Halvorsen to Western Carolina
ARDEN - Christ School senior Matt Halvorsen came to Western North Carolina from the eastern rim of Tennessee.
He wants to stay here a while.
Halvorsen confirmed Monday that he has committed to play college basketball for Western Carolina University.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard from Kingsport, Tenn., also had offers from Brown and Lees-McRae prior to his official visit to Cullowhee over the weekend.
"The coaching staff (at WCU) wants me to be there and you could tell they weren't really going through the motions," Halvorsen said.
"They care about you as a basketball player and more than that, too. They offer a lot and I think that this is a really good chance for me."
Halvorsen was an All-Carolinas Athletic Association and Citizen-Times All-WNC guard for the CAA regular-season and tournament champion Greenies (23-9) last winter. He averaged 16.1 points and four assists per game. Halvorsen set a single-season school record for 3-pointers (111) and shot 48 percent from behind the arc. Halvorsen’s free-throw percentage was 85 percent.
Second-year Christ School coach Scott Willard could not have been more complimentary about the latest NCAA Division I recruit for what has become Buncombe County's top basketball program, public schools or private.
"(Halvorsen) has earned it. He's put in the hours and there is nothing sexy about that," Willarrd said.
"There were a lot of schools interested. I really have to say that (WCU coach) Larry Hunter and his staff did a great job. They made Mattty feel like he was already part of their family. There was already a connection there."
The Greenies open their season Nov. 3 at Spartanburg Day (S.C.).
"We're going to rely on Matty a lot," Willard said.
"It's his third year here. He's already played against teams like Oak Hill (Va.) and it's not surprise to me that he's a Division I scholarship player. He made seven 3-pointers against Oak Hill last year. We're certainly going to need him to continue to step up with the schedule we've got this year."
ARDEN - Christ School senior Matt Halvorsen came to Western North Carolina from the eastern rim of Tennessee.
He wants to stay here a while.
Halvorsen confirmed Monday that he has committed to play college basketball for Western Carolina University.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard from Kingsport, Tenn., also had offers from Brown and Lees-McRae prior to his official visit to Cullowhee over the weekend.
"The coaching staff (at WCU) wants me to be there and you could tell they weren't really going through the motions," Halvorsen said.
"They care about you as a basketball player and more than that, too. They offer a lot and I think that this is a really good chance for me."
Halvorsen was an All-Carolinas Athletic Association and Citizen-Times All-WNC guard for the CAA regular-season and tournament champion Greenies (23-9) last winter. He averaged 16.1 points and four assists per game. Halvorsen set a single-season school record for 3-pointers (111) and shot 48 percent from behind the arc. Halvorsen’s free-throw percentage was 85 percent.
Second-year Christ School coach Scott Willard could not have been more complimentary about the latest NCAA Division I recruit for what has become Buncombe County's top basketball program, public schools or private.
"(Halvorsen) has earned it. He's put in the hours and there is nothing sexy about that," Willarrd said.
"There were a lot of schools interested. I really have to say that (WCU coach) Larry Hunter and his staff did a great job. They made Mattty feel like he was already part of their family. There was already a connection there."
The Greenies open their season Nov. 3 at Spartanburg Day (S.C.).
"We're going to rely on Matty a lot," Willard said.
"It's his third year here. He's already played against teams like Oak Hill (Va.) and it's not surprise to me that he's a Division I scholarship player. He made seven 3-pointers against Oak Hill last year. We're certainly going to need him to continue to step up with the schedule we've got this year."
