Utah Jazz: Former teammates McNeal, Matthews reunite in NBA
Jazz notes • Matthews, McNeal get together before Jazz face Blazers.
BY BILL ORAM
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
PUBLISHED: MARCH 29, 2013 10:05PM
UPDATED: MARCH 30, 2013 12:09AM
Portland, Ore. • They were just a couple of alumni, watching their school advance to the Sweet 16.
One was Wesley Matthews, the guard who rose from obscurity in his rookie season with the Utah Jazz before decamping for Portland. The other, Jerel McNeal, is on a 10-day contract with the Jazz and hopes to follow the same path as his former Marquette teammate.
“I know the Jazz,” Matthews said. “They know that Marquette guys, they produce tough-nosed, hard-playing players. I could see a future with him there.”
McNeal and Matthews watched the Golden Eagles, a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, beat second-seeded Miami on Friday at Matthews’ Portland home.
It’s been a strange road for the friends, who played at the Wisconsin private school from 2005 to 2009, which forked after college and converged Friday at the Rose Garden.
Matthews stuck with the Jazz in 2009 as an undrafted rookie. McNeal’s path to the has taken Marquette’s all-time leading scorer to Belgium and Italy, brief stints with the Clippers, Sacramento, Toronto, Chicago and New Orleans, and two D-League teams. He averaged 18.1 points and 5.5 assists for the Bakersfield Jam before the Jazz called him up on Wednesday.
One of his first calls was to Matthews.
“It was just crazy how things worked out,” McNeal said. “Especially with me coming from the D-League, everything just happened so fast. One second you’re down there, then the next second you’re up on an NBA roster.”
McNeal was inactive for Friday’s game against the Blazers, not allowing Matthews to follow through on his hope “to put him [McNeal] in the rim.”
Told Matthews said he intended to dunk on him, McNeal responded, “He knows better than that.”
boram@sltrib.com
Twitter: @tribjazz
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