This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Every first encounter for Pleasant Grove center Matthew Van Komen is similar. The new acquaintance will gaze up with astonishment, bewildered at the giant being standing in front of them.
"How tall are you?" they'll inquire.
"7-foot-3," Van Komen will respond.
"Do you play basketball?" they'll probe next.
"Yes," Van Komen answers politely.
In fact, he's quite good at it. The young sophomore leads the Vikings in scoring — averaging just shy of 17 points per game — and rebounding, and has been an integral piece to the team's 10-1 start and No. 2 ranking in the 5A classification. On defense, in particular, Van Komen is a force.
"Having an anchor like that is a huge starting point for a defense," said Pleasant Grove coach Randy McAllister. "We're able to do more things now. He clogs that whole middle area and people aren't able to attack like they normally would."
Van Komen says he has received verbal offers for scholarships from the University of Utah and Utah State. His interest from the next level is expected to grow.
"He's not even close to where he's going to be. We don't even throw it into him exclusively as an option right now," McAllister said. "He's not there yet, strength-wise and having the moves. Next year, I think, he's going to be an absolute force in that kind of role."
Being a human skyscraper doesn't make everything easy, however. Van Komen is used to people staring. He's been tall his entire life and society recognizes those who stand out in the crowd, literally and figuratively. Yet the world is designed for the smaller person, so sitting in desks or bathtubs is a challenge. It's even harder to find actual clothes for the tall and slim.
Plus everyone assumes you must play basketball, but Van Komen originally wasn't interested in the sport, despite both of his parents playing the game in college.
"It was always more playing outside and hanging out with friends," Van Komen said.
Eventually, however, family bloodlines took over. Both his parents love the game, and soon he started to take notice in it, too. His first season playing was in sixth grade, so his development was behind his classmates, who started much earlier in their adolescence.
And that's motivated him more.
Frequently players with height advantages become inadvertently complacent with their maturation in the post by not enhancing their footwork or moves on the block. Van Komen didn't want to be the next big man to fall victim to that, so this past offseason, he worked with McAllister for roughly an hour after school each day.
"With size like that, it's a process to get him to be where he needs to be and where he wants to be," explained McAllister, who said it's a 'coach's dream' to have a player with Van Komen's size. "I knew when he came in it was going to be a system thing where we had to meet often and consistently to help improve at the rate that we need him to improve."
Van Komen's offseason commitment has paid immediate dividends, and now people aren't just noticing him because he's tall. They're now recognizing he has a true future in basketball.
"It's a lot of the coaching. I'm getting some good minutes and lots of good practice time, so I'm getting a lot better," Van Komen said.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
About Matthew Van Komen
• The sophomore center at Pleasant Grove is having a breakout season standing at 7-foot-3.
• This past offseason, he spent an hour each day working on the fundamentals of the postgame with his head coach, Randy McAllister.
• Van Komen has offers from Utah and Utah State.