Little Matt comes back a bigger man

HE sounds like maybe he's been studying deep-thought philosophy.

"I didn't understand," he said. "And maybe there are times in your life, you know, you're not supposed to understand."

He talks like he's attained a newfound level of maturity.

"You're supposed to learn," he said. "And I definitely did. I definitely did."

He sounds -- and we know what this sounds like, because there was an episode about it on nearly every 1970s sitcom (and later, even "Everybody Loves Raymond") -- like a guy who's joined a cult.

Brainwashed by the teachings of Baba Ram Baba?

No. Sounds more like the Cult of Riley Wallace.

Listen:

"That's why I'm here this year, it's just about what he wants. I'm here because of him and thanks to him, and you know, I'm going to give everything I have on that floor, for him. And do what he wants," Matt Gibson said.

Wait. This is Little Matt saying this?

No. Not little. New Matt. New man. There's nothing little about him, now. His brain is bigger. His heart.

Yes, Hawaii's prodigal guard is back, after having lost most of last season, thanks to suspension, then officially, injury, a redshirt, sitting out.

"Definitely a humbling experience. Things don't go the way you want and ... you know with the suspension and the injury, it was like ... you know, one thing after another. It was really disappointing. And it's hard to stay focused when stuff like that happens, and the debate about me coming back and everything, it was all ... you know, it was just hard. A hard year. A lot of just waiting, thinking, not knowing what's going to happen. And ending up just being the best thing that can happen, just to redshirt, you know," he said last Friday, after the Rainbows' Twilight Ohana Green and White game.

Ask him a question, he pours his heart out onto the floor. That's where he is now.

Philosophy. Maturity. Humility. He sounds like someone who's been born again.

He sounds like a man who speaks with the insight of someone who knows he's lucky to be alive.

Well, isn't he?

We'd all assumed it was a normal practice blowout that had gotten him suspended, last season. But in private Wallace would lean in and say we had no idea. It was much worse than that.

It was that close. Matt Gibson really is lucky to be alive, basketball-wise. He knows how lucky he is to be back with this team.

Back then?

"It was all frustration," Gibson said, "it was all, I didn't understand."

He was like a wild horse, unbroken. Bristling at the reins.

Exciting. Talented. Impatient. Immature.

But hey, he says now, maybe there are times in your life when you're not supposed to understand. Maybe that's how you get to where he is now.

"I had a lot of expectations for that season," Gibson said. "And I'm sure everybody had a lot of expectations for me that season. But you know I believe in everything happening for a reason and it gave me a chance to grow and mature a little bit, really be what this team needs as a leader."

Then, the humility:

"You know, with a few other guys that have been here for a while," he said.

Yes, Bobby Nash is back, too. Nash, who, more so than his talent, brings intensity to the floor. When he's on he can be the heartbeat of a team. And the 'Bows have height, this season, and Matt Lojeski can fill it up, and if Ahmet Gueye can be what he was this group just might give Wallace one heck of a last ride.

But the WAC is back, too. Nevada. New Mexico State. Utah State. Fresno State rising again. No matter how you look at it, can the Rainbows do better than third?

Anything can happen if everyone believes the way Gibson says he does now.

He sounds like maybe he's been studying deep-thought philosophy. He talks like he's attained a newfound level of maturity.

He'd somehow stuck it out while sitting out. Somehow, Wallace had stuck with him, too. There were probably plenty of times that year when one or the other wondered why.

He didn't know then that he had it in him to get from there to here.

"Like I said, no, I'm not what you would call a patient person," he said. "I don't have tons of patience. So definitely Coach helped me not only in basketball, but in life, you know."

In life? How?

"Just giving me chances after chances. And trying to help me grow as a person, and not just a basketball player. I have a lot of respect for him and that staff. A lot of people could say, 'I learned a lot from my coach.' I could say, you know, 'My coach really helped me in a lot of areas in my life, helped me become a better person overall.' "

Wait. This is Riley Wallace we're talking about?

It is. And it's Matt Gibson saying this. New Matt. New man. There's nothing little about him now.

Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com