Wisconsin Basketball: Matthew Mors player profile

With the Wisconsin basketball off-season underway, it’s time to take a closer look at the incoming freshman Coach Gard has entering the program. In total Greg Gard has signed four players in the class of 2021: Chucky Hepburn, Matthew Mors, Chris Hodges, and Markus Ilver. The 2021 class ranks 32nd in the nation and 5th in the Big Ten.

Today in part two of our incoming freshman profiles, we will take a deep dive into Wisconsin basketball forward, Matthew Mors.

Player Profile:

Hometown: Yankton, South Dakota.

Measurables: 6’7’’ 220 lbs.

Position: Forward

Rank: 149th overall per 247, 28th ranked power forward, 1st ranked player in South Dakota.

Prep basketball career stats/accolades, per Max Preps:

2017 Second Team All-State

2018 First Team All-State

2019 First Team All-State

2019 Gatorade Player of the Year – South Dakota

2020 First Team All-State

2020 Gatorade Player of the Year – South Dakota

2021 First Team All-State

2021 Class AA Player of the Year

2021 Gatorade Player of the Year – South Dakota

(Yes you read that right, he won Gatorade Player of the Year 3x)

Stats:

2015-16: 7.7 points (7th grade)

2016-17: 20.6 points, 4.8 rebounds (8th grade)

2017-18: 24.4 points, 6 rebounds (Freshman)

2018-19: 23 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2 steals (Sophomore)

2019-20: 19.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.1 steals (Junior)

2020-21: 24.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3 assists (Senior)

*4th all-time leading scorer in South Dakota state history (2,707 points)

*2018 State Champion

To call Matthew Mors prep career an accomplishment would be an understatement… He is without a doubt on the shortlist for greatest players in South Dakota state history.

Recruitment:

Offer list: The three-star forward out of Yankton, South Dakota committed to Wisconsin over the likes of Creighton, Iowa, Iowa State, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, South Dakota State, and TCU.

Individual thoughts:

With a lot of the attention being given to incoming point guard, Chucky Hepburn, people seem to be forgetting just how good incoming forward Matthew Mors is/can be. Mors is one of the most decorated basketball players in South Dakota high school basketball history, with a resume that would rival just about any player nationwide. On varsity since 7th grade, Mors rewrote the record books in Yankton and took the program to new heights.

On a team that continues to shift its focus towards recruiting versatile and better athletes, Matthew Mors is going to give them a forward capable of doing anything that’s asked of him.

I believe that Matthew Mors is a high floor prospect capable of contributing from day one, who still has more ceiling to him than he’s given credit for.

Film Review

Offensively, Matthew Mors is the perfect fit for today’s “position-less basketball”, and an even better fit for the Badgers. I have no doubt that Mors can play either forward spot and be effective. What excites me most about his game is that he is already a polished scorer with a college-ready frame. There will be minutes available to him the minute he steps onto campus.

Mors can score from all three levels with ease. There is a killer scoring instinct that he possesses that I think sets him apart from a lot of other players already in the program. As he gains experience and confidence, I think we’ll see Mors become one of the team’s leading scorers down the road. At first glance, he may not look like a high flyer, but make no mistake about it, Matthew Mors will absolutely put you on a poster if given the chance. Mors can post up but prefers to face up and knock down a jumper or take you off the dribble.

Defensively, he will provide a lot of versatility and the ability to switch. He is more than capable of defending out on the wing and is strong enough to do the dirty work down on the block. He’s exactly what Greg Gard wants out of his forward spot, versatile, and has the ability to bang down low if needed.

He’s tough, explosive, versatile, skilled, and can shoot. Not sure what more you could want out of a forward in Coach Gard’s system. He seems like a tailor-made fit for Wisconsin basketball.

Future outlook:

Lucky for Matthew Mors, there is a plethora of minutes available at both forward spots, and should find his way into a role right out of the gate. How the minutes will be distributed and who will start at this point is anyone’s guess, but I would pencil in Mors for meaningful minutes regardless. Lineups have a way of sorting themselves out, but I view Mors as a multi-year starter and a high-level contributor on the offensive end. I wouldn’t be shocked if Matthew Mors ended up being a cornerstone type of player and all-conference performer before his Wisconsin basketball career is over.

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