Norwegian Matz Stockman Signs With Louisville Basketball

Mark BlankenbakerNovember 19, 2013

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Matz Stockman, a 7-2, 238-pound forward/center from Oslo, Norway, has signed a national letter-of-intent to continue his basketball playing career at the University of Louisville.

Stockman is currently enrolled at the Canarias Basketball Academy in Gran Canaraia in Spain’s Canary Islands. He 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.

“With who we are losing after this year, we wanted this to be a special recruiting class,” said UofL Coach Rick Pitino. “The addition of Matz makes it one of the strongest classes we have ever had at Louisville. We’re really excited to have him in our program. He has great size and wingspan, shoots it well and has great spring in his legs. This is a class that fits our needs for our future.”

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 Blazer’s Joel Freeland.

Stockman, who has a 7-6 wingspan, will be the first seven-footer 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.

Stockman is the fifth member of the current signing class for the Cardinals. He joins previously signed standouts Shaqquan Aaron, a 6-7, 175-pound guard from Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Wash.; Jaylen Johnson, a 6-9, 215-pound forward from Ypsilanti (Mich.) High School; Chinanu Onuaku, a 6-10, 230-pound forward/center from Lanham, Md. and Riverdale Baptist High School; and Quentin Snider, a 6-1, 170-pound guard from Ballard High School in Louisville.