UMBC

Bio

	#21 - Matt Spadafora
	Class: Senior Height/Weight: 6-5, 200     Hometown: Richboro, Pa. Position: G/F     High School: Archbishop Wood

2008-09: Earned his undergraduate degree in financial economics in May and will pursue a graduate degree in economic policy analysis… Became a full-time starter in his junior campaign and started all 32 games… Averaged 8.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, both career bests… Captained the 2008-09 team along with Jay Greene and Darryl Proctor… Ranked in the top ten in America East in minutes played per game (6^th, 35.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio in league games (3^rd, 2.2)… Needs three points to hit the 500-point plateau in his career… More than doubled the number of free throws made from the previous year, hitting 61 of 86 attempts (70.9%)… Was the team’s best clutch free-throw shooter, hitting 28 of 32 (87.5%) in the final 5:00 of games last season.

2007-08:  One of the America East’s most improved players, increasing scoring average from 1.6 to 5.9 points per game... Averaged 6.2 points per game in America East play...

Named to Hoopville.com’s America East All-Defensive team... Started the final 12 games of the season and averaged 31.2 minutes per game in that span...  Led the team in three-point field goal percentage, hitting 28 of 61 (45.9%) in 33 games... He converted on 17 of his first 31 from behind the arc through the first 18 games and made at least one three-pointer in seven straight games from Dec. 22 through Jan. 16 (11-of-17)... Averaged 10 ppg in the America East Tournament, hitting 11 of 19 from the floor and five of eight from behind the arc.

Nov. 10: Hit both field goal attempts (one three-pointer) and both free throw attempts in a seven-point effort in the opener vs. Saint Peter’s...  Nov. 13: Remained perfect from the floor, hitting all three field goal attempts (one three-pointer) and added four rebounds at La Salle...  Dec. 22: After a cooling-off stretch of nine games, he exploded with a career high 18-point effort in the win over Hampton. He recorded career bests in field goals (seven of eight) and three-point field goals (three of four) made... Feb. 2: After the injury to Brian Hodges, he made his first start of the season in the win at Vermont...  Feb. 6: Converted a career best six-of-six from the free throw line (nine points) and posted a career best four assists vs. Stony Brook...  Feb. 23: Played a career high 38 minutes in the overtime win vs. UNH to clinch the America East regular season title. Hit four of six shots from the floor and scored in double figures (10 points) for the first time in 15 outings...  Mar. 8: Opened the America East Tournament with a 14-point effort vs. Stony Brook. 

2006-07: After receiving a medical red-shirt season (mononucleosis) in 2005-06, he appeared in 24 contests in his initial year of competition, including 13 of 16 conference games...  Saw action in the last 10 games of the year, including both America East Conference Tournament contests.

Nov. 14: Saw his first collegiate action (eight minutes) vs. Loyola... He scored his first point from the free throw line and grabbed a pair of rebounds... Nov. 25:  Played 10 minutes at Michigan... Dec. 1: He hit first collegiate field goal and added two rebounds in the closing minutes vs. St. John’s... Dec. 16: Produced a season high in rebounding (four) in a career high 32 minutes at Marquette... Jan. 28: Hit key three-pointer, the first of his career, to tie the game vs. Binghamton at halftime and contributed two assists and a steal in 13 minutes... Jan. 31: Followed up with season-high eight points (3-5 fg, 2-2 3-pt. fg) in 14 minutes at Albany... Feb. 22: Played a critical 13 minutes vs. Maine and matched up defensively against Black Bear star Kevin Reed...  Feb. 25: Scored five points and added four rebounds in the regular season finale at UNH... America East Tournament:  Played 12 minutes and hit one field goal in the quarter-final win over Maine and appeared for a four-minute stint in the semifinals vs. Vermont.

’05-’06: Suffered from mononucleosis in early December and did not compete…Resumed practicing with the team in February.

Background: Named the Most Valuable Player of the Northern Division and the Markward Senior Player of the Year of the Philadelphia Catholic League… Averaged 13.4 ppg and led the Vikings to the Northern Division title for the first time in the school’s history… The Philadelphia Daily News named him to the Second Team All City and he also earned the William J. Ferguson Award for Wood’s Student Athlete of the Year… Scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter and hit two free throws with five seconds left in regulation in an overtime win at rival Father Judge… Earned Second Team All League honors in both his sophomore and junior years…finished his career with 1,183 career points, the No. 3 total in school history… Named to 2005 All-Star Labor Classic at the St. Joseph's University and was a member of the Bucks County All-Stars… An honor roll student all four years at Wood and was a member of the Executive Board of the student council… Uncle Bob Spadafora lettered in basketball at Lafayette and his brother, Mike, was an All Conference player at Gettysburg in 2005-06… Selected UMBC over Ivy and Patriot League schools “because of the basketball program and the coaching staff, the nice campus, and the great academics”…  Son of Susan and Michael Spadafora…born July 13, 1986.