Matt Mayock raises his game at Westtown, on his way to American U.

For Matt Mayock, it was his first year at Westtown — one in which he focused mostly on adjusting to his new program — that was the most impactful for his high school career.

Mayock arrived at Westtown by way of Conestoga High School, where he spent his freshman and sophomore seasons. Mayock’s first season at Conestoga was spent battling injuries: he broke his wrist twice. Once he recovered from injury and returned to the floor, he started showcasing his offensive playmaking and his shooting ability.

After one of Mayock’s games during that sophomore season, his AAU coach, Paul Manning — who’s also an assistant at Westtown — approached Mayock and his family. That conversation proved to be a turning point in Mayock’s basketball future.

“He kind of just said to my parents, ‘I think Matt could play for us at Westtown,’ ” Mayock said. “So, after the season ended, I visited here, talked to the coaches about it, and then decided to reclassify and come.”

Westtown might have been new for Mayock, but the 6-foot-7 forward had plenty of ties to the Moose program. His AAU connections to Manning extended to Westtown coach Seth Berger, as well as former Westtown and current St. Joseph’s guard Quin Berger. Seth met Mayock when he filled in as an assistant for Manning at a fourth-grade AAU tournament. Quin was one of Mayock’s AAU teammates.

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Transferring to Westtown meant a different role for Mayock, who would likