Reinforcements have arrived in the frontcourt for senior forward Sam Sherry.
After being the primary big man for the Elon men’s basketball team the last couple of years, Sherry is ready to share the load this year with transfer Matthew Van Komen, who at 7-foot-four, is the third tallest player in the NCAA right now. Sherry, who stands at 6-foot-11, and Van Komen form a towering duo in the paint that will certainly have an intimidation factor.
“It’s a little bit of a fear factor,” Van Komen said. “If you look at the roster here, 7 foot, 6-11, and then so on and so forth. You don’t see that on any college rosters, especially not at this level. So people see that, they’re going to be a little scared going into it.”
During his time at Elon, Sherry has been a force for the Phoenix, averaging 9.5 points and 47 rebounds last year. He also had 35 blocked shots, the eighth best single-season performance in program history at the Division I level. He has been dominant on the glass, accumulating 318 rebounds over his time at Elon. Sherry has been forced to carry a large load, however. During his time as a Phoenix, he has been one of the sole contributors in the paint on a team that lacked size. During the 2023-24 season, 60% of the team was made up of guards and Sherry was the only player who was taller than 6-foot-8. Last year, he contributed to 13% of the team’s total rebounds.
However, this year, Van Komen joined Sherry to bolster the team’s interior defense and prowess on the glass, relieving Sherry of the sole responsibility of Elon’s control of the paint. Van Komen averaged 7.4 rebounds per game and had 47 blocks in his time at Hawaii Pacific University last year. Sherry said it is great to have another guy play alongside him in the paint and believes they work well together.
“I think having Matt on the team is very valuable to us,” Sherry said. He brings another force in the paint and I was always the force in the paint, but having another guy with me and play alongside with is always great.”
Sherry also said he believes their styles of play complement each other.
“Having his size is pretty remarkable, and my size too, I think we’re good,” Sherry said. “We're a good team. He brings in emphasis in the paint where he can be a screen, rolling, dunking guy and being a force on defense, too. And, I've been working on my game, catch and shoot, driving, throwing lobs. So I think it's definitely a good thing that we're playing out there together.”
Elon’s interior defense will likely become an unwavering swarm of blocks and rebounds thanks to the duo’s size. Van Komen said if they play man-to-man defense, Sherry is able to be on the side of the court, forcing opponents to Van Komen.
“I'm the center, force everything to me. Sam's on the side, so if I go and help him, they'll shift into the center, but I'll be hopping off my guy, but still protecting the paint,” Van Komen said.
Sherry said the addition of Van Komen also allows him to stay up top on the perimeter more often as Van Komen can handle the paint.
The two of them aren’t just improving the team but are also helping each other improve.
“Going against him, it forces me to adjust my shots, get a little more touch on my shots,” Sherry said. “We challenge each other every day, and we play together every day. It's been real fun. I think we're gonna win a lot of games together.”
The duo of Sherry and Van Komen has already provided results a few games into the season. Van Komen has four blocks already, along with 15 rebounds. Van Komen shined in the team’s dominant win over Bluefield University where he scored 13 points and picked up 8 rebounds. Sherry is doing his part, too, also notching 15 rebounds and is averaging 13.5 points per game.
Sherry and Van Komen’s skill and height should prove plenty of theatrics and thrilling plays this year. The pair has high expectations for themselves, saying that they are aiming to be the leading rebounders and shot blockers in the Coastal Athletic Association. Fans should expect lots of alley-oops from Sherry to Van Komen this season, according to Sherry. Sherry said it will be “lob city” and is excited to see what they can do.
“If I get a high post, I'm looking for Matt on the lob, he's looking for me on the lob,” Sherry said. “So, I'm excited to get going in the regular season and show some people who we really are.”