Matthew Hurt gets his shot at the NBA
One of the most successful Rockets in school history is a Rocket once again.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported over the weekend that former John Marshall basketball standout Matthew Hurt signed a two-way contract with the NBA’s Houston Rockets, after going undrafted in Thursday’s NBA Draft.
The 6’9” small forward turned pro after playing college basketball at Duke University for two seasons, earning First Team All-ACC honors in his sophomore campaign while leading the conference in scoring (18.6 PPG).
Reached before the draft, Rich Hurt, Matthew’s father and childhood coach, said Houston was one of 14 teams his son worked out for in pre-draft phases. (“He had a great workout in Houston… they really liked him,” he said.)
If his son can crack the Rockets roster and make his big-league debut, he would become the first person from Rochester to set foot on an NBA court — an honor that’s been on the minds of the Hurts for years.
“He’s always talked about representing Rochester, so it’s a pretty cool thing to think about,” said Hurt. “I went to school with [former Rocket and 10-year NHLer] Doug Zmolek, so I got to see him put on a professional jersey at that age. I think about those days and how cool it was to know someone who played professional hockey, and now to see it from this perspective and have one of my kids have an opportunity to do the same thing — it’ll be a special moment.”
(Coco and Kelly Miller, twins that led Rochester Mayo to back-to-back girls’ basketball state titles in the 90s, were the first Rochesterites to play American professional basketball when they made the WNBA in 2001.)
Hurt’s first professional action will likely come in a week’s time, when the NBA Summer League tips off on Sunday. If he impresses Rockets brass in the three-week tournament for rookie and second-year players, he would be eligible to take one of Houston’s two two-way contract slots — allowing Hurt to slide between the NBA club and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate, as needed.
While Matthew’s offensive skill is undeniable, hitting 56 percent of his shots from the field and 44 percent of his three-pointers last year at Duke, his NBA draft stock fell over concerns with his defensive game and overall athleticism.
Rich admits he’s a biased observer, but after watching his son adapt and excel at each level of the game, he believes the former five-star recruit, McDonald’s All-American, and gold medalist with USA Basketball’s U18 team will be able to acclimate to the NBA game in due time.
“He’s always made adjustments to be successful,” said Hurt. “It might take a couple years, but I’m so confident in his ability to shoot the ball, score the ball, and when people talk about his deficits, he’s been able to make those adjustments at every level. I have full confidence that he’ll do the same in the NBA.”
While the road ahead for Matthew will be harder as an undrafted player than if he received a selection, it may be the best time in modern NBA history to be in his position. Undrafted rookies are making more of an impact in today’s league than ever before, including key pieces like Raptors sharpshooter Fred VanVleet and Rockets big man Christian Wood.
Thursday did not go how the Hurt family expected — Rich believed Matthew would be taken in the early-to-mid-second round — but Friday marked the latest (and perhaps most important) milestone in what has already been a decorated career for the 21-year-old big man. Rich says he just hopes there’s many more milestones to celebrate down the line.
“I don’t know if I have the right words right now,” said Hurt. “When Matthew’s career is over, I know I’ll be able to look back on the whole thing and say ‘wow, we had a lot of special moments along the way.’”
Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.
Cover photo: Reagan Lunn / Duke Athletics
