USF Athletics

Bulls open homestand with Autism Awareness Game Tuesday

February 14, 2022

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

University of South Florida (7-16, 2-9 AAC) vs. Tulane (11-11, 8-5 AAC)

Tuesday, February 15 | 7 p.m.

VENUE: Yuengling Center | Tampa, Fla.

SERIES: Tulane leads, 23-17

TV: ESPN+

RADIO: iHeart Radio Bulls Unlimited

TWITTER UPDATES: @USFMBB

GAME NOTES: View

 

By Joey Johnston

He's there every day, whether it's a game or a practice. He's always on time, never failing to complete a task. And he always has that unforgettable smile, guaranteed to melt your heart or maybe give you some proper perspective.

Brandon Matthews, 23, is a manager for USF's men's basketball team. He has autism, a developmental disorder that is diagnosed in more than 200,000 Americans each year. Tuesday night's American Athletic Conference contest at the Yuengling Center — Tulane at USF — is the program's annual Autism Awareness game.

For the USF players and coaches, Brandon's presence brings natural awareness every day. They wouldn't know what to do without him.

"Even in some of the darkest times, Brandon is a bright light for us,'' Bulls coach Brian Gregory said. "He never has a bad day.''

Not even at home.

Jason Matthews, Brandon's father, was having a lousy, frustrating day recently. He was feeling out of sorts. He was in the bedroom, folding clothes, when he heard his son coming down the hallway.

Brandon poked his head around the corner.

"Dad, I love you.''

Then Brandon laughed and walked away.

Just like that, the father's difficult day became great.

"I couldn't ask for a better son,'' the father said. "I wouldn't want it any other way. I feel I was selected as a dad — not the only dad — to have a son with autism, so he could have a wonderful life and his experience would be an inspiration to others. I'm clear on that.

"I do not look back. I look ahead. And I'm excited by what I see.''

Since the family moved from Pittsburgh in the summer of 2017, Brandon has worked with USF's acclaimed Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. He's a technology whiz and is close to applying for internships, then career opportunities. If Brandon has his way, he'll be on the USF campus forever. It's the place where he thrives academically. He's active socially and has become a familiar presence among the student body.

And, of course, there's the basketball.

"For our guys and coaches, it's a daily reminder that this is the game we love and it should bring joy and happiness,'' Gregory said. "Brandon is as big a part of this program as anybody we have.''

"He always brings a dynamic vibe into the room,'' USF men's basketball senior associate athletic trainer Greg Byrd said. "I've got to get my first bump every day from Brandon. I think we all want to know our purpose. Brandon is meant to be in this program, be around the guys and help. It's super refreshing and super inspirational.''

Jason Matthews, the father, laughs about the same scene unfolding each time he drives Brandon to the Pam and Les Muma Basketball Center on USF's campus. The father can hardly stop the car before Brandon has burst out of the door, sprinting to the practice facility, always with a big smile, once again chasing down his purpose.

The father grew up in the Los Angeles area, serving as a UCLA ballboy and often rebounding the countless practice shots of Bruins All-American Reggie Miller. He grew into a big-time prep player and was part of the California exodus to the Big East Conference in the 1980s.

He was recruited to the University of Pittsburgh by a young, ambitious assistant coach named John Calipari. Matthews played on a super-charged team with Sean Miller, Demetrius Gore and Jerome Lane, who famously shattered Pitt's glass backboard with a one-handed dunk during a 1988 nationally televised game against Providence.

Jason Matthews scored 1,775 career points from 1987-91 for the Panthers, still sixth on the school's all-time list, and was a three-time All-Big East third-team selection at a time when the conference featured ridiculous competition.

"Every Big East school had like five McDonald's All-Americans,'' Matthews said. "Even today, I just shake my head that I had the good fortune to be placed in that good of a situation.''

Matthews was well into his career as a financial planner in 1998, when Brandon was born. Everything was fine. His development seemed on schedule. At 15 months, he said words like "mom'' and "dad'' and "dog,'' just like you'd expect from a toddler. But the day after Brandon received his MMR shot (measles, mumps and rubella), the father knew something was wrong. About eight months later, Brandon tested positive for autism — a mild form of PDD (pervasive development disorder).

"It's a controversial subject and I'm not anti-vaccination in any way,'' said Matthews, who is chief executive officer of his real-estate investment company. "I can only speak to what I personally witnessed with Brandon. After that shot, he was totally different. I think those three shots all at once were too much for him because the very next day we knew that something was wrong.''

At the same time, Matthews has made his peace with fate. He believes his son is on the proper life path. Once the autism diagnosis was made, Matthews swung into action, doing research, putting him in the best programs and following some solid advice.

The autism spectrum is often misunderstood. Symptoms can include communication difficulties, lack of social interaction, obsessive interests and repetitive behaviors. Matthews and wife Jules were determined to help their son, but they weren't initially sure what to think.

"We went to see one of the world's best autism doctors and within five minutes he was telling us, 'Calm down, Brandon is going to be just fine,' Matthews said. "Once he said that, I was good. He gave us a game plan, which was essentially to push Brandon out into the world, not holding him back or protecting him. He said Brandon would adjust and the other students would rally around him.''

That approached helped close the gap in Brandon's developmental delays. By going to basketball games, he became accustomed to crowds, noises, flashing lights — all the sensations that would have normally caused him lifelong difficulties.

He was enrolled in Pittsburgh public schools, first starting in the autism support program, then getting promoted to special education. At one point, five of his eight classes were with mainstream students. He quickly gravitated toward math and computers. Early on, teachers predicted that would be his career path.

At his Pittsburgh high school, the Obama Academy, Brandon played four seasons of basketball and twice competed for the city championship. As a senior, he was voted team captain. He worked tirelessly, putting up to 35,000 shots during offseason training. Senior Night was an emotional showcase for Brandon's family, the coaches and the entire student body. Everybody knew him. Everybody loved him. Saying goodbye wasn't easy.

But he was soon off to Tampa and USF. A few seasons prior to that, Matthews had been in touch with Orlando Antigua, another former Pitt player who had become head men's basketball coach at USF. Antigua said USF's autism program was top-notch. Brandon agreed once he visited USF's campus as a freshman. So, the plan was hatched. Brandon would attend USF, where the education and support services were unparalleled and where a team-manager position awaited.

When Antigua was dismissed, Gregory kept that plan in order for the 2017-18 season. It was an easy decision. Matthews' coach at Pitt — Paul Evans — was also Gregory's coach at the U.S. Naval Academy.

There's no time limit on Brandon's service to USF men's basketball. Managers come and managers go, but Brandon is in no hurry to depart. It's part of his life that would be irreplaceable.

Bulls players feel the same way.

"B (Brandon) is my guy!'' said Bulls center Bayron Matos, who regularly competes against Brandon in one-on-one or video games.

Autism awareness involves understanding, then acceptance. Brandon is held accountable like any other USF manager. Verbal communication might be rare — and it's limited to the people with whom he feels most comfortable — but none of that is a big deal.

"He has his jobs and his tasks, just like we all do,'' Byrd said.

"He's one of us,'' Gregory said. "We know he loves the Bulls. It's not USF basketball without Brandon.''

The smile and the energy are part of USF's basketball landscape. Every single day, Brandon is there. And in this case, every day is beautiful.

Up Next

The Bulls continue their homestand with games last this week on Thursday (ECU) and Saturday (Tulsa).

To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men's basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).

About USF Men's Basketball

The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory, who enters his fifth season in 2021-22. Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history in March of 2017 after previously leading programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State's Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory owns over 300 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship with Dayton. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship. 
 
USF has retired three numbers in its 51-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
 
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.

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