Adam Matula: Writing His Own Silver Linings Playbook

"I was kinda devastated. I felt betrayed because I was the point guard. I was the leader."

It was the moment that changed Adam Matula's future. The moment when his basketball coach at Hilbert College decided to replace him after an injury to his vertebrae. The moment he says he was no longer able to see himself as a future basketball star in Europe.

From starting out playing basketball at the YMCA to two years playing Division 3 basketball, Matula says he lived and breathed basketball. But this turn of events changed everything for him, he said.

He says that's when he found a new dream.

"I focused my sports into a new realm, into writing," he said.

Matula is in the middle of this dream as he attends the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. He says he hopes to fulfill his new dream of becoming one of the nation's top sports writers.

"I would like to be a feature article writer for, ya know, Sports Illustrated or ESPN the Magazine," he said. "I like the writing, I like the feature length articles."

Through the heartbreak he went through with his injury, Matula says he sees a silver lining in it all. He says he believes he is now doing what he was meant to do all along.

He gets to combine his two favorite things: sports and writing and he says he can't wait to see what the future holds.

Interview

Matt Dowell: Hi guys! I'm Matt Dowell and I'm here with Adam Matula of Rochester, New York and we are going to do a little bit of talking about his history with sports and his really big fan hood of Buffalo sports. Hi, Adam, how are ya doing?

Adam Matula: Doing good. How are you man?

MD: Good man. Good to see ya. So you grew up in Rochester, New York.

AM: 'Til I was eight.

MD: 'Til you were eight.  Tell us a little bit about how you got started in basketball and how you got to be a D3 player.

AM: All right. I started out... I wasn't... I wasn't really doing too much and I was a single child so my mom was like "All right. You need to do something." So she took me to the YMCA, put me on a basketball team, and since then I've been just go, go, go non-stop. Then I moved to Corning from Rochester and then I, ya know, basketball just kept going with me and I played like AAU basketball which is like spring basketball and I played summer leagues and I dedicated a lot of time to it and I played regular season so ever since then, ya know, my step-dad was my AAU coach so that's just been, everybody was pushing me to play basketball, something I love to do and then, basically after that, after high school, I did well in high school and I got recruited so...

MD: So, you grew up a huge Buffalo fan.

AM: Yeah! Bills hat! (points to hat)

MD: Is there one team that you like that's just your team in Buffalo?

AM: Well... it's not unfortunate to say for me but some people say it would but it's the Bills. Yeah, I love the Bills.

MD: And just going off that... your huge fandom of Buffalo sports, is there one experience or one moment that stands out to you as a fan?

AM: Well... nothing that's really happened in my lifetime has really been good. The only thing I can really remember, ya know, the last time they made the playoffs, the Music City Miracle when they lost to Tennessee... or, yeah they were the  Tennessee Titans then. But, when they lost man, it was so devastating. That's not a good moment but it's a moment that I remember and I will remember forever.

MD: Did that, them losing, did that spur you on at all?

AM: (laughter) Not really. It's just like, I don't know, they're just the team I've always followed and they haven't done, they haven't made the playoffs since then so it's like when they do make the playoffs again it's gonna be a great day in Buffalo.

MD: So let's go back to your D3 play. You played basketball for Division 3 but your freshman year you actually fractured your L2 vertebrae.

AM: In my back, yeah.

MD: And then your sophomore year you got replaced by another player.

AM: Basically.

MD: So talk about that a little bit.

AM: I could tell you... I could tell you a little bit about the situation that happened when uh... the other team was playing 2-3 zone.  A kid on my team turned it over on the wing so, I was at the top, I was the point guard on offense so basically it was a 2 on 1 fast break. A kid... A kid was coming down, he was probably 6'9", 225... 230. Big kid! And he went up for a dunk and I tried to take a charge and he missed the dunk, but after the dunk, ya know, I fell from the charge and he landed on me.  His knee right in my mid-section right on the floor. I heard a pop. I played 2 or 3 games after that without knowing what it was and I tried to stick it out but it was too... too harsh.

MD: So, you were out for 7-8 games?

AM: I was out for the rest of the season and that was like the seventeenth game of the season. We only played about 25 so I was out 7 or 8 games and then basically the next year I tried my hardest to come back.  Did everything I could. Ya know, I thought I was in the best shape of my life. I thought I was a better player than last year for sure and basically the coach already had a Plan B in place for me.

MD: So, how'd that make you feel, being replaced?

AM: I felt... I was kinda devastated. I felt betrayed because I was the point guard. I was the leader. We didn't have captains, but we had captains every game. So I was up there being a captain and stuff and taking a leadership role and I housed all the best recruits. I actually housed the kid that came and replaced me which is really unfortunate.  But, I felt betrayed.

MD: But, however, you can kind of look at it as a silver lining for it because after that experience you went on to find a love for writing and now you're at the number one journalism school in the country. So, that's kind of cool in a way.

AM: It is. It's like it is a silver lining. Ya know, I focused my sports into a new realm, into writing. Ya know, I love sports. I like... I love all sports but ya know basketball is my favorite.

MD: Do you think you ever would have had that dream for writing or found that dream for writing without that unfortunate injury?

AM: Probably not. Ya know, I was young and dumb and I thought, ya know, I coulda swore I was gonna like go overseas and try and play basketball, ya know? But that, obviously, even if I was really good was still a slim chance. If I was good for four years, ya know?

MD: Yeah.

AM: But yeah, it's great.

MD: So, if you could have one dream job in the entire world, what would it be?

AM: I would... my dream job at the moment is not too far, but ya know I would like to be maybe a feature article writer for, ya know, Sports Illustrated or ESPN the Magazine. I mean, I wouldn't wanna be on camera. I like the writing, I like the feature length articles so maybe sports story reporter for SI or ESPN the Magazine.

MD: That's great. Well, thanks man. Thanks for being with us. Adam Matula from Rochester, New York. Hopefully you'll see him on Sports Illustrated one day writing. Check out his articles in the future 'cause he's gonna make it big guys. So, thanks Adam. Thanks for coming.

AM: Thanks.

MD: Thanks, guys.

Full interview can be seen here: