Matt Costello became the center of attention — physically and figuratively — immediately after hitting the hardwood for the 2011-12 season.
The 6-foot-10, 245-pound Bay City Western High School senior center quickly became a key player for the Warriors, and a formidable foe for opponents. Now the first-team All-State selection, who won the Mr. Basketball award earlier this week, has been named The Associated Press Class A Player of the Year.
Costello’s physical size meant he was probably the tallest player on the floor, but it was his game that separated him from the pack. Bay City Western head coach Chris Watz could use his nimble and agile four-year varsity player as a shooting guard if necessary, or play him at power forward or center.
In short, Costello was a match-up nightmare and has been exactly that since he earned a starting job halfway through his sophomore season.
The future Michigan State Spartan saved his best for last in 2011-12 though as he led the Warriors to a second straight district title, despite having four new starters around him. For the season Costello, who led the Warriors to an 18-6 record in the ultra-competitive Saginaw Valley League, averaged 25 points per game. He also tore down 18 rebounds while blocking four shots and dishing out four assists. He scored 49 points in a double overtime win over Flint Southwestern and had 22 double-doubles and two triple-doubles.
Costello also completely rewrote the Bay City Western record books as he finished as the all-time leading scorer with 1,500-plus points and over 1,000 career boards.
“He’s one of those guys who understands the angles and how to use his body and how to play the game,” Watz said. “He brought an intensity with him and he always worked extremely hard. I’ve seen a number of 6-10 guys but none of them could dominate a game like Matt could. He was the hardest worker whether it was in the weight room or at 6 a.m. shooting baskets. Rarely is he satisfied because he’s driven to succeed.”
Costello said he was asked to find the open player and crash the boards more this season, which led to great overall numbers.
“I changed the way I played this season,” said Costello. “With all the attention I was getting, I had to pass more and then go to the boards. It was a lot of fun. The biggest thing for me was that I got to play with my twin brother John. Just the opportunity to be able to do that was a blessing.”
-hollandsentinel
