Matt Shaw - January 2004
The "Shaw"shank Redemption

If you see Centralia's Matt Shaw play the game of basketball and think to yourself "Man, this is the best high school player I've ever seen," don't worry, a lot of people seem to think that about the 6'6" Orphan senior.

"I've never seen one player that does as much for his team to win as he does." said Centralia Head Coach Gus Gillespie. He's right, too. Shaw, who averages 22.4 points pre contest as well as 9.5 rebounds per game and 4.1 assists for the 21-7 Orphans. "He responds to anything we throw at him." said Gillespie. "It can be a guard or a tough post player, he's always got a lot to handle and does it." Sometimes a good leader has to be vocal-but not if you're Matt Shaw. "He's the first guy on the court and the last one off everyday." said Gillespie. "He's really good about things like that."

Shaw, who has committed to play basketball at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale on scholarship, exemplifies the greatness a D-1 high school player should show. Said Gillespie, "He's really an impact player."

And an impact player he is. Shaw scored 24 points and wrangled 20 rebounds in a 66-51 victory over Belleville Althoff on January 16. He followed his performance the next night by scoring 31 points against Webster Grove, MO, one of the top teams in the St. Louis area. He led his team to a 7-1 record in January, losing only to the then #6 team in Class AA, Belleville West.

Shaw is also currently fifth on the decorated Centralia all time scoring list, with 1,490 points. He is expected to surpass the 1,500 point milestone sometime this postseason. Shaw is also considered by many to be the top player in the star studded South Seven Conference. Matt is also an Honors Student at Centralia High School where he was considering academic powers Stanford and St. Louis University before choosing SIU-C for his college choice. How good is Matt Shaw? Well, in the words of his coach, Gus Gillespie: "He's one of the top three players to play at Centralia, ever." Not bad credentials for the IllinoisHighSchoolSports.com January Athlete of the Month.

The Shaw File:
Birthday: March 4, 1986
Parents: Roger and Gaye Shaw
Siblings: Josh, 21
Favorite Athlete: Tracy McGrady
Favorite Musical Group/Performer: Ludicrous
Favorite Teacher: Rick Moss, former coach
Memorable Moment: Winning the Conference Championship this year
Favorite Opponent: Mt. Vernon
Best Player he's ever guarded:
LaMarcus Aldridge, Seagoville HS (Dallas, TX)
Best Player ever to guard him:
LaMarcus Aldridge, Seagoville HS (Dallas, TX)
College Plans, besides basketball:
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, majoring in engineering

IllinoisHighSchoolSports.com