 | | Matt Shaw participated in a Live Chat on UNLVRebels.com on Wednesday, Feb. 4. |
UNLV Runnin' Rebel junior Matt Shaw participated in a Live Chat session on Wednesday, Feb. 4 on UNLVRebels.com. Shaw, who is in his third season with the Runnin' Rebel program, is redshirting the 2008-09 season after having knee surgery this past summer. Over his career at UNLV, Shaw has played in 56 games, making seven starts while averaging 4.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Last season as a sophomore, Shaw played a key role off of the bench to help UNLV win 27 games. He appeared in all 35 games, averaging 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He shot 40.2 percent from the field and 76.9 percent from the free-throw line. The sophomore scored in double figures in 10 games while scoring a career-high 14 points twice. Shaw was named to the Duel in the Desert All-Tournament team. This year as a redshirt, Shaw takes the role of preparing his teammates while rehabbing his knee after surgery this past summer. He will officially begin his junior season in 2009-10. The transcript of the chat is below. |
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 |  | UNLV Moderator: Hey Rebel fans... Sitting here with Matt... Let's get started. |
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| Greg (Greeley, CO): Matt - The one element that we have not had the last three years is a consistent offensive low post presence. I know you feel very comfortable on the perimeter because of your three point touch. Do you see yourself scoring more in post up situations next year or playing very similar to Joe Darger with lots of pick and pop action? Best of luck with your rehab, look forward to you on the floor next year. Thanks |
 | | Matt Shaw: Thanks for the question, Greg. Next year, I hope to have more of an all around game. I hope it will be pretty balanced but will probably have more shooting in the post than shooting on the perimeter. All of it depends on the flow of the game and our opponent. Some games I may not be able to get as much in the post and then will have to depend on my outside game. |
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| Atlanta: Aside from rehabbing your injury, what other considerations went into your decision to redshirt this year? Clearly this is a talented team which you could have been a big part of. |
 | | Matt Shaw: Being able to fully recover from my knee injury was one of the biggest factors that led me to redshirt. I wanted to be able to take all the time I need to sit out and recover so, hopefully, in the future I will not have many problems. Also, this year will allow me to take the time to work on my game and get stronger, and be able to prepare myself for next year and following season. |
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| Mike (Salt Lake City): What was it about UNLV that made you come here in the first place? They were just starting to get back in the groove of being competitive at that point. Was there a deciding factor like the coaching staff or teammates or had you always had UNLV in mind? |
| | Matt Shaw: I originally signed with Temple, but when they had a coaching staff change, I continued to visit some schools. I met Coach Hill one day after our season ended and really enjoyed talking with him. After making a visit to UNLV and talking with the coaching staff, I fell in love with everyone here. Wink was the first guy I met and he showed me around when I first made a visit here. There was something about Coach Kruger where I knew he was going to turn the program around. I talked a lot about the decision with my high school coach and he felt the same way I did. UNLV is also close to home and my mom likes that she can come visit and watch me play. |
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| Ryan (LV): What has it been like to be a part of the rebuilding of this program? Also, what kind of goals do you have for yourself next season? |
| | Matt Shaw: It's definitely fun going out and playing as hard as we can everyday. We have to play like we have nothing to lose. My freshman year it was different because people weren't quite sure of where we were going to go as a team. As we started winning, fans started to show more and more support. At that point, rebuilding the program was never our focus or goal. We just wanted to go out and play each game as hard as we could. As far as next season goes, I just want to make sure and stay healthy and not hurt my knee again. I want to make sure and never let my teammates down and be a leader on the court. |
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| Courtney (Las Vegas): After such a close loss last night, what do you and the other red shirts do to try and impact the players? It has to be so hard not being able to play during the games and having to watch your teammates go through a tough battle. What do you guys, as teammates, do to get them rallied up? Excited to see you back on the court next year! |
| | Matt Shaw: In practice, we take the role of our opponents to prepare the team. We go as hard as we can to try and simulate how it is going to be for them during the game. Our goal is trying to make it more tough in practice than what it will be like in the game for them. During games, we try and give them moral support and keep them encouraged. It definitely is tough not being able to play in games like last night. We all want to be out there, but we can't be. As redshirts, I feel like we get to learn more because we see so much more on the sidelines than what we would playing in the game. |
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| Cindy (Las Vegas): Hey Matt, hope the rehab is going well with the knee. What are some of your struggles with trying to get better? Also, has any part of your recovery been easier than you anticipated it being? |
| | Matt Shaw: After being active for so long and having that taken away was very hard at first. After that, just being able to walk again was tough. One of the main struggles was building muscle back up. Now, my struggles are more mental and being able to trust my knee. That's the hardest part because I would never want to go through that again. As each day goes on, i see what I can and can't do. To be honest, I don't really think any part of it was easy! |
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| | UNLV Moderator: Thanks for all your questions. We will not be able to get to all of them, however, we have time for a few more. |
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| Melissa (LV): What is your favorite part about your teammates? What do you guys do as a team off the court? |
| | Matt Shaw: My favorite thing about our team is that everyone is close. Everyone gets along and we all hang out on a day to day basis outside practice and school. Since we are teammates, everything is a competition, whether we are at a bowling alley or playing video games. Wink is probably the best bowler on the team, but I will bowl with him any day of the week. |
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| Adam (arizona): I know it can't be fun to have to watch on the sidelines. But, if you had to say something, what is your favorite part about sitting out and be able to watch your teammates grow together as a team on the court? Is there anything you can take away from this experience to help you next year when you are out on the court again? |
| | Matt Shaw: My favorite part about watching my teammates on the sidelines is being able to see everyone's progression. It's fun being able to see them get better. By sitting out, I'm trying to learn from what they are doing and take that with me into next season. |
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| Tayshaun (Cali): Shaw-ty, how you doin? I???m curious man, I???ve seen you in some of those Rebel shorts and videos and stuff. It seems like you???re a natural in front of the camera. You ever taken any acting lessons or done this stuff before. You???re funny. |
| | Matt Shaw: Thank you. I take pride in the Rebel shorts. I am a jokester. I haven't taken any lessons, but maybe its because I am from California. Plus, my high school was close to Hollywood, so maybe that is a good sign for me? |
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| Charles (vegas): Matt, it seems like you fit in well with the types of players that Coach Kruger looks for, which is basically hard-workers and versatile players. Do you see yourself playing more of the 4 or 5 spot next season? It will be interesting to see how it plays out with you, Santee, Massamba, Stanback, and the incoming freshman, Carlos Lopez. Thanks! |
| | Matt Shaw: Next year, I think I'll play a mixture of the 4 and 5 just depending on our opponent. With what we do, it depends a lot on the game situation. Coach always says just "to be a player." I think all of our big guys will mesh well because some play the 4 position and some play the 5. I think we will compliment each other well. |
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| | UNLV Moderator: Thank you for participating. Tune into CBS College Sports this Saturday when the Runnin' Rebels travel to take on New Mexico at 5 p.m. UNLV will be back at the Thomas & Mack on Tuesday, Feb. 7 to host TCU at 7 p.m. Go Rebels! |
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