Xavier star led Musketeers to NCAA Sweet 16, became ‘media sweetheart’

Players from both the Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs basketball squads at Clinton County High School were given a rare treat last week, hearing briefly from a nationally recognized sports figure.

Matt Stainbrook, the 6’10” senior center for the Xavier Musketeers mens’ basketball team, spoke briefly to the group of about 40 basketball players and others last Friday afternoon.

Stainbrook, who led the Xavier Musketeers to the Sweet 16 round of the men’s NCAA Basketball tournament this past March, spoke for about 30 minutes to the high school students.

During that informal gathering, Stainbrook gave a brief overview of his college career at Xavier, talked about some of the conditioning and practice routines he and his teammates went through in the Xavier basketball program, and talked a little about what he hopes will be his future in professional basketball.

Stainbrook became one of the most recognizable figures to emerge from last spring’s NCAA tournament, the subject of several breakout feature segments that dealt with his on court dedication as well as his off-court practices.

He stressed to the group the importance of staying in shape in order to be able to put in the best performance on the court, and the importance of combining the proper diet with conditioning habits.

After arriving at Xavier on a transfer from Western Michigan, Stainbrook began a conditioning program that saw him lose some 50 pounds, hitting the court for the Musketeers last season at 270 pounds.

On the court, he led the Musketeers to a 23-14 season record, a runner-up finish in the Big East tournament, a run to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, being named Big East Player of the Week and being named to the East-West All Star lineup that played on the Final Four floor in Indianapolis during the championship weekend.

Off the court, Stainbrook gave up his scholarship in his final year to become a walk-on player for the Musketeers squad, so his younger brother, Tim, who was a player with Xavier with walk-on status, could have the full playing scholarship.

In order to earn extra money to help with college expenses, Stainbrook became a UBER driver and that storyline was the subject of articles and features across the nation including a special ESPN report that was aired during the NCAA basketball tournament.

Matt’s brother, Tim Stainbrook, traveled to Albany with him and was on hand during Friday’s program as well.

Stainbrook said he will travel to Boston next week to spend several weeks working out and training in hopes of making the NBA draft on some level, and he also said he could find himself playing professional basketball in Europe if his NBA hopes didn’t pan out.

He also spent time after the gathering touring the playing court area, conditioning facilities, and the boys’ varsity locker room before leaving.

Stainbrook is a frequent visitor to the area in the summer months, spending time on Dale Hollow Lake.