throughout high school. He even played on the same Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team as Kevin Durant, who is now in his rookie season for the NBA’s Seattle Supersonics.

By Steve Meredith,

Contributor

Hewson, a transfer student from the University of Delaware, heard of SHU’s program through word of mouth.

“Almost everyone that I talked to told me about Coach (Tony) Morocco (men’s basketball head coach) and the Seton Hill Griffins,” Hewson said. But word of mouth wasn’t the only thing that attracted Hewson to the school.

“I like Seton Hill because it has a family-like atmosphere and because Coach Morocco feels like a father figure to me,” Hewson said.

“Plus, I didn’t have a lot of the experience that major Division One schools look for,” Hewson added.

On the basketball court, Hewson’s height is a major advantage when he plays against opposing teams. Outside of the basketball arena, however, life can sometimes be challenging.

“Every article of clothing that I own had to be custom made. I have to duck under doorways when I enter a room, and I can’t even fit in my shower in Farrell,” Hewson said.

Hewson also said it can be hard because people actually make jokes about his height.

“Before I started playing basketball my friends used to tell me that I was 7-foot-3 for nothing,” Hewson said.

What does Hewson have to say about his critics?

“I told my friends that I was going to college, and not only that, but that I was going to go for free to play basketball. The major reason why I play basketball is because I’m trying to prove all my critics wrong,” said Hewson.

Elizabeth Rettger photo