Attending University of Worcester in September 2019, Matei’s time in Worcester was interrupted with the pandemic. After a successful first season in BUCS Prem, his second season post pandemic didn’t go as planned. With unfinished business Matei is back for a fourth year to see if he can help the team bounce back.

You’ve opted to return to Worcester and will hopefully be here for 2 more seasons. What was behind your decision to stay on?

You’ve been here since September 2019. How does Basketball in England compare to Basketball at home in Romania?

There are a few reasons why I am staying on. Firstly, I believe that we managed to accomplish quite a lot throughout the past season, we started from scratch with quite a few new players and built our way up to the promotion for Division 2. However we have unfinished business in BUCS. Im proud of the progress we have made though and I feel confident that we have a lot more to show in the upcoming season. Secondly, combining my studies and basketball whilst being successful in both of them has been possible in Worcester. I’ve managed to enjoy both my life as an athlete, and as a student as well. Therefore I’ve decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Business & HR whilst competing at a high level in my sport.

Basketball in Romania is way different from England. I feel as though Romanian basketball has a different tendency to coaching styles and the game itself is more structured and more dependent on the efficiency of the plays, rather than individual performances. Although I would argue that basketball in England is more competitive, which makes it more enjoyable. In my opinion, the system in England makes it more attainable for young players to develop through more opportunities to play, supported by the 3 NBL divisions and BUCS, not including BBL. In comparison, there are only 2 basketball leagues in Romania and you don’t get much exposure as a player in the second league.

As a member of the University of Worcester men’s 1st team and Worcester Wolves you practice everyday. With 2 games per week. What’s It been like managing a busy training schedule in addition to your studies?

At the start it was stressful as it takes time for the body to adapt, but following a structured timetable helped me the most. Even just writing down a weekly planner with training times and lectures/seminars made me realise that I actually have a fair amount of spare time. For me, setting a clear goal and prioritising my tasks has been helpful at times when I felt overwhelmed with uni assignments.

How was your BUCS season?

We struggled in BUCS the past season as I feel that our focus was mainly on the promotion to Division 2. We lost a couple of easy games that we should’ve won and facing a strong Nottingham team in the last game pushed us to compete in a lower division this year. Still, I feel that we deserve to play in BUCS Premier Division. It was a wake up call that has shown us the consequences of not treating every game with the same intensity.

You were untouchable in the NBL last season but went without a win throughout the whole of the bucs season. What was that like for you mentally?

Mentally, it has been frustrating more than anything as I know we did not deserve to be relegated. Our switched focus and a couple of bad basketball moments cost us the games which put ourselves in this position. BUCS Premier is tough, teams punish you for mistakes and we were’nt able turn any games around at times when we lost momentum.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming BUCS season?

We are going to treat BUCS games similar to how we bring the energy to all our NBL games so we can win back the promotion. I’m enthusiastic to compete next season and I think we will show some quality basketball, worthy of the Premier Division.

As part of the Worcester wolves you won promotion. How do you think the team will cope with the transition to D2?

I think the team will cope well with the transition, as long as we stay consistent throughout the quarters. Last season, we had some inconsistencies in our game that could have cost us the win, but fortunately enough, we managed to push ourselves and pull through. This season, I believe we won’t have second chances as we’re up against more experienced teams and players. If we are more aware of our in-game slip ups, we could mitigate a comeback from the opposing team.

There are only a few teams throughout the whole of the NBL that’s fortunate to have a consistent crowd at their games every week. What was it like playing in front of 500 fans on a weekly basis?

It’s been amazing! The energy our fans bring weekly in the arena has a huge positive impact on our performance. The chants from the crowd encourages us to play better defence, run faster, be more aggressive and bring down our opponent’s morale. I couldn’t ask for anything more! The Wolfpack are truly are the Sixth Man!

On and off the court what goals do you have for the upcoming year and season?

Regarding basketball, I want to help the team win promotion to Division 1 in NBL and back to Premier Division in BUCS. Personally, I have been working on my game outside the paint to become a more flexible player in terms of skills. Off the court, I want to finish my Master’s with a distinction as I enjoyed my undergraduate course. It’s my 4th year living in the UK but I want to visit more cities. Although I have travelled a lot with basketball, I dont always get the chance to look around and appreciate the sights.

We’re looking forward to seeing Matei work towards his individual goals and the teams goals over the upcoming season. Keep an eye out for University of Worcester Basketball Fixtures and Worcester Wolves fixtures for the 2022-2023 season.