Nov. 13, 2008

Before he ever arrived at Idaho State, Pocatello prep sports aficionados watched Matt Stucki win two football state championships and a basketball crown at Century High School.

Since his arrival on campus, he has gone from the Bengals' top freshman, averaging 10 minutes per game during the 2005-06 season, to perhaps Idaho State's best player. The Bengals are picked to finish near the top of the Big Sky Conference this season, and the 6-6 senior swing man is a big reason why.

Stucki recently took time out of his busy schedule to chat with Idaho State sports information graduate assistant Mitch Worthington about lofty expectations, superstitions, and being married to a former college basketball player in the latest edition of 10 Minutes with a Bengal (though this one took more like 20).

Q: Of all the years you've been here, these are the highest expectations this team has had going into a season. How much different is that, to start the year with people expecting some pretty special things?
A: You know, it's kind of nice to get that kind of recognition that we've improved every year since I've been here. On the other side, we can't get carried away with that. We still have to go into every game giving it our all. Just because we're ranked a little bit higher than someone else doesn't mean they're just going to let us win. Sometimes you have a target on your back. Because you are ranked higher, they show up and play harder. We have to recognize that it's still not going to be easy just because we've got a little bit higher preseason ranking in the conference.

Q: Speaking of not easy, this schedule... year after year, you guys tend to play one of the more brutal schedules in the Big Sky. This year you have road trips to Wisconsin, Hawaii and Arizona State, and the three biggest Utah schools are coming here. Is it fun to play this kind of schedule, or does it hurt the team at all?
A: I don't think it hurts. Coach O'Brien has always had the philosophy of trying to play the best. Every year we always have a very tough non-conference schedule. It helps to prepare us for conference games. It helps us get used to pressure that we probably won't see in conference, and be able to learn how to deal with it so that when we get to conference, it's like we're playing teams that aren't going to pressure you as much on defense and aren't as big. It's been fun. Some of the venues we've played in have been a great experience. Hopefully it will prepare us this year again for conference.

Q: What's your favorite arena you've played in?
A: We've played in a lot of cool venues. My freshman year we played at Kansas, and it was just unbelievable. It was also fun to play at UCLA last year just because of all the history that's there. Any basketball player, or anyone who loves to watch basketball, knows about all the great teams that have come from UCLA, and even ISU when they beat UCLA (in 1977) to kind of end that streak. There's a lot of history there. You can't throw out the Marquette game, where we took them into overtime. There are some great venues out there that I've been fortunate to be able to play in.

Q: With all these tough games you play, there have been some blowouts, but there have been some close games. You took BYU to overtime a couple of years ago in Provo. Do you feel like this is the year that maybe you guys can get one of these big games?
A: That's what we're going for. We want to get some of these wins that people don't expect us to get. Sometimes teams overlook us, and we come in and play hard and we execute the little things and we play as a team. That's the important thing against these bigger teams that are more athletic is playing together. Coach is trying to get us to play together. If a team is playing together, anyone's got a chance. Hopefully we can learn that early on and give some of these bigger teams a run for their money.

Q: How special will it be for the fans to see BYU coming into Holt Arena?
A: I think it's going to be a great experience for the community. Last year we were very happy to have Washington State come here, but this year, we have three of those teams coming in: BYU, Utah State and the University of Utah, who have all have successful programs. It will be really big for the community to see that these teams are coming in. It will catch their interest and they will come to support us, hopefully. Hopefully we can play good games against them.

Q: Speaking of road trips, your wife (former ISU women's basketball player Chelsey Chambers, now Chelsey Stucki) is pregnant with your first child, and the due date is Dec. 8. That comes right in the middle of the trip to Wisconsin. What's the plan for that?
A: We've worried about that a little bit. We've talked to our doctor. When we get a little bit closer, we'll see what it looks like. I haven't discussed it with Coach O'Brien quite yet, but it's one of those things I don't want to miss. I want to be there to support my wife and be there for that special moment. I'm sure I will be there for it.

Q: I figured she put her foot down and demanded that you not go.
A: Yeah, she's threatened me a little bit.

Q: That's kind of a cool story. She was one of the better players on the women's team when she played here. Did you meet each other coming in and out of the gym?
A: We had some mutual friends. I saw a picture of her when I walked into the basketball office, and I was a little interested then. Some mutual friends helped us meet. From there, we started dating, and the rest is history. We dated for almost two years, and then we got married.

