There are students, there are athletes, and then there is IUPUI SR PF Matt O’Leary. On the court he led the team with 68 3PM/6.1 RPG and finished #2 in PPG/BLK. Off the court he earned a 3.81 GPA while majoring in management and was recently named 3rd-team Academic All-American. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel recently got to talk to Matt about this prestigious honor and his in-depth approach to becoming a better shooter.
You grew up in Terre Haute, a city that is home many famous basketball people including Larry Bird/Thad Matta/John Wooden: who is your favorite, and what on earth are the putting in the water out there?! There is a lot of basketball talent from Terre Haute! I think that sometimes people do not realize how much Indiana really is all about basketball. Of the guys you listed I am taking Bird: there is actually a huge statue of him downtown.
You began your career at Loyola Chicago before transferring to IUPUI: why did you decide to switch schools, and what made you choose the Jaguars? A big reason why I transferred was because I just was not having fun there and I wanted basketball to be fun again. Coach Jason Gardner (who recruited me while he was an assistant at Loyola) got the head job at IUPUI so it worked out perfectly.
What makes Coach Gardner such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He cares about his players, knows how to have fun, and trusts his guys even when we make mistakes. The most important thing that I have learned from him is how to be a better leader. I have learned that reaching out to people and giving them compliments/encouragement (no matter how small) builds their confidence and ultimately makes both them/you better.
As a junior you led the team in REB/AST: how were you able to balance such diverse aspects of your game? I have been described as kind of a point-forward. I had the ball in my hands often enough to be able to make plays for my teammates and I am tall enough to grab some boards as well. Getting assists is 1 of my favorite things to do!
In January of 2016 you had a season-high 20 PTS/9-9 FG/10 REB in a win over Western Illinois: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I would not say that I was in the zone. I was definitely comfortable out there but my mantra is to always take good shots. Throughout my career I have always been like that so I guess it was just 1 of those nights where the shots I got were especially good and they all ended up going in.
Both your 3P% & FT% went up dramatically from last year to this year: what is the secret to improving your shooting? Throughout my career I have worked extremely hard on my shot, which just was not falling during my 1st 3 years of college when I was only shooting 26 3P%. However, I just shot 46 3P% for the year as a senior so what I have learned works best is this:
OFF-SEASON: Set a goal for how many MADE shots you want to get in during your off-season, then write down how many makes and where you made them from after every single segment to keep track. This made me obsessed with meeting my goals and helped make me get to the gym almost every single day in the summer instead of just 4 days/week like I would do in a normal year.
RULES: Only count makes, use a shooting gun as little as possible and instead get passes from a human being (this will take a couple of managers/friends/coaches who are as dedicated as you are), mix up shooting drills daily and make sure that every segment is a mix of spot shots and shots off of a screen or off the bounce, and focus on having the same form during every single shot.
*Note: made shots that you add toward your goal can only come from your personal extra work. Open gyms/mandatory workouts do NOT count towards your shot total.
My own extra work that increased my 3P% from 26% to 46%: through 120 calendar days during the off-season I had 9010 made 3s, 1525 shot-fake pull-up 2s, and 1475 FTs, not using a gun or counting open gyms/mandatory workouts.
IN-SEASON: Be confident in your work, shoot when open, and pass when someone else is open! Continue to do extra work on your shot both before/after practice throughout the whole year, and most importantly be confident!
You had non-conference road losses this season to Michigan/Marquette/Illinois/Northwestern: how did you like joining the Big 10, and which of these teams impressed you the most? I love playing against the best teams and I think the best 1 was Northwestern. They were extremely fluid offensively, played tough defense, and shared the ball well. Also, they will never beat themselves.
Earlier this month you were named 3rd-team Academic All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot to me. It felt great to be recognized for all of the hard work that I have done in the classroom and on the court throughout my career. God has blessed me with a great path and I am thankful to Him.
You are a management major with a 3.81 GPA: what attracted you to marketing, and what is the key to success in the classroom? The key to success in the classroom is showing up to class/taking notes/paying attention every single day. I always felt that if you do your due diligence during class then the homework/tests will come easy.
You finish up school this spring: what do you plan to do after graduation? I have not decided for sure yet but I am leaning towards playing professionally overseas.