Leading with a Purpose

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For Matt Szalachowski, the decision to attend Lehigh was a rather simple one. “I feel like I was destined to come here (to Lehigh),” the senior captain explains. “My brother Brad went here and played basketball, and later served on the coaching staff, and I came to Lehigh football games when I was younger so I’ve been around the campus for nearly my entire life.”

Szalachowski says that although his brother attended Lehigh, he never forced Matt into choosing the Brown and White. “He knew that if I had questions during the recruiting process, I could come to him, but he only gave me advice or answered questions when I asked.”

Szalachowski had the chance to play under his brother Brad for the first two seasons of his career at Lehigh. It was an experience he’ll never forget. “Not many people get the chance to play Division I basketball, let alone with your brother coaching you,” he said. “I think he was tougher on me because he is my brother, but it was definitely nice to have him around when I needed help on the basketball court.”

In addition to having his brother with him for support on a daily basis, Szalachowski credits his parents, John and Diane for having a large hand in his many successes. “My parents have always supported me and have played a large role throughout my life. Whether it was the decision to attend Blair, or traveling to watch nearly every game since I’ve been at Lehigh, it was nice to have their support.”

Szalachowski’s adjustment to college life was not as steep as most students because he had been prepped during a two-year stint at Blair Academy, a private boarding school in New Jersey. He had attended Parkland High School for three years before deciding he wanted to challenge himself at Blair. “I knew that I might need some more preparation if I was going to compete at the Division I level in basketball,” he explained. “Blair offered me the opportunity to go head-to-head with players that had Division I talent every day in practice. It also has a tough academic curriculum that is structured like college, so it was a great situation to be in.”

Szalachowski would attend classes Monday through Saturday while at Blair and quickly grew accustomed to the college style academics. “They gave us much more reading and out-of-class assignments than I had been used to. The structure forces you to study on your own so once I came to Lehigh I was familiar with that type of set up.”

Szalachowski had a solid start to his Lehigh career, appearing in nearly 50 games during his freshman and sophomore seasons under then head coach Billy Taylor. The Allentown native displayed a nice shooting touch from the outside along with the versatility and toughness to play three positions. However, just prior to Matt’s junior season, Taylor left Lehigh for another head coaching position, leaving the team to wonder who would guide them during the 2007-08 season. “The timing of the whole thing was tough,” Szalachowski explains. “It was difficult with the school year starting soon, because we were all wondering what the direction of the program would be.”

Fortunately for Szalachowski, Associate Head Coach Brett Reed was named the Mountain Hawks new leader, giving the program stability and familiarity. During the transition, Szalachowski emerged as a leader for his teammates to look to for advice. It was a role he was already familiar with. “I just tried to do my part and help the younger guys with the whole transition, especially the freshmen because they thought they were going to be playing for another coach.”

He continued, “I’ve always looked at myself as a leader,” explains the two-time captain. “That’s why I like playing point guard because it gives you the ability to control the game. Even when I was in high school, I’d be playing the small forward position, but I’d bring the ball up the court. I wanted to be in control.”

“Matt understands not only our basketball concepts and philosophies, but he can take his knowledge and leadership abilities and harness them to improve the overall performance of the people around him, both on and off the floor,” Reed explained. “Matt is an extremely cerebral player who possesses innate leadership ability, communicates our team’s theme, and consistently provides positive messages for the other members of our program. I have confidence that he espouses what we believe, he communicates it and he demonstrates it on a daily basis.”

A multi-year member of the Dean’s List and Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, as well as a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honor Roll selection, Szalachowski was honored for his body of work in December by being named to the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award nominee list. He is one of only 30 men’s basketball student-athletes from around the nation, and the only in the Patriot League on the list for the award, which is based on criteria focusing on the “Four C’s” of classroom, character, community and competition. “It was a great honor to be on that list along with some big names throughout college basketball,” he mentioned.

Szalachowski carries a 3.60 grade point average in the classroom, and is involved in Lehigh’s award-winning C.O.A.C.H. program as well as the Student-Athlete Mentor (SAM) program, in which he serves on the committee board. “It’s an internal program within the Lehigh Athletic Department in which we help our younger student-athletes grow accustomed to college life, and help them with any type of questions or problems they may encounter along the way.”

An accounting major, Szalachowski already has a job lined up with Pricewaterhouse Coopers, which he will begin in September. He lists Professor Ken Sinclair as one of his favorites, for his rigorous teaching style. “Professor Sinclair is very demanding, so you always have to be prepared if he calls on you during class. It’s crucial to go over the work he assigns and be ready once class starts because he’ll ask you for your feedback no matter the situation.” He continues, “His style reminds me of the teachers I had at Blair. We had such small class sizes that you could not hide, you were always involved in class, and I think that has paid off for me at Lehigh.”

When asked how he is able to manage his studies, basketball commitments and other extracurricular activities, Szalachowski’s answer may surprise some. “I like to stay busy. I don’t have a set schedule, I just know when I have to do something, whether it’s study, or go to practice or attend a meeting. I’ve learned throughout the years how to balance my time.”

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