Gabe Maturo is the Director of Player Development and athlete welfare for the University of Maryland-Baltimore County men's basketball team. Maturo is a former college basketball player himself who worked as a manager for two seasons after graduation before being promoted to head manager, which led to the appointment of his current role. Gabe offers an abundance of knowledge and experience surrounding the college game–here's what he had to say in a recent interview, offering valuable advice to recruits and current college athletes.
Stay Curious
On basketball athletes improving their game, Maturo tells recruits, “You can't skip steps. You really have to hone in on the fundamental skills, even at the D1 level [before starting out at the high level skills]. Work on the little things everyday and this will eventually build you up to the top to be an elite athlete.”
Related: 5 Basketball Tips to Help Student-Athletes
So what do athletes need to do in terms of mindset and attitude to be successful? Maturo says that athletes should get introspective and ask themselves plenty of questions starting with what they can do to help the program. “The second thing to ask is, ‘what can I do to impact winning?',” Maturo said, adding that the questions don't stop there. According to Maturo, athletes should also figure out their role on their current team, and added that recruits can seek help if they're stumped. “If you don't know your role, you should ask your coaches,” Maturo said. “If your role is at the end of the bench, there's always things you can do to improve your chances of playing. Getting in the gym, getting with your staff and working outside of practice, doing extra workouts to hone in on all your skills [are all important]. If you excel in your role, you will excel as an athlete overall.”
Related: Character and Coachability: Traits of Recruits That College Coaches Love
Remember to Be a Student First
Balancing athletic and academic performance is one of the key challenges that college athletes face on a daily basis, and Coach Gabe has advice for athletes here as well. “Write everything down,” he advised. “Get a planner or a notebook and journal in the morning. Journaling in the morning allows time to reflect on the previous day and what you have ahead of you. Use 15-20 minutes in the morning to write down what you need to do in the day. It could be a certain class, practice, or workouts.”
Related: Being a College Athlete is Stressful–Check out These 5 Tips for a Healthy Work/Life Balance
Gabe added that, just like in practice, athletes shouldn't take shortcuts in their planning or daily prep work as well. “Don't skip steps,” he said. “Just because it's a Saturday and you don't have practice shouldn't mean you don't journal. It will help you balance the crazy lifestyle of a student-athlete!”
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Image Credit: Instagram
* Originally published on April 17, 2023, by Rhys Davies
