Montana State junior point guard Nahjee Matlock has been granted his release from the Montana State men’s basketball program, Bobcat coach Brian Fish announced Thursday in an MSU press release.
“Nahjee will be missed,” Fish said in a statement, “and I want to thank him for how hard he worked and how much he improved. We always want what is best for the player, and we wish him the best.”
Matlock will take an official visit to Division II Alaska-Fairbanks this weekend and is expected to sign on the spot. The Nanooks of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference are coached by former Montana State head coach Mick Durham. Former MSU All-Big Sky forward Bobby Howard is an assistant. Fairbanks Bangaly Kaba played at Tohono O’odham Community College with Matlock for two seasons.
MSU point guard Nahjee Matlock
Originally from Las Vegas, Matlock transferred to MSU last summer from Tohono O’odham Junior College in Arizona. He averaged 2.0 points and 1.0 assists, playing in 30 of the team’s 31 games this season. His best game came in Montana State’s 102-59 win over Northern Arizona. Matlock scored 13 points and dished out 10 assists, hitting a pair of 3-pointers as the Bobcats hit a Big Sky Conference record 25 3-pointers in the landslide victory.
Matlock has been running as a sprinter with the MSU track team in recent weeks. As a high school senior at Palo Verde High, Matlock finished second at the Nevada 6A state championships in the 100 meters, running a time of 10.81 seconds. He also finished second in the 200 with a time of 21.41. His lifetime bests are 10.72 in the 100 and 21.38 in the 200. Each time would rank in the top 10 in the Big Sky in outdoor track this season.
Matlock’s departure opens up at least one more scholarship for Fish, who signed DeVonte Klines and Joe Mvuezolo from the junior college ranks on Wednesday. Randy Phillips, a 6-foot-9, 245-pounder from East Central College in Decatur, Mississippi will visit MSU this weekend.
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
