Galloway, N.J. — “Hey, did you guys raise the rims. Are these legal? They seem a little higher,”
Chad Davis said with a chuckle as the former Stockton University basketball player
ran down Gerry Matthews Court on Saturday.
Davis ’09 was one of several members of the most successful men’s basketball team
in school history who gathered at the Sports Center for an alumni scrimmage and a
chance to catch up with Coach Matthews. The 2008-09 team advanced to the NCAA Division
III men’s basketball championship game before losing to Washington (Missouri) 61-52.
The team finished with a school record 30 wins and only three losses.
“You pick up right where you left off,” said Davis, of Vineland, who was a co-captain
of the team and now works as a prosecutor in Cumberland County. “I played my freshman
year through my junior year, but my senior year (the 2008-09 season) was fun. It was
a brotherhood. Everyone got along. The trips were fun. It was a really special experience
that year.”
Chad Davis, a member of the 2008-09 Stockton men’s basketball team, goes up for a
rebound during an alumni scrimmage at the Sports Center on Jan. 3.Â
Several of the former players enjoyed being back on campus to remember an unforgettable
season.
“It was fun to connect with guys I haven’t seen in a long time,” said Steve Scheck
’12, who played forward and center on the 2008-09 team. “It was a good turnout. Guys
who I haven’t seen in years, we haven’t skipped a beat. That group of guys, we will
always be tight no matter what.”
Scheck, who lives where he grew up in Absecon, credited the fact that most of the
team was “a bunch of regular guys from New Jersey” as one of the reasons why they
were so close.
“I think that brought a lot of us together. We all hung out outside of basketball
as well,” he said. “Everybody made each other compete in practice, and then we were
all friends off the court and still friends to this day.”
He added that it was also great to see Matthews, 84, one of the greatest basketball
coaches in New Jersey history. Matthews, who also led Stockton to the NCAA Final Four
in 1987, finished his career with a 603-243 record in 30 seasons. Matthews’ Ospreys
won nine New Jersey Athletic Conference titles and 16 appearances in the NJAC final.
His teams never had a losing season.
“I spent 30 seasons here and there’s an awful lot of memories, an awful lot of players
and an awful lot of games, and I don’t forget any of that stuff,” Matthews said. “Basketball
was life for me.”
That’s not an exaggeration. For more than half his life, 43 years, Matthews coached
high school and college basketball from freshman to junior varsity to varsity to college.
“I tell some of the referees that they aren’t allowed to run on my name (on the court).
They have to go around and not step on it,” he said with a laugh.
He still makes it to six or seven Stockton basketball games a year, often sitting
in current coach Scott Bittner’s office, which has a window overlooking the court.
“I’m just glad to see that Stockton’s doing well and Scott’s done a nice job when
he took my place,” Matthews said.
Former Stockton men’s basketball coaches Gerry Matthews, left, and Nick Werkman.
Bittner was an assistant coach on the 2008-09 team. He said Matthews taught him how
important it is to teach his players not only basketball skills but life skills, as
well.
“He made me understand that if you care about the kids first, they’ll really let you
challenge them and coach them hard,” said Bittner, who became Stockton’s coach in
2016 after being an assistant for Matthews for 10 years. “You’re trying to get them
to be great people. If you can’t be a great teammate and you don’t work as hard as
you can doing something you love, then how are you going to work hard at something
you don’t love.”
Bittner said the 2008-09 team was not only “the best team, but the most fun team to
be around.”
“The best group of personalities, they were the most connected group. And it’s interesting
how important that is,” he said. “That’s what you strive for in every group. I tell
my players that it’s my goal for you to leave Stockton with 10 or 15 of your best
friends that you’ll have for the rest of your life.”
That camaraderie was evident Saturday as members of the 2008-09 team joined other
Stockton basketball alumni for a competitive scrimmage full of 3-point shots, no-look
passes, dunks and, of course, laughs.
As Davis jogged up and down the court, he kept an eye on his young son, Barney, wearing
a Philadelphia 76ers jersey and dribbling a ball behind one of the baskets.
“I knew he wanted to come and watch. He’s playing basketball now,” Davis said. “It’s
a treat to come out here. I’m a big proponent of Stockton. I’m going to make it a
priority to make sure we get back for a few games every year.”
— Story and photos by Mark Melhorn