Michigan State University Athletics
Matt Costello: The Man In The Middle
1/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Nick Barnowski
The keys to the center position on the Michigan State basketball team have been handed over to a self-described goof ball.
Junior Matt Costello is now a primary presence in the post for the Spartans, and the 21-year-old, whose teammates say acts like a little kid, is far from small on the court.
Through 11 games this season, Costello is averaging 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He set a single-game high in points with 15 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 6 and recorded a double-double against Loyola in November. As the conference season draws near, he wants to prove himself to the rest of the Big Ten.
"I'm trying to be the best player I can be," he said. "I would like to be the best big man in the Big Ten. I know there are a lot of good players out there, but I'm going to try my hardest to do the best I can."
The Linwood, Michigan, native is entering his third season as a Spartan and has come a long way since shooting hoops in his driveway as a 4-year-old.
His journey to starting at Michigan State began after watching his dad, Mike, and grandpa, Dave, play.
"Watching them when I was really young, and watching my dad when I was growing up got me interested in the game," Costello said.
Basketball wasn't Costello's only love. He played soccer, football and baseball as well growing up, but eventually chose basketball because he was best at it.
He credits his parents for allowing him the opportunity to pursue his athletic interests. He said his dad was a large influence on the sports side of things, while his mom, Jen, pushed him to do well in school.
"They're a big part of my life," he said. "They encouraged me to try new things and were there for me when I failed, and were there to humble me when I was doing well."
In addition to his parents, Lou Dawkins, who is currently an assistant coach at Northern Illinois, was another big factor in Costello's basketball life. Dawkins coached at Saginaw High School and also coached Costello at the AAU club level.
"When I got older and basketball started getting more serious, he was a big influence," Costello said. "He tried to point me in the right direction."
As basketball became more prominent in Costello's life, his level of play on the court rose with it. Costello was playing for his club team in the summer and for his high school in the winter, allowing him to improve as a player year-round. Club basketball was important for Costello, because it allowed him to play against better competition on a regular basis.
Costello starred at Bay City Western, and helped turn basketball into a priority at a school where it wasn't. He helped the Warriors reach the state semifinals in 2011 for the first time in school history along with capturing two district championships and a regional title.
"High school was a lot of fun," he said. "I got lucky. The class in front of me was one of the few classes that took basketball seriously. There were about 10 guys in that class that grew up playing travel together. That group of dads got together and wanted their sons to be good at basketball.
"Those dads invested that time in their sons. I take no credit for making Bay City Western good."
While Costello won't take the credit, he left the Warriors as the school's all-time leader in points (1,518), rebounds (1,069) and blocked shots (280). He dominated in his senior season, averaging 25.1 points, 19.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.0 blocks en route to winning Michigan's Mr. Basketball award.
Costello committed to MSU and coach Tom Izzo before his junior year after a recruiting process he described as tough. Daily talks between Costello and his dad helped him decide which school to pick. In the end, Michigan State won out due to a variety of reasons, the most prominent being its family atmosphere.
"I know everybody says that, so it's kind of a cliché, but there is no other program I got recruited by that is as family oriented as Michigan State," Costello said. "That's something spearheaded by Coach Izzo. He teaches you to be a better person, be more selfless, and have more humility while still being passionate for the game you love."
Adjusting to Big Ten basketball was tough for Costello. After dominating opponents in high school, he averaged only 6.1 minutes per game his freshman season, putting up numbers much lower than he was used to.
"Bigger bodies was the biggest adjustment for me that I struggled with for a while," said the 6-foot-9 Costello. "In high school I was always bigger than everybody else and it was easier to get rebounds as I wasn't really contested much at the rim. In the Big Ten, it's an everyday fight with the guys you're playing against."
He started 20 games in his sophomore season and averaged four points and 14.7 minutes per game, but sat behind NBA first-round draft pick Adreian Payne after a bout with mononucleosis in December. Still, he showed multiple signs of improvement, and his 43 blocks were the most ever by a Spartan sophomore.
With Payne leaving, Costello entered this season knowing that he was going to be counted on more by his teammates and Izzo. Confidence had been an issue with the big man, but knowing that former Spartans such as Payne, Derrick Nix and Draymond Green had similar career arcs, Costello felt better about his role.
"I didn't understand it really my freshman year," Costello said regarding an uphill climb to a larger role on the team. "Last year, I understood the process more. You have to work your way through it. It is nice to see Nix, Day Day, and AP go through that process."
He's worked on improving his body in preparation for more minutes at the center position, and said he is more comfortable around the basket than he ever has been since coming to Michigan State. His jump hook has gotten better, which has given Izzo more confidence to let him shoot the ball.
The interdisciplinary studies major, with an economics minor, has been putting in work in the classroom also, as Costello was named Academic All-Big Ten last season. With the tough travel the Spartans faced in the fall, he was forced to put extra effort to get his grades to where he wanted them to be.
Being physically and mentally prepared to put in work every day is something Costello is committed to. He said in order to be a Spartan, one can't take shortcuts.
"You have to be ready everyday," he said. "I think that's the biggest thing when you think of a Spartan. That's what separates the people who are successful from the people who are not."
