SPORTS

Matzner’s impact on and off the court

By ALEX SPONSELLER
Posted 12/3/20

Earlier in the fall season, Cranston native Steven Matzner passed away at the age of 67. In the sports world, Matzner was known for being a longtime tennis coach at Cranston West and later a coach at La Salle Academy and Prout. He enjoyed a career that

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SPORTS

Matzner’s impact on and off the court

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Earlier in the fall season, Cranston native Steven Matzner passed away at the age of 67.

In the sports world, Matzner was known for being a longtime tennis coach at Cranston West and later a coach at La Salle Academy and Prout. He enjoyed a career that spanned across four decades which included plenty of wins and multiple state championships.

These types of coaches are my favorite to cover and interact with … he left West a few years prior to my arrival at the Herald, so I was never able to meet him, but when speaking to the few people for the story I did on him this week, it is clear the impact he made on those he coached as well as the communities he served throughout his career.

Matzner clearly was far more than just a good coach. He was a well-respected educator, a beloved family man and friend, and just a really admired human being. To narrow things down to just sports would fail to recognize the kind of lasting impact he had on those around him regardless of the arena. Point being, although I never met him, I respect the legacy he left behind whether it was in tennis or not.

But back to the coaching side of things. These are the types of coaches that are the greatest, in my opinion.

Sure, many coaches get into coaching at the youth and high school level to set up a future in college and the pros. That’s not a bad thing at all, those levels of sport need coaches as well and to be able to do that as a full-time job is extremely rewarding.

But for those who are like Matzner, who truly coach for the love of the sport and their passion for working with student-athletes, those are the ones that make the biggest difference.

The sentiment that was mentioned quite a bit with Matzner was inclusivity. He was a special education teacher at West and was very dedicated to creating a welcoming environment for everyone that went there, regardless of background.

He carried that philosophy onto the tennis court. He did not cut players and was thrilled to have as many hit the court as possible.

Were all the players that he coached stars? No, but all of his players enjoyed playing for him and received strong instruction. What an environment to be a part of.

If you recall, a few weeks back I wrote a column on the West team and how they have been such a strong group thanks to depth and versatility. Current coach Jim Lucas was a friend and assistant of Matzner’s for a number of years, and Lucas has made a point of using the inclusive approach to this day.

The results have been great. West has plenty of kids on its roster and by the time these kids are upperclassmen, they have had enough experience and coaching to be competitive even if they are not All-State athletes.

Of course, the point is that allowing all kids to try a sport is a beautiful thing, not the wins and losses. But I think we are seeing that those two things can sometimes go hand in hand. Matzner created a winning culture by not paying attention to the wins and losses. Incredible.

These are the coaches that people will remember. Their legacies may not make the front page of ESPN, but their principles live on and are celebrated by the generations of athletes and families they touch.

My thoughts and condolences go out to Steven’s family, friends, and everyone that he influenced along the way. What an impressive legacy to leave behind.

The next item I want to touch on is college signings. In the past couple of weeks, we have had a handful of local athletes commit to college for various sports.

With the state being in the two-week pause that it is currently in, I ask everyone to keep me in the loop regarding more signings that may be coming down the pike … or any news really.

As for our college signees, I am thrilled for kids to be able to celebrate their commitments despite not being able to have the typical ceremony due to this pandemic. We are in a year where we desperately crave good news, so to see more and more of our kids taking that next step is excellent.

Whether it be a virtual signing or a gathering of a few family members, I encourage any signee to make the most of the experience and to not get bummed out with the pandemic. Playing college sports is a great accomplishment, so cherish it and remember how many people are excited for you, even if they are not present the day you put the pen on the paper. There will be plenty of time to catch up with them down the road.

Lastly, the Patriots remain in the playoff hunt.

I have to admit though, I am losing patience with this unit, specifically on the offense and Cam Newton.

Am I glad they won against a quality opponent? Yes.

Am I looking forward to the home stretch of the regular season, especially with each game mattering? Yes.

Do I feel that the team is headed in the right direction overall? Nope, not anymore.

The defense is solid and I still would take the mind of Bill Belichick on the sideline any day. But it is clear that Cam Newton is not a good NFL quarterback. He’s a great athlete, but a poor quarterback, period.

Newton is not the long term answer for this team, let alone the short term answer. I would love to see this group beat the odds and reach the playoffs. A Super Bowl win or even appearance seems to be out of the question, but a playoff berth would be a major win in the team’s first season in the post-Brady era.

But at the end of the day, this team is in big trouble at the most important position on the field and seems to have no answer moving forward. There are many other holes on this offense that need to be filled, but the one under center is massive, and will likely crater the team’s chances of success looking ahead.

Matzner, tennis, sports

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