Brock Badger athletes are defined by their dedication, hunger to win and their connection to the school’s community. Whether it’s willing their team to the playoffs each year or taking the time out of their day to say hi to someone in the halls, the school has countless role models who make an impact both on and off the court. In recent years, nobody has done all of those things quite like Michael Matas.
The now men’s basketball alum competed in his final season as a member of the Badgers this past year, captaining his team all the way to the OUA semi-final. The big man averaged 9.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 2025-26, putting together numerous standout performances all throughout.
Outside of his stellar play, Matas made his mark on Brock’s basketball program as one of the selected leaders prior to the season. An honour he takes very seriously, the Oakville native has always carried himself with great pride, no matter the setting.
The Brock Press spoke with Matas for an interview, in which he described his final season, from both a team and a personal standpoint, as a chapter of his life he cherishes.
“This year was about fitting into my role and trying to win games. We had a really talented team from top to bottom, and I felt like the roles had changed from last year. I think it changed a little bit from the past, where we had a couple of guys who were scorers, whereas this year our scoring was more evenly distributed across the team. In that regard, I had to take a step back and do whatever the team needed me to do to win.”
As a team leader, Matas described the difference in his role from previous years, going from a newcomer a few seasons ago to a veteran with several rookies on the team. Mentoring incoming university students isn’t for the weary, and when it came down to pulling his weight as a voice in the locker room and on the court, Matas made sure to come prepared.
“As a five-year college veteran, I felt like I had a little bit more of a leadership role. First, in terms of things that I would say vocally, but also carrying myself off the court. Having a good group of young guys, it made it more convicting for myself to be perfect in the way that I carried myself and to be consistent every day, just because I know I have those young guys looking up to me this year.”
It goes to show that when a team has such a committed group of leaders, the product on the court excels like never before. Several young players blossomed under Matas’ leadership this year, and it looks as though this season alone could have set the Badgers up for more success in the future.
With half a decade of university experience under his belt, Matas shared his most memorable moments as a part of the Badgers basketball program. In a heartfelt statement, he credited the people at Brock who played a role in his journey, both on the court and in the halls.
“We’re very lucky here at Brock to have such a tightly knit community in terms of the team, the support staff, the news and BrockTV. It felt like everybody knew each other and it was such a blessing to grow up with the same group of people around me in my career at Brock. The character of the people in the Brock varsity athletics community, so many great people and I think I’m gonna be the most sad about not being around them anymore.”
In terms of his growth over the years at the university, Badgers men’s basketball Head Coach Willy Manigat stood out to Matas as someone who was not only a great coach on the court but off it. To an outsider looking in, Manigat may come off as crazy or intimidating, but to a player, Matas explained what he meant to him as a human being.
“I think Willy is definitely misunderstood. I know he can be hard on us during games sometimes, but the biggest thing is that he makes an effort to build a relationship with you off the floor. When you have that type of relationship with him, it makes the way that he coaches you on the court easier. He also doesn’t lie to you during the recruiting process. When he’s recruiting you, he tells you exactly how it’s gonna be. I came [to Brock] to get coached the way that he coached me. I think he’s an excellent coach; his Xs and Os are unreal, and he just cares more than anybody else. If I could do it over again, I would come back to Brock and play for Willy.”
One of Manigat’s traits that Matas admired most was his effort to develop his players not only as athletes, but as men. Matas said that his coach was “huge on character development,” and described how much it meant to him as a player.
“That, to him, was more important than anything else, and the things that he teaches are about life. I know I’ve learned so much from him,” Matas said.
With an array of lessons comes an endless array of memories as a student-athlete. Being part of so many winning teams has left Matas with some fond stories that He will take with him in the long run.
“My favourite memory was going on that 11-game win streak last year. Two years ago, in my second year, we lost all five of our starters, and last year, we weren’t expected to be good. We finished the season 16-6, and during that stretch, I remember just being part of some of the best basketball I’ve ever played, both personally and as a team. It just felt so good, and as a team, we were clicking on all cylinders. Even off the floor, the way we clicked, to be a part of that, it was such a blessing.”
Now that his university playing career is behind him, Matas has begun a new chapter in his life that he looks forward to pursuing for the foreseeable future. Aside from fixing cars in his spare time, the former university standout is taking steps toward a career in firefighting.
“The next step for me is going to firefighting school in the summer. I decided against going the professional [basketball] route based on my body and the condition of my knees. As of now, my days just look like finishing up classes and then training for my firefighter testing. Lots of cardio, lots of Stairmaster with the weighted vest.”
Matas also wants to take advantage of this free time to spend with his family back home in Oakville.
When asked about what influenced his decision to go into firefighting, Matas attributed it to his lifestyle and a preference for a more physical line of work.
“I just decided I couldn’t really be the type of person to do a desk job, so I decided that I needed to find something that was active, moving and something where I could be out in the community being involved and meeting people. I really didn’t know what I was going to do for a while until I met a guy who played at McMaster. His name was Taylor Black, and he’s currently a firefighter in the GTA. He was telling me what his day-to-day life looks like as a firefighter and ever since then, I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do.”
Five years down the line, Matas hopes to be a full-time firefighter, owning a house and raising his own family.
In the span of half a decade, Michael Matas carved out one of the best university basketball careers anyone could ask for. He became a leader for his team both on and off the court and most importantly, left a positive mark on the Badger community in a major way.
Now, as an aspiring firefighter, Matas leaves his decorated basketball career behind and opens a new door, one he hopes will lead him to his new dream job.