From the moment he arrived on campus from Houston, Mead senior hooper Matthew Angelo had an electric personality. During his final season with the Mavericks, he was the indisputable leader of a team that went 14-10 and earned a bid to the Class 5A state tournament.

He paced a strong offense with 18.3 points per game and 2.8 assists per game, then chipped in 6.5 boards for good measure. For that, he was named the Times-Call player of the year.

“He stepped right in and definitely showed that even as a sophomore, he belonged at our varsity level for sure,” head coach Darin Reese said. “He’s got quite a personality. Really from the time he got here, his sophomore year, guys just kind of gravitated towards him. He just kind of has that quiet confidence and he’s just a respectful kid. His parents are outstanding. They hold him to a high standard, and you can just see it in how he acts throughout the school. He’s one of those kids that kids like to be around.

“He’s always just been really unlike, I think, anybody we’ve had in the program, just going off the dribble, his change of speed, and how he attacks that. He’s so quick and decisive, and that was the thing that stood out from the very beginning.”

Angelo, too, believed in that high standard, and he took that to heart every time he hit the court for practice or a game. A lead by example kind of guy, he always practiced at the highest level and lifted his teammates up with him.

He just wanted to make his mark on the program from day one, two years ago. At first, he could lean on the leadership of Tucker Mills and Nick Basson, but he quickly evolved into something much greater — someone his teammates could always rely on.

“Coach Reese really told me that my role was to be the energy guy, you know, just bring energy,” Angelo said. “I had to figure out how to do that, whether it was defensive stops, taking charges, or just making the right pass. As I grew as a player, my relationship with coach Reese grew as well, and my freedom grew as well. My skill set was able to flourish, and I could have a little bit more freedom with the ball and make plays for myself as well as others.”

As Angelo puts his high school career in the rearview mirror, it’s not the stats or the tournament runs that he’ll look back at most fondly. More than anything, he said, he enjoyed bonding with his teammates outside of basketball, especially at team dinners.

Now, he’ll get ready to start his Division II hoops career at the University of Jamestown in North Dakota.

“I really picked Jamestown just because of my relationship with coach (Casey) Bruggeman there,” Angelo explained. “He was the first to offer me throughout the recruiting process, and he believed in my talent when no one else did. So it was more the question of, why not go there?”