Q: One of the worst nightmares for a basketball player is an ACL injury. You played with David Schroeder, who dealt with plenty of those, and you were dating Chelsey her senior year when she tore her ACL. What does it say about her, that she came back and played on a torn ACL?
A: She played on it torn for a couple games because she wanted to play so bad, and it just wasn't working. She tried and tried. Then to see the recovery, it's probably as painful as the actual injury because it's so long and tedious. My hats off to them. Especially Dave, I think he tore his three times. To see someone come back time after time and still be as athletic as Dave was, and to have as much drive as my wife and as Dave, it was unbelievable to see how they reacted to those situations.

Q: Chelsey did get back on the floor at the end of the year, right?
A: Yeah, and I know that was one of her favorite moments. She was able to come back, and she got a standing ovation as she came in. It was a neat experience and nice closure for her to end her senior year. I'm sure that's something she won't ever forget.

Q: When she was healthy, she was one of the better post players in the Big Sky Conference. Does she ever watch you and give you pointers?
A: She's been really good. She gives me input every once in a while, but mostly she's just there to support me. She's someone to talk to. She doesn't really critique me too much - she lets the coaches do that. She'll throw in some pointers every once in a while, but she's mostly just very supportive.

Q: What is it like to be from Pocatello and play for the hometown school?
A: It's been great for me. I was born in Blackfoot and raised here most of my life. I have a lot of friends in the community and a lot of people who have supported me throughout the years. It's been great to carry it through college and still have a lot of great supporters. I appreciate that so much. It's made it a lot easier to be here, being a college student with all the things we have to do, it's nice to have that support in place. I couldn't ask for anything more; it's been great.

Q: It's been a while since the most popular player on the team has been somebody from right here in town. Do you feel that from the home crowd when your name is called before a game?
A: Absolutely. I've had ups and downs, in high school and in college. To be able to get to the place I'm at, before the last year of my career, it's real exciting. I think it's exciting for the community. For all the people who have supported me, it's been great that they've been able to see this as well.

Q: What is the craziest thing Coach O'Brien has ever done or said?
A: Oh, I don't know. Coach O'Brien expects a lot out of us. I don't know if there's any one particular moment, but there are times he'll get in our face and let us know that we're not giving it our all. I'm sure people see him stomping sometimes, getting thrown out of games. The man is very passionate about what he does. As he does those things, we see how passionate he is, and it helps drive us as well. He's a very good coach.

Q: You see teams take on the personality of their coaches sometimes. Do you think that's happened here?
A: I think so. With the transition to Coach O'Brien, we transitioned to a defensive-minded team. We tried to be more tough-minded, tougher on defense, whereas the year before we were trying to outscore people. Absolutely, we've taken on that mentality of our coach. As he coaches a game, you can see his tough-mindedness and his mentality. We try to portray that the way we play.

Q: You're the last one on the team who was here when Joe O'Brien took over. What there a little bit of apprehension, just with his reputation, when he came in?
A: I thought it was kind of funny. I'm a big believer that if you do what the coach says and give it everything you have, you're not going to have any problems. I've ever had any problems with Coach O'Brien. I've always respected him and the things he's told us. I've always tried to play as hard as I could for him. Any coach - Bobby Knight, Joe O'Brien, Coach K - you play hard for them, you're not going to have any problems. It doesn't matter what kind of coaching philosophy they have.

Q: What has the highlight of your career been so far?
A: I can't really point to one particular moment. The whole progression of my career has been great. I started off averaging 10 minutes per game. I've gotten more and more minutes as we've gone on, and our team has also progressed. When I started, we didn't even make the playoffs. The next year we made it but lost in the first round, and then we got past the first round last year. That was a great moment for me, to make it to the four teams that went to Portland. Every year, we've improved, and we have expectations that we'll improve again this year.

Q: Talk about winning that game against Montana in the Big Sky Conference Tournament at Holt Arena last year.
A: That was big, because they put us out the year before. We were in Montana, and we were up by 10 with 10 minutes left, and they came back and beat us in OT. To be able to beat them on our home court was big. The NAU game was big, too. We won in the last moments of the game.

