Twenty-four hours before Utah women's basketball tips off their new season, the team sits quietly at center court in the Huntsman Center. The coaching staff goes over the gameplan and reminds the squad of their gameday routines – everything from pregame meals to bus rides and finding time for peace and quiet amongst the craziness of their day. After all the details are sorted through, it's time to hand out the GOAT Award.
It's a recognition given by players to players for how they work in the weight room, hustle during practice and motivate each other.
Last week, Alissa Pili gave the GOAT award to newcomer Matyson Wilke for her attitude and how she's worked every day in the weight room since transferring from Wisconsin this summer.
Today, it's Maty's turn and she's chosen to give the award – with a literal goat on top – to Dasia Young. The team cheers and gives Dasia her props as they exit the court but the reason why Maty chose Dasia caught my eye.
The GOAT Award
It wasn't for being a knock-down shooter or for her tenacity on defense but for making people feel welcome and feel like they're part of the team. To some it may not sound like a big deal but for a fresh transfer…it means the world.
"Dasia is such a great teammate and notices the tiniest of details and little things that nobody else does," Wilke says. "She's so motivating and a lot of times those things go unnoticed but not for Dasia and I really appreciate that about her. She makes everyone feel like they're part of the team."
…...
The pandemic really affected everything, didn't it?
For a time, meeting face to face and making human connection wasn't happening. You couldn't shake someone's hand and travelling to new places wasn't really happening. Recruiting college basketball players was no exception.
Instead of flying to a university to check out a potential new home, official visits were three-hour Zoom calls. Instead of stepping foot on hardwoods and inside of locker rooms, PowerPoints were shared.
Not ideal.
"Covid affected everything, and the recruiting process was stressful," Wilke said. "The coaching staff at Utah did a good job of showing me their style and process but at the time, it felt right staying close to family."
With Madison only 45 minutes south of where she grew up in Beaver Dam, the two-time Wisconsin high school champion and 2020 player stayed in the Badger State.
Can you blame her?
"We recruited Maty hard the first time around," said Head Coach Lynne Roberts. "She's a player we've always liked and really wanted her to be a Ute, but timing is everything."
Opportunity to play wasn't an issue as Maty started in every game she played as a Badger, but something was missing. After two seasons, it was time for her to test the waters of the transfer portal and experience what other schools had to offer. Something she couldn't do the first time around.
"I feel like I needed to have the experience I did at Wisconsin," Wilke says. "It gave me a perspective I would've never had otherwise and showed me what I really wanted when I went into the portal."
Coach Roberts remembers the specific day last spring well. Associate Head Coach Gavin Petersen was checking names in the transfer portal – a daily routine of his – when suddenly he starts shouting down the hallways of the basketball offices: "Maty is in the portal. Maty is in the portal!"
"We're a deep team and have our starting five back but we were so excited to get a chance to go after Maty again," Roberts recalls. "Just to get the chance to talk to her and get to show her what it's like at Utah was a big deal to us."
Several teams called Maty on day one but the call from Coach Roberts and Utah stood out to her.
"It brought me back to high school again," Wilke says. "It was sort of like getting a chance to go back and re-do my experience during Covid."
What stood out to her this time around and what made it so easy to choose Utah was how the team played together. There were no egos, and everyone wanted what was best for the team.
"Coming in here I was a bit nervous and excited," Wilke recalls. "Watching how they played and how they all got along off the court – it felt special. Being around the staff and on campus, it felt like I was already home."
Transferring to a school with their eight-player rotation back in the fold isn't usually the most ideal situation for someone who has started in every game they've played in, but that was more of a challenge than a deterrent for Wilke.
"I'd rather play with a lot of good players and learn from them and compete with them than the opposite," she says. "I was looking for a place with a great coaching staff and an atmosphere that got the best out of its players. Utah had everything I wanted in a college atmosphere, and it felt good that they wanted me too."
Anyone who has ever played sports and gone to a new team – especially one with established players – knows that can be daunting. It's on the new player to find their role and their niche and fit in with their new teammates and luckily for Maty the squad was so welcoming.
"I felt like I fit in from day one which is rare with such a tightknit group," she says. "I really focused on coming in and finding areas I could help propel the team forward."
It helps that they all hangout off the court too.
From watching scary movies and going to haunted houses to playing ping pong, card games and even darts – "those get so heated!" Maty says with a laugh, this team really is a team, and you can see it so clearly when they're together.
"We obviously recruit good players, but we want good people in this program," Coach Roberts says. "This group are all high achievers, and they push each other in everything they do. Several are from the Midwest, so this team really does have a feel to it. A 'go to work and do your job' feel and everyone is on board."
After two victories to start the season, Maty has found her role and has shown what she can do for the 4th-ranked Utes. In her first meaningful action on the team, Wilke knocked down three buckets from downtown and finished with nine points and two assists against South Carolina State and looks to keep building on that as she let's her game come to her.
"I just want to compete," she says. "I want to do the little things - dive for loose balls and set screens. Just be a good teammate. If I focus on the little things then everything else will fall into place."
Second chances in life are rare. We don't often get to go back and change a big decision that was made years before. Maty Wilke knows she's lucky to have landed where she wanted to be all along and for her, it's good to be home.
