FEATURED ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: J.T. Matthews, Greencastle

J.T. Matthews goes up for a catch against Cloverdale last fall. He played football and basketball this year and currently high jumps for the track and field team. He was a 2016 state finalist in the high jump, and hopes to return this year.

Banner Graphic/Joey Bennett

Banner Graphic: Is it tough to keep up with academics being a three-sport athlete?

J.T. Matthews: “It’s tough, you’re always working on something. Once you get into a pattern of how to plan your days it goes better. I like all three sports that I do, but I realized about my junior year that track was the one I wanted to do in college.”

BG: You have signed to compete for Bethel College. What are you going to major in there?

JM: “Sports management. I want do be a sports marketer for a team or an athlete.”

BG: You hit 6-foot-5 in a meet earlier this year. How much higher can you jump?

JM: “My goal now is to get to 6-6. I didn’t even know I did 6-5 that day. They didn’t tell us the heights, I just kept jumping. I kind of liked that; it takes off some of the pressure. The mental aspect is such a huge thing in track, and you don’t worry about how much higher it was than the last jump. My goal is definitely to get back to the state finals. There have been about 10 people to go higher than 6-5 this year. I’d like to finish in the top nine to get all-state. One thing I learned from last year is to start practicing at 6-2 and not the lower heights.”

BG: What other kinds of things do you like to do?

JM: “I play NBA 2K17 a lot. I love that. I can cook a little bit. I can cook pastas and desserts. I don’t do it all the time, but it’s pretty good. Other than that I just hang out friends; just high school boy stuff. My favorite shows on TV are ‘Prison Break’, ‘Practical Jokers’ and ‘Sports Nation’.”

BG: Has it hit you yet that you are just about out of high school?

JM: “Not yet. It will probably hit me on graduation day. It’s been a great experience here at Greencastle. We have done everything the right way. The athletics are good, and academics are good. It’s a great school.”

BG: What is something that you have never done before that you would like to do someday?

JM: “Skydiving. That would be awesome. It would be great to be able to see the scenery around you and just be free up in the air. I want to go out west and travel and see the country.”

BG: What are your favorite and least favorite foods?

JM: “My favorite food is donuts; I’m obsessed with donuts and sweet tea. I hate coconut. Just the texture of it.”

BG: Do you see yourself coming back to Greencastle to live someday after college?

JM: “I don’t know. We’ll just see how things turn out.