Q: What's the funniest thing you've heard a fan yell at an official, player or coach?
A: I get a kick out of (ISU Superfan) Ross (Cunningham) every year. He's doing his little backpedal, running around in the gym. Jumping up and down when the other team shoots free throws, and every time they miss, he marks his little towel. I even laugh at him at football games when he carries his little voodoo doll around. I think Ross has won that award for the funniest fan out there.

Q: Any special way you get ready for a game?
A: I used to be very superstitious. I stopped doing that because it got to the point where it was tedious and repetitive. I'm kind of superstitious about not being superstitious. That's kind of a funny way of putting it. I don't do anything in particular. I like to go out, be comfortable and relaxed, and just have fun.

Q: When are you graduating?
A: I'm in line to graduate in May. I'm trying to apply to law schools, and I'm trying to do one of the joint programs where I can get my Master's in business and my Juris Doctor as well. I want to get into corporate law, so I'm in business management now.

Q: Is that when you leave Pocatello?
A: Yeah, we don't have a law school, so I will be applying somewhere else. What happens after I graduate from law school, I don't know. I could come back or go somewhere else. Wherever it takes me; whatever's the best situation for my family and me. I believe it will all work out. It's doesn't really matter where you live, it's how you live.

Q: You opened Century High School; you were one of the first students to go there. You guys had a lot of success there, right?
A: We won basketball my senior year, and football my junior and senior year. My sophomore year, we really struggled. Football, we won two games. Basketball, we had a losing record. We were very young. The next year was a big turnaround for us. We went undefeated in football, and in basketball we made it to the state tournament and lost in the first round. The next year was the perfect senior year for me. We won the state championship in football and we won the state championship in basketball. That was a great experience that year because I played with my little brother. To be able to win the state championships together was a great experience for him and I, and our family.

Q: The Idaho State Journal published their high school football preview in August, and there was a picture of you in a Century uniform on the cover. There's a picture of you now on the ISU basketball schedule posters all over campus. Any times on the basketball court where you get the urge to just tackle somebody?
A: You know, I really loved football, but I never loved it like I did basketball. I loved playing football games, and the intensity and being able to hit people, but basketball is something I can do every day. I've never regretted my choice. Sometimes, yeah, I wish I could get out there and play a little football, but all things have to come to and end sometimes.

Q: Where did you go on your mission?
A: Nashville, Tennessee.

Q: How hard is it to take two years off from basketball then come back and play at the Division I level?
A: You know, my mission was one of the greatest times of my life. It was a big growing experience for me, and I would never trade that experience. Basketball-wise, though, yeah, it could get difficult. I tried to get up early and work out and try to stay in some kind of shape. Coming back, I had a lot of work to do. I took that first year and dedicated it to getting back in shape, and then I started my career here. It was a process, btu I wouldn't have traded it for anything. That was what I wanted to do, and it was a great choice in my life.

Q: This boot camp that Coach O'Brien puts together every preseason, talk about that a little bit.
A: It's kind of a neat little thing that Coach O'Brien does every year for us. It's a time for us to become more united and to have a little fun, but also to work hard. We had some events, where we pushed a car around Holt Arena with all the coaches in it. They were kind of weighing it down. Some of the coaches are pretty big, especially Coach Alexander. Just kidding. We also ran to the top of Chinese Peak.

Q: I hear that happened with some fun weather.
A: We got near the top and it started hailing at us. It started pelting us. It was a neat experience for some of the guys who aren't used to that kind of thing, some of the inner-city kids who have never seen mountains like that, to be able to run up it. We also had a chance to do some stuff in the swimming pool, and some of the guys can't swim very well. It was good times, but we also worked hard. It brought us together as a team. It's one of those great things Coach O'Brien designed to bring us together.

Q: If we got in your car right now, what would we hear on the radio?
A: You know, I just lost my CDs, so I've been listening to the radio a lot. When I did have my CDs, you'd be listening to Styx or Tom Petty, some of the older stuff. That's kind of what my dad used to listen to, and I caught on to that as well.

Q: As a married guy myself, I'm curious: When you're in the car with your wife, even if you're driving, who controls the radio?
A: Oh, that's an easy one. She does. I've never really listened to country music that much, but she's made me listen to it, so I like it a little bit more. She's in control of the music; trying to turn me to the dark side.