Recruiting Report: Matt Willert (2020)
***Photo via Movementhoops***
Buffalo was one of the youngest teams in Class AAAA last season yet surged at the end of the season to the section final. The Bison have state tournament potential this year and their go-to guy is Matt Willert.
Willert, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, averaged 20 points per game as a sophomore for the 15-win Bison. He’s hoping to lead Buffalo back to state for the first time since 2014.
“We’re aiming to make a state run,” said Willert. “We were eight points away from it last year so we know we can do it this year. We have the experience and the motivation.”
In Willert, Buffalo has a potential player-of-the-year guy in the Mississippi 8. Along with fellow juniors Tony Dahl, Brandon Maatz and Aiden Bouman, the Bison look like a top-10 team in the state.
Willert’s ability to put up points in a hurry has been on display the last two years as he’s one of the best shooters in the state. He can score effectively from deep and in the midrange but he also improved on his ability to get to the paint especially during the summer playing for coach Stumpf with the elite Comets 16U club.
“I think I’m a good all-around scorer,” said Willert. “I’m a great outside shooter and midrange player but I have developed a driving mentality to get to the rim. I need to improve on defense and rebounding and creating for others better. Which you will see me improved at this season.”
Though just a junior, Willert is already drawing a lot of college interest from a bevy of Division I and II programs all over the midwest.
“I have an offer from St. Cloud State and I have visited UNI and Drake,” Willert said. “Other schools in contact with me are William and Mary, NDSU, Liberty, UW-Milwaukee, Northern State and a lot of the NSIC schools.”