SPORTS
Shooting Star
Or Passing Fancy?
North Farmington
guard Matt Hoffman
set a school scoring
mark last season, but
he prefers assists to
points.
MIKE ROSENBAUM
I
Sports Writer
ead guards have a wide lati-
tude on the basketball court.
More than any other player,
they can decide how often to
shoot and how often to pass.
Matt Hoffman, North Farmington
High School's lead guard, took
enough shots to set a school
sophomore season scoring record last
year, averaging over 16 points per
game. But he does not see himself as
just a scorer.
"I was a playmaker last year, but
the guys looked to me to shoot the ball
because I was open. But I don't think
I'm a shooter, I think I'm a
playmaker."
Hoffman also has the unselfish at-
titude that a lead guard needs. "I feel
a lot better when I make a real nice
pass instead of a basket. I like that a__
lot. I like making a nice pass to so-
meone and making someone feel good
that they made the basket."
While Raiders' coach Tom
Negoshian appreciates Hoffman's
playmaking skills, he says, "We sure-
ly think he's going to have to score,
too, because he's gobd enough to
score." He also notes that Hoffman
would like to break the school's
junior-season scoring mark this year,
then go after the senior-year and
career records next year. The records
are all held by Rick Anderson.
As a junior on an inexperienced
team, Hoffman has a more forceful
voice on the court this year, despite a
late start. He missed the first three
games due to an ankle injury. Hoff-
man returned on Dec. 16, scoring 10
points as North Farmington lost to
Farmington Harrison, dropping the
Raiders' record to 1-3.
"I was picked as a captain this
year so I think that I have to be a
leader," says Hoffman. "I'm the only
returner besides Eric Carlson. I like
being a leader. I like to tell people
what to do. It makes me play better."
Hoffman adds that "I know
everyone on the team real well .. .
They're my best friends; I hang
around with them. When someone
does something wrong I tell 'em
what's right and what's wrong. A lot
of people are still learning the of-
fense:
Running the offense not only
means correcting a player who has
missed an assignment, but doing it
tactfully. "A lot of guys, they put their
head down if you yell at 'em," Hoff-
Matt Hoffman controls the ball at a North Farmington practice.
man notes. "But you get to feel the
guys out when you talk to 'em and you
know the guys to yell at and the guys
not to yell at."
Matt was raised in a sports at--
mosphere along with older brother
Josh and younger brother Seth: Their
father, Doug, was an All-State
quarterback and a basketball player
at Detroit Mumford High School. He
still plays basketball.
"I look up to my dad because he
plays all the time," says Matt. "He's
always coaching me and telling me
what to do when we go out and play."
Unlike his brothers, who concen-
trated on tennis, Matt chose basket-
ball as his number one sport. He
began playing at age five and has
always played with an older crowd,
either his father's or Josh's.
Now, at 5-foot-10, Matt is still
smaller than most high school
players. But having grown up among
older, taller players, Hoffman can
handle himself. "Always being
smaller than everyone and them
pushing me around, I'm able to take
that now."
Hoffman got his first taste of var-
sity competition as a freshman, when
he was added to the team during the
state tournament.
He was not surprised at his suc-
cess as a sophomore. "I knew what my
role was at the beginning of the year.
I knew when I had to be a shooter and
I knew when I had to pass. I was sur-
prised we won the league."
North Farmington won the
Western Lakes Activities Association
playoff title despite a .500 regular
season. Hoffman explains that the
Raiders were motivated by a tragedy,
the death of one of their teammates.
"Earlier in the year, I lost a real good
friend, Matt Leiter, who passed away.
I think that was a motivator for
everyone because everyone wanted to
win after that," says Hoffman. "And
our team really came together when
the playoffs came around. We really
played as a team and everyone knew
their role."
Last summer, Hoffman played for
Detroit's top AAU team, Sibley's No.
1, and attended several camps. He
also played for Detroit's Maccabi
basketball team at the North
American Youth Games in Chicago in
August, the third consecutive sum-
mer that Hoffman has played for a
Maccabi team.
"I like it because I don't have a lot
of Jewish friends who play basketball.
And it's good to play with guys who
are Jewish, around the United
States."
Hoffman's father is an assistant
coach on the Maccabi teams, which
Matt enjoys to a point.
"It's fun, but sometimes it isn't
because he expects a lot from me and
when things happen he looks at me
and he says I did something wrong.
But I like having my dad involved."
Hoffman was named as one of the
top juniors in the state by a major
newspaper before the season, which
surprised him. "I didn't know about
that. It was interesting because a lot
of kids don't get recognized from this
area. I was surprised because a lot of
kids (who are recognized) are from
Detroit — Detroit Pershing, Detroit
Cooley — and I felt real good when I
saw my name in there."
Negoshian says it is no accident
that Hoffman is as good a player as
he is. "I think that's just an indica-
tion of how hard he's worked to make
himself a good basketball player."
Hoffman's goals for the season are
"to win the league again" and "to win
our district." The Raiders lost their
district opener last season.
While Hoffman is only a junior, it
is not too early to hear from in-
terested college basketball coaches.
Hoffman has received letters from
major colleges such as the Universi-
ty of Michigan and Iowa, but
Negoshian says the most interested
coaches, so far, are from smaller
schools.
"He's being recruited right now by
Division II, with a few Division I let-
ters, things like that. It's going to de-
pend upon how good a summer he
has. He had a great summer," this
year.
While players of Hoffman's size
can be successful in Division I, every
inch he grows will probably convince
more coaches to take a serious look at
him.
Hoffman discounts the letters
from major schools. "The letters don't
mean anything. They just know about
you. It depends how good I do in the
classroom and on the court. Nothing
really happens until next year?'
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
41