Matthew Hurt Signing 10-day contract with Memphis Grizzlies

And on Monday, it was announced the Memphis Grizzlies are signing him to 10-day contract via the ‘hardship’ clause. Either way, Hurt will finally get his chance in the National Basketball Association.

The Memphis Grizzlies are planning to sign forward Matt Hurt to a 10-day contract via hardship out of their G League Hustle affiliate, sources tell me and @KellyIko. Hurt is averaging 22.2 points and 7.4 rebounds in G League.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 29, 2024

As a freshman at Duke, Hurt averaged 9.7 points and 3.8 rebounds. In his final season (sophomore), he averaged 18.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, earning him ACC Most Improved Player and First-Team All-ACC. He then opted to enter the 2021 NBA Draft… but never heard his name called.

Related: Matthew Hurt: The Greatest Minnesota High School Basketball Player Ever.

Hurt signed a 2-way contract with the Houston Rockets on August 13, 2021, but never played a minute in Houston or for G-League affiliate, Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Instead, he was waived by the Rockets on September 24, 2021, prior to the start of training camp.

On October 14, he was signed by the Memphis Grizzlies, only to be waived two days later, then signed to their G-League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle. He didn’t register any stats in 2021, but that changed one year later, in 2022-23, when Hurt played in 28 regular season games, and averaged 15 points and 4 rebounds.

Hurt re-signed with the Memphis Grizzlies this offseason, only to be waived two weeks later. When no other teams came calling, he signed back on with the Hustle on October 30, and he’s dominated ever since.

Matthew Hurt was untouchable at John Marshall

Hurt played varsity as a freshman at Rochester John Marshall high school and, by his junior year in 2017–18, he was averaging 33.9 points, 15.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 4.3 blocks per game, leading his team to a remarkable 26–3 record and a spot in the section title game.

As a senior, he somehow got better, averaging 36.8 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, which earned him the prestigious title of Minnesota Mr. Basketball and a spot in the 2019 McDonald’s All-American Game.

Getting to see high school Matthew Hurt play in person was pretty incredible, He’s by far the best high school player I’ve seen live. He used to sellout high school gyms all over the state.

Here's a look at Matthew Hurt's 46 point, 17 rebound performance today for Rochester John Marshall. RJM beat Lakeville South 75-72 at the Breakdown Boys Tip-Off Classic in Hopkins. pic.twitter.com/moFeKglJnZ

— KSTPSports (@KSTPSports) December 9, 2017

Related: Shocker: Matthew Hurt Chooses Duke

Hurt chose Duke over other blue blood offers from North Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas. He had a five-star consensus rating and easily considered a top-25 high school prospect in the 2019 class.

Matthew Hurt has undoubtedly earned an opportunity after showcasing his skills in high school and then transitioning to the G League. With his impressive performance, another player with ties to Minnesota joins the league.

Let’s start with Rodkewich’s numbers this season. According to MNFootballHub.com (Star Tribune), he leads the state in every meaningful QB measurement. Number one in completions (147), passing yards (2,194) and touchdowns (26).

Congratulations to Caden Rodkewich from St. Anthony Village for leading the state statistically in every major passing category! Very impressive individual numbers but more importantly helping his team gain momentum into playoffs. #612Qs???? pic.twitter.com/xf7RjV6mdi

— 612 Quarterbacks (@612Qs) October 23, 2022

Top MN High School QB’s

Of course, Caden isn’t sitting off radar in all circles. He has plenty of DII interest and multiple offers at that level. It’s the DI programs that are yet to see the light. This while other Minnesota high school quarterbacks, with less impressive numbers, are committed or have offers from local and out-of-state division one programs.

Those names include Max Shikenjanski (Stillwater), who just committed to the Minnesota Gophers as a preferred walk-on. And Jacob Kizer (Maple Grove), who has offers from both Ohio University and St. Thomas.

Rodkewich does have a unique throwing motion. But the more you watch him sling it, the more you realize it may be a strength. His quick, almost sidearm, flick gives the football plenty of juice out of his hand and allows Caden to get throws off in traffic, when other throwing motions wouldn’t be fast or dynamic enough to adjust to the situation.

Accolades Abound

On the football field, Rodkewich is a 2-year varsity captain and 3-year varsity starting quarterback His awards, so far, include Tri Metro All Conference Honorable Mention; Basketball All District; “Why We Play” football award winner and he’s logged hundreds of volunteer hours working with youth sports.

