Cosby’s 7-footer makes big gains on the hardwood

Matt Gorski is a work in progress, to the delight of Cosby High varsity basketball fans. He’s one of those rarities on the hardwood, a 7-foot center, making him the tallest player in the Central Region.

Such promise could pay big dividends for the young man. “I think he’s going to get the opportunity to go to college for free,” predicted Titans coach Ron Carr, referring to his young prodigy earning a college scholarship.

Carr cautioned that his big man will have to keep up his work ethic to realize those aspirations. “He’s going to have to keep working hard to be ready to be successful at that level.”

Gorski is only a junior, entering his third year as a varsity starter on the Titans team. Last season, he averaged 12 points and nine rebounds after averaging four points and four rebounds as a freshman.

He added 15 pounds to his frame in the off-season and played over the summer for the Maryland-based “Team Takeover” Amateur Athletic Union team. He plans to play for Boo Williams’ Norfolk-based AAU team this spring and summer.

Gorski, who has about a 3.0 grade-point average, wants to play “at the elite level.” He said he has received recruiting attention from the likes of Division I colleges Ohio State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

He’s got plenty of work to do to improve his game, Carr said. “The next step for him is to develop more consistency,” he said. “He had some real good games for us last year, then he didn’t help himself in other games by getting a lot of unnecessary reaching fouls.

“Matt’s played a whole lot harder so far this year. He runs the floor more. Last year, he would walk up the floor sometimes. He’s more physical this year in terms of posting up and sealing his position better.”

Returning Dominion District Player of the Year David Robinson, a Cosby senior guard, said of Gorski, “His footwork has improved, and he’s dunking on people and being overall more dominating.” Robinson said establishing Gorski as a low-post presence is a key to the team’s success this season. “We need to get the ball down low to Matt more,” he said.

Gorski appears to have the proper mentality to make the next strides in his road to improvement. “I want to play against the best competition and put in the best workouts,” he said. “I want to cut down on my fouls and extend my (shooting) range and work on my ball handling. I am pushing myself to be the best I can be.”

While Gorski gets some good-natured ribbing from some teammates for being so tall, he takes it all in stride. “I’ve been tall my whole life,” said Gorski, who started playing basketball in the fifth grade in Ohio before moving to Chesterfield where he played at Swift Creek Middle School before moving up to Cosby. “It’s been a blessing for me so far. It’s helped me achieve a whole lot in basketball, and I hope it helps me get to the highest level possible.”

Gorski is described by teammates as a serious person on the court and a fun-loving person off of it. “He’s a real funny guy,” said freshman guard Nick Coppola. “On the court, he’s intense and real focused.”

So, where did Gorski get his height from? “We haven’t really been able to determine that,” Gorski said. His father, Arthur, is 6-5. His mother, Sharon, is 5-11. His fraternal twin, Ben, is 5-11. Gorski’s younger brother, Nick, is a 6-8 freshman forward on the Cosby varsity team.

Gorski said he was told by a physician that he could grow another three to five inches.

He’s hoping to be a key cog on a team that has high expectations for this season. Cosby lost in the first round of the regional tournament the past two seasons. The Titans finished 14-12 last season.

“We want to go to states this year,” Gorski said. “It will take a total team effort to do it.”

As for his big man, Carr said, “We’re hoping to get a big season from him. It all depends on how much work he’s willing to put in to get those results.”