Matz Stockman

Sophomore Year:

First name is pronounced Motts.
Scored in 16 of his 23 appearances as a sophomore.
Scored a career-high eight points against Kennesaw State while grabbing a career-high five rebounds.
Played the last eight minutes of the first half at Notre Dame and contributed six points, three rebounds, a blocked shot and a dunk to close the half.
One of four players on the Cardinals’ roster with international ties.
Had six points and two rebounds in five minutes vs. Eastern Michigan.
Scored eight points in the second half of the Cards’ first game against the Puerto Rico Junior team during UofL’s 2015 trip to Puerto Rico.
Has a 7-6 wingspan.

Freshman Year:

Saw action in four games.
Scored his first basket against Jacksonville State.
Grabbed four rebounds and scored two points against Savannah State.
Was not able to play against Cal State Northridge or Kentucky while recovering from a hyperextended left knee.

High School:

Attended and played basketball at the Canarias Basketball Academy in Gran Canaraia in Spain’s Canary Islands during the 2013-14 season.
Ranked among the top 200 collegiate prospects in 2014 by 247Sports.com.
Averaged 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots over nine games while playing for Norway in the 2013 U18 European Championships. He scored 18 points against Holland in 21 minutes for his top scoring effort in that event and blocked eight shots against Romania.
Played handball and soccer (goalie) in high school.
Several Canarias Basketball Academy products have moved on to universities and professional leagues, including such players as Loyola Marymount’s Ashley Hamilton and LSU’s Shane Hammink and the Portland Trail Blazers’ Joel Freeland. Over 50 NCAA Division I players over six years were products of the Academy, including such players as Oklahoma’s Khadeem Lattin, Virginia Tech’s Joey van Zegeren and Seton Hall’s Patrik Auda.
Stockman and freshman center Yankuba Sims of St. John’s -- a participant in the Battle 4 Atlantis -- were teammates at the Canarias Basketball Academy.
Stockman and fellow junior Anas Mahmoud are the first seven-footers to play for the Cardinals since Felton Spencer, a 7-0 center from Louisville who scored 1,168 points at UofL from 1986-90. David Schrag, a 7-1 center from Winterthur, Switzerland, who prepped at Maine Central Institute, initially signed to play with the Cardinals in 1997 but went to Vincennes instead.

Personal:

Born Jan. 30, 1995 ... Son of Eirik and Inger Stockman ... Has two older brothers -- Jacob and Bendik -- and a sister Joanna ... Major is sport administration.
Personal goal at UofL is “to improve enough to play professional basketball.”
Chose to attend UofL because “this university has the best coach to play for.”
Best basketball advice given to him was to don’t give up.
Few people know that he played soccer for seven years.
Most proud of “being where I am today.”
His parents have had the greatest influence on his athletic career.
Best thing about being a Cardinal is “being coached by Coach Pitino.”
When he played basketball as a kid, he pretended he was Michael Jordan.
Wanted to wear No.5 because it is his dad’s lucky number.
Feels Liam Neeson would be the best actor to play him in a movie.
Would most like to meet Michael Jordan.
Best moment of his athletic career to date was signing with UofL and reaching the NCAA Tournament.
What impresses him the most about Coach Pitino: “his basketball knowledge, the way he always teaches every aspect of basketball correctly, how he motivates his players and how he brings out the best in his players.”