34 Matt Shaw

Nickname: Meezy Strengths: Redshirting after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and undergoing surgery over the summer. He has been shooting light free throws and 3-pointers in practice. Weaknesses: Recovery from surgery was difficult, especially once painkillers wore off. Said it felt like someone had smacked his knee with a sledgehammer. However, with roommates/teammates Rene Rougeau and Rob Ketchum, and a host of friends who visited him, he wasn’t allowed to wallow and now sees this season as one for him to improve across the board. As a sophomore (6.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg) Played in all 35 games, tallying a career-best 14 points twice. Started seven games and shot 32.9 percent beyond the 3-point arc. As a freshman (1.3 ppg) Got in 21 games as the Rebels, behind Kevin Kruger, Curtis Terry, Gaston Essengue and Joel Anthony, advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1991. At Los Angeles Fairfax High Helped the Lions finish No. 16 in USA Today’s season-ending Super 25 poll. Fairfax went 24-3. He averaged 16 points and 8 rebounds as a senior. Quoting “I’m itching. I’m trying to get some shots up (to the side, in practice). Watching them play, in their uniforms, will be good and bad. I’ll sit through it, though. It’s good. It’ll make me more hungry.”