I have dealt with thousands of kids over the last decade and I can easily say that I have never been to as close to a kid that is as mentally tough as Letreze Mushatt.  Through out this article and interview the word “tough” will continue to pop up but at the end of the day no word describes Mushatt better.  The 6-5 Arthur Hill standout ended his recruitment by signing a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Missouri- Kansas City.

Mushatt has seen his ups and downs on and off the court.  Trez has always had his Mother to lean on to for guideness and the toughness she has displayed as a single mom is a mirror image of the toughness Mushatt takes with him onto the basketball court and the football field. 

Trez was a standout and both sports while wearing the Lumberjack uniform.  He helped lead Arthur Hill to State Championship as a sophomore with an incredible first quarter where he couldn’t miss a shot from beyond the arc.  As a senior he became the heart and soul of a Lumberjack team by averaging 22 points, 9 boards, 3 steals, and 3 assist a game while leading his Jacks to an 18-2 record.

On the gridiron Mushatt flirted with conference and school records for interceptions in a season.  He was easily an All-Conference selection as a safety and a receiver.  He was a big and fast target with great hands that loved to get physical and hit.  Not only did Mushatt just dominate his opponents with athleticism he was just tougher than them. 

As both sports came to an end Mushatt was flooded with interest and scholarship offers to play football and basketball.  The recruiting process became long and strenuous for the young man.  Should I play football?  They want me for offense, this school wants me for defense, or should stay with my first love of basketball? 

When it was all said and done Mushatt had plenty of opportunities and decided he wanted to become a Kangaroo and play for Coach Matt Brown.  Coach Brown wanted Mushatt from day one and has patiently sat back and supported Trez through out his decision process.  There were times where it looked like Coach Brown wasn’t going to get Mushatt but he still supported Trez.  Trez has always been a loyal and appreciative young man so he knew Coach Brown was truly genuine.

Both Mushatt and Coach Brown are now ready to write a new chapter in their lives.  Mushatt is ready to become a “man”, leave Saginaw behind, and find a new home at UMKC.  Coach Brown just finished his first year as the head coach at UMKC and has cleaned house and is looking forward to building up the Kangaroo program.  Every team needs a good character guy that can fall and get right back up, and understands what it takes to win- and there isn’t a better player that fits that description than Latreze Mushatt.

Once Trez made his decision to sign with UMKC, I had the opportunity to talk with both Mushatt and Coach Brown, below are those interviews-

LATREZE MUSHATT INTERVIEW

NGS- so it is finally official, at the end of the day what made you feel comfortable with Coach Brown and UMKC?

Trez- the Coaching staff, some of the players that are there, and some of the freshman coming in, plus the chance to come in and play right away.  Education also played a big part of my decision because they have a good business management department, so the education sold me.

NGS- tell me about your recruiting process and why basketball over football? 

Trez- basketball because it was my first love, I can always go back and play football if my heart desires it.  You’ll never loose your skills in football.  I had a lot of schools that wanted me to come in and play football.  But I wanted to play basketball- schools that were showing me a lot of interest were Michigan, Georgia Tech, Indiana, South Alabama, Providence, and of course UMKC.

NGS- What does UMKC expect out of you your freshman year and what do you expect out of yourself your freshman year? 

Trez- They told me to come in and just be ready.  They know I can play defense and offense so they want me to just be ready to play my game.  They know I am tough and athletic.  I expect to play and work hard, I am not going to just watch a year go by so I am going to push myself everyday.  Nothing has ever been given to me so I know I got to work hard.

NGS- UMKC is pretty far away from home?

Trez- Yah, I know, but that was also a reason I picked them.  I just wanted to get away from Saginaw, I have lived here my whole life, 18 years, and I just want to get far away from Saginaw.  I love Saginaw but its time for me to get away from these streets.

NGS- you’re going to play for a second year coach, how do you feel about that?

Trez- I’m actually real happy with that situation.  The whole team has to prove something so everyone is still going through that fresh start.  It gives everyone a chance to play and he doesn’t have to go with the guys that have been there.  That also played a big part in my decision.

NGS- you guys have a pretty tough schedule for a real young team, talk about the ups and downs that might occur next year?

Trez- there will be a lot of ups and downs but we just have to get better, it will make us tougher.  When ever you fall down you have to get back up.  What doesn’t kill you just makes you stronger.  We got to make sure we have good team chemistry to overcome the downs. 

NGS- Where do you see yourself in four years?  

Trez- I truly see myself playing in NBA, I know I have the talent and heart.  I just have to work harder everyday. 

NGS- Will you ever put the helmet and pads back on? 

Trez- If basketball doesn’t work I have no problem putting the pads back on, but I know basketball will work out. 

 

COACH BROWN INTERVIEW

NGS- A few lines about why UMKC wanted Trez?

Coach- He comes from a big time program that knows about winning and he has that natural competitiveness about him.  I can’t begin to stress how tough of a kid he is, he’s a football player that had D-1 choices so we just expect him to bring that toughness and athleticism in.

NGS- when did you first start recruiting Trez? 

Coach- one of our asst. coaches was the head coach at Alma, Ed Kohtala.  He has always known and loved Trez’s game and style of play.  I saw him last year and we just have stuck on him through the whole recruiting process.

NGS- how do you see Trez’s freshman year going?

Coach- of course we don’t guarantee any playing time but we also know Trez will come in and work extremely hard.  The way he plays both ends with his athleticism and toughness, he has a big chance to contribute as a freshman. 

NGS- you just finished your first season at UMKC, what are you expecting next year? 

Coach- we will be young with 5 freshmen, 5 sophomores, and only 1 senior, but we will be able to compete, and we expect to compete.  We just have to stay focused and work hard every day.

NGS- you continue to talk about Trez and his toughness, go into that? 

Coach- he isn’t afraid of contact.  Physical and tough guys aren’t afraid to set screens, take charges, and get down on the floor for loose balls.  They pride theirselves on defense and those are the things it takes to win. 

NGS- what position will you play Trez at? 

Coach- Trez can play a few positions at the next level.  He can score in the post against smaller guys and he can step out on the perimeter and score on big guys.  Trez is very versatile so we will use that as a mismatch against our opponents. 

NGS- You recruited another Michigan kid in Dustin Dibble, talk about recruiting Michigan kids? 

Coach- We love Michigan kids and we want a few more.  Michigan kids have a certain toughness to them and these two kids, they are especially just great kids that will be an asset to our program.