Matthew Hurt, a 6-foot-8 freshman forward from Rochester (MN) John Marshall, is considered Minnesota’s top player in the Class of 2019.
Hurt comes from a basketball family. His older brother, Michael, is a Minnesota Gopher commit and is ranked as the number two senior in the state.
Matthew Hurt averaged 15.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game with a season-high 26 points versus Northfield last season. He scored in double figures in all but four games and had four contests of 20 or more points.
John Marshall finished 23-6 this past season, losing to Lakeville North 62-51 in the Section 1AAAA championship game for the third straight year.
Gopher Hole recently caught up with Hurt to learn the latest on his early recruitment and being freshman.
Gopher Hole: You were at the Gopher football opener against TCU with your brother and some of the other players that they are recruiting. What was that experience like?
Matthew Hurt: It was pretty cool watching Minnesota play against the second best team in the nation and it was just a great atmosphere. Fans were into it and it was just a fun night to watch football and just chill.
Gopher Hole: Did you get a chance to talk to some of the players like Gary Trent Jr., Tre Jones, Amir Coffey and Eric Curry?
Matthew Hurt: I talked to all four of them and asked them about how the AAU season went and them looking for the season to start.
Gopher Hole: Had you had much of a chance to see any of those kids play? I know that some of them play on different AAU circuits and maybe you don’t get a chance to see them much.
Matthew Hurt: I’ve seen Gary and Tre play a lot. I watched their mixtapes. I haven’t really seen Eric Curry. I might have to look him up.
Gopher Hole: The Gophers have commitments now from Eric and Amir to play with your brother. Have you seen enough to know how they might fit along with your brother’s style of play?
Matthew Hurt: They are a fast playing team and I think that my brother loves to play up tempo. They can shoot the hell out of the ball and I think that it will be a really good fit for him.
Gopher Hole: You are starting to hear from some new schools. Are you liking the recruiting process so far?
Matthew Hurt: Yes. So far, it has been fun. Seeing the colleges and talking to the assistant coaches and watching them all on TV. That is always cool.
Gopher Hole: Do you think that it helps having your brother around. Does he tell you what to expect and does he give you some tips? Does he tell you much about that?
Matthew Hurt: Not really, but he says stay patient and don’t let it get into your head a lot Just keep playing. Keep playing hard on the court and offers will come.
Gopher Hole: You played in the Minnesota team camp and also played in the Bracket Buster in Maple Grove. What is the feeling for your team? Your team has come close to getting to the state and that is obviously the big goal for this year.
Matthew Hurt: I think that we played really well this summer and we also have a transfer from Albert Lea named Dedoch Chan (a 6-foot-7 junior) and he added size and can shoot it and defense. I think that he will help our team a lot. He will be a really good fit for us.
Gopher Hole: Teams are going to be double and triple teaming you. It is going to be hard to do with another big man?
Matthew Hurt: It is going to be tough to guard us. We have Isaiah Walden (a guard who plays with Matthew on the D1 Minnesota 16’s AAU team). We have another shooter called D’Angelo Tines (a 6-foot-2 senior), who can shoot the ball and we have me. Michael and Dedoch and we have some really good player coming off the bench. It should be a fun season.
Gopher Hole: Did you get a chance to talk to the coaches much at all during the football game?
Matthew Hurt: I talked to Ben Johnsen, Kimani (Young) and Nate (Pomeday). Just said hello and had fun.
Gopher Hole: What has your relationship been with the Gopher coaches so far? I know that it is so early going into only your freshman year, but what kind of relationship have you been able to build with those guys?
Matthew Hurt: We have a pretty close relationship because Michael is already set to go to the Gophers. Every time I went up there, they talked to me, so it is just fun talking to the Gopher coaches.