Matthews' coach calls drop in rankings 'ludicrous'

During the most recent round of releases, Chicago (Ill.) St. Rita combo guard and Kentucky commit Charles Matthews took a tumble in the rankings and was stripped of his 5-star status across the board. In the latest updated 247Sports Composite, which takes into account rankings across multiple outlets, Matthews plummeted 24 spots from No. 17 to No. 41. Matthews' coach at St. Rita, Gary DeCesare, has a theory as to why and he's not shy about sharing it. "It was because he was injured," DeCesare told CatsPause.com. As part of the Chicago-based Meanstreets travel team, Matthews took part in the Nike EYBL in Sacramento and Dallas before missing the last two stops in Minneapolis. Matthews was next seen at the USA Basketball Training Center in Colorado Springs, where he took home MVP honors in leading his team to a perfect 8-0 record and the championship of the 3-on-3 tournament. He followed that up with a solid performance at the recent NBPA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, Va. "He was back at the NBA Top 100 and played great. I don't know what people are thinking I want to make it clear, there is no question about his ability," DeCesare added. "How people just drop a guy 20-plus spots in the rankings because he didn't play is ludicrous." DeCesare, who spent 16 years as head coach at powerhouse St. Raymond's in The Bronx, N.Y. and seven years as a college-level assistant at Richmond and DePaul before taking the job at St. Rita, calls Matthews "one of the top 10-15 players in the country" based on large part because of his sheer versatility. For more from DeCesare, his thoughts on Matthews and his relationship with the UK staff, visit CatsPause.com [FREE] @ChrisFisher247