Walking through the hallways at Scranton Prep is a tall order for 7'2" senior Matt Dwyer.
"Doorways...I think that you have to duck coming in and out of the office here. It's usually once or twice a day that I hit my head off a doorway that I didn't realize," said Matt.
Matt is focused on playing basketball now for Coach Andrew Kettel, and that was always the case when he came to Scranton Prep his freshman season.
"He has a personality just as big as he is. A really funny guy who has a great sense of humor, and he is hungry for some success. And he wants to help contribute to our team and we are all really proud of him," said Andrew.
At 6 foot 7 by the age of 15 Matt continued to grow, but he was suffering physically with heartburn. Doctors then checked his growth hormones and found elevated levels. A cat scan revealed a tumor attached to his pituitary gland.
"The next week we went and scheduled surgery and we kind of just moved on with it," added Matt.
"I just told him that he can do it if he just continues to work. And not only myself but his teammates, his family obviously has been a huge support system for him, and the Scranton Prep community. All of our coaches over the last four years have just tried to keep Matt encouraged, and positive through his ups and downs. His sophomore year he spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day down in Philly having major surgery," added Andrew.
Coach Kettel hopes to get 10 to 12 minutes of playing time per game for Matt this season and that alone will be a miracle from where Matt was when he came here to Scranton Prep his freshman season.
"I can't wait. I have been looking for this day since I was first in the hospital for my first surgery," said Matt.
"From March until now he has really put in tons of work. On his own and with the team and in the weight room and with the trainers and with one on one coaches," again said Andrew.
"I would go to the football field and run like five, 10 and then a 15 and go back and kept going. I lost 40 pounds since December," again said Matt.
With his weight down and his stamina up Matt feels better physically. A new bed at home helps with sleep and helps this Cavaliers comeback to the court. Steve Lloyd reporting for Newswatch 16 sports from Lackawanna County.