WINTHROP – Matt McCarthy admits he’s never been the “go-to guy”. Talented enough to see spot duty on the varsity as a junior, certainly, but never one to light up the scoreboard.

“In one JV game, I think I got seven points, and then I averaged two after that,” the Winthrop senior guard said.

But with some hard work and a willingness to shoulder the load for a young Rambler squad, McCarthy hasn’t just become Winthrop’s go-to guy, but one of the premier scorers in the Mountain Valley Conference.

Most of McCarthy’s varsity experience last year came from the bench, from which he watched a talented nucleus of nine seniors lead the Ramblers to the Class C state championship game. Knowing a lot of scoring and leadership would be gone when those seniors picked up their diplomas, he resolved to fill those holes. Spending his junior year practicing with one of the best teams in the state helped prepare him for that challenge, but he knew more needed to be done.

“The day after states, I was in the gym working on my shot. I changed everything about my shot, just started from scratch, because I was never a good shooter,” McCarthy said. “Now, that’s probably the best part of my game.”

Going into last night, McCarthy was averaging 25.6 points per game, at or near the top of the conference.

“I hoped I’d be the go-to guy because I’d put in a lot of work, but I didn’t think I’d get 25 points a game. Maybe 15,” he said.

Scoring wasn’t the biggest void McCarthy helped fill, though.

After Tom Hill resigned last summer, Winthrop went into the start of the school year without a coach. There were numerous coaching vacancies in the MVC at the time, but there was one that had McCarthy intrigued.

“We had a golf match with Jay and a couple of kids were talking about the whole coaching thing that was going on in the MVC and I kept asking whether coach (Steve) Hamilton was coming back (to Jay),” McCarthy said. “Jokingly, I said ‘There’s a Jay–Winthrop (football) game tonight. Why don’t you introduce me?'”

Accompanied by fellow senior Joey Burnham, the Ramblers’ center, McCarthy approached Hamilton at the game that night and made a case for him to take the Winthrop job. Hamilton, who teaches at Jay, and other Jay teachers had decided not to coach this year due to a contract dispute with the school district, and there was no resolution in sight.

McCarthy and Burnham made a strong first impression on Hamilton, who, after a couple of weeks of contemplation, decided to take the job just before the winter sports preseason began.

“I was very excited,” McCarthy said. “When Mr. Hill resigned, on the top of my list the whole time was Mr. Hamilton.”

McCarthy continued to impress Hamilton when the coach first walked into the new Winthrop High School.

“The first day I came into the gym, which was the day before the season started, this guy’s here, and this guy’s in the weight room and trying to get stronger and trying to do all the right things,” Hamilton said. “Matt is the only scorer we really have this year, and we try to run a lot of things through him. There’s been a lot of pressure on him to carry his team. I’m really proud of the way he’s really been a true captain for us and his attitude’s terrific.”

“That’s been a big help not only to me,” he continued, “but for the whole team. When you’ve got young kids like we have, you need to be positive. You need to be willing to show that you’re willing to take that responsibility, win, lose or draw.”

McCarthy has served as a role model for the young Ramblers, who are off to a respectable 4-6 start, considering the circumstances.

“Like all good scorers, Matt comes early, stays late, works on his shooting,” Hamilton said. “He’s a team leader, all about Winthrop basketball. He’s been the main reason why I came down here and we’ve developed, I think, a really nice bond.”

“The best thing about the game are the long-term relationships you develop,” he added. “We all want to win gold balls and we all want to win conference championships, but I’m hoping next summer I get a chance to tee it up with Matt, and I’m coming over to watch his (school) talent show. Those sorts of things are what makes coaching great and I’m really pleased that we have this type of player here.”

rwhitehouse@sunjournal.com

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