2010 18U National Team forward and former Carmen Del Sol player Angel Matias will be "red shirted" this year. IPRB spoke to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College ("MGCCC") Coach Wendell Weathers who confirmed the schools decision to "red shirt" Matias and said, "Angel is a heck of a player and we are confident that he can do great things for us next year but at this point he is simply not ready."
Matias who was given a full scholarship to MGCCC in late August has had come challenges both on and off the court. PR Playmakers Founder Todd Washington said, " They love Angel down there! He is a great kid and Coach Weathers was clear in his commitment to helping Angel catch up in the classroom and getting into college basketball shape."
MGCCC is where former Carmen Del Sol superstar Raymond Cintron is in his second year and he has been acting as a big brother to Matias. Taking a "red shirt" year allows a player to practice with the team and and stay on scholarship while they work on developing into a true student athlete. Carlos "Yao" Lopez who started on the 2008-2009 National Champion Findlay Prep team ended up "red shirting" last year at UNLV.
Provided Matias does what needs to be done in the classroom he could opt to only play one year at MGCC and graduate in 2012 or stay and play two years at MGCCC starting next year. Most importantly he is working towards obtaining a college degree that that should be the goal for all student athletes!
