Men’s basketball forward Matt Poquette said he has been playing the game of basketball for as long as he can remember, but it wasn’t actually the sport he first fell in love with.

“My first love was actually football and then once I got to jr. high, around 7th or 8th grade, I hit a big growth spurt,” Poquette said. “I’ve always played basketball but it wasn’t really my passion. Once I hit that growth spurt I kind of just realized I was getting good at it and decided to stick with it.”  

Ultimately sticking with the game of basketball led the Morton, Washington native to play throughout college. With his senior season of college basketball on the horizon, he is anticipating a big year.

“Individually I want to improve on what I did last year and take on a bigger role,” Poquette said. 

Last season he averaged 12.8 points per game and led the Wildcats with 5.5 rebounds per game. 

Poquette said, “one of my main goals is to make the all conference team, but really my main focus is just doing whatever I can to help us win games.”

Poquette believes his versatility is one of his biggest strengths he provides to the team.

“I can do a lot of different things on the court. I can defend, rebound, pass, I can score; just being able to plug into different roles depending on what the team needs that game,” Poquette said.

Poquetts’ efforts last season helped propel the Wildcats to a 17-9 overall record and an appearance in the GNAC championship where they fell short to University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

This season, Poquette and the Wildcats hope to improve upon last year and make it to the national playoffs. 

“I think we’re just looking to keep getting better everyday and see where that leads us but the ultimate goal is to make the conference tournament, and go win it and go as far as we can in the playoffs,” Poquette said. 

Outside of playing basketball, Poquette likes to keep up with the NBA and watch his favorite player Giannis Antetokounmpo.