For Caden Rodkewich, excelling is a part of life and stretches beyond the football field. This is a kid who has a 3.8 GPA. He takes PSEO courses AP/Honors courses, runs with the National Honor Society and he’s captained the varsity basketball team for two years.

They just don’t make a lot of stand-up high school football players like Caden. His eight combined varsity letters between football and basketball tell you everything you need to know about his athletic ability.

Rodkewich is the full package

But at the quarterback position, success extends far beyond athleticism. Can he lead? Can his teammates count on him when times are tough or moments are tight? Those questions are answered by his multi-year captaincy status in two sports, the off-field accolades he’s received and the time he’s volunteered in his community.

If there is one quarterback in the state of Minnesota who can lead and set the right example, as any good starting quarterback must do, it’s Caden Rodkewich. Some kids just need a shot. Hopefully, there’s a DI football coach out there who will be smart enough to give Rodkewich his.

SkolGeek | Minnesota Sports Fan

When someone says there’s no such thing as over-exposure, they obviously haven’t spent a winter in Minnesota. That saying is false. You over-expose your skin during cold streaks here and mother nature will laugh while said skin loses all feeling, turns black, and falls off.

Fortunately, for my fellow proud — potentially passive-aggressive — Land of 10,000 Lakes’ residents; our state’s recent publicity spike, created by Super Bowl LII, seemed to be immensely positive (no reported skin falling off).

Outside of frigid temperatures and the background checks (or lack thereof) for some security guards, hosting the big game went as smoothly as anyone could have hoped.

When it comes to the publicity arena, Stephen Curry is all the time, what Minnesota was during Super Bowl week. But, not even the most-educated marketing brains could have seen the combination the 2x NBA MVP would rock while visiting America’s greatest state (I’m talking about us, MN) for the country’s largest sporting event.

Butler and KAT All-Star teammate, Steph Curry, on the sidelines representing Minnehaha Academy. Photo found on Instagram… pic.twitter.com/XEqcieqbbH

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) February 4, 2018

Minnehaha Academy, located in Mendota Heights, had indication that Steph would be sporting the Redhawks apparel well before kickoff. A tweet from the School’s official Twitter account, from just before 4:30 PM CST on Sunday, suggested Curry would be supporting the private, Christian based school.

I spoke with Minnehaha Academy’s Executive Director of Institutional Advancement, Sara Jacobson, on Monday, and she said the school was “proud and pleased to be represented by such a great athlete, on such a national stage.”

Good looking out, Steph. As you can see, Minnehaha Academy appreciates the gesture.

Just think of what we could have been if David Kahn wasn’t such a …. never mind.

But, the question still remained: why was Curry wearing the apparel of Minnesota’s own, Minnehaha Academy, during Sunday’s contest?

The method behind Steph’s clothing madness isn’t quite as intricate as his pregame ritual. The Chef mixed in one of his personal contacts to cook up his unique shoutout to Minnesota. In regards to who exactly Curry’s contact is, with ties to Redhawks? The Mendota Heights-based school is leaving it as it was described in this tweet. Plain and simple: The greatest shooter of all time is good friends with the spouse of a Minnehaha Academy alum.

With the school expanding no further on that realm, neither will I. As of February 5th, 2018, I’m a HUGE Redhawk fan. Their willingness to take time out of what is already the most dreaded work-Monday of the year, in order to talk to the over-caffeinated — Stephen Curry-loving — blogger, sold me.

Hey, Minnehaha Academy – I’m sorry it took this long for me to come around. You can blame the delay on my wonderful mother. For any new moms out there, don’t make the same mistake mine did. For the sake of your child’s future, stay woke:

To show off my new-found support for the Redhawks, it would seem appropriate that I go get myself one of those sweatshirts. If you too want the gear the pros wear, click here: Minnehaha Academy Bookstore Information.

As we saw a few months ago, hoodies that are associated with the State of Minnesota are prone to becoming huge fashion trends. So, get ’em while they’re still available. (Take note: chat with Johnny Minnesota = free plugs for you and your team — My DM’s are open)….. actually, this was an editor’s note. Johnny doesn’t talk in the 3rd person. He’d be cooler if he did, though:

Weeks later, many customers still waiting for Science Museum of Minnesota’s brontosaurus hoodie made popular by “Stranger Things 2.” https://t.co/9gzDdGc3zb pic.twitter.com/1VTKJ1CpGE

— Star Tribune (@StarTribune) November 29, 2017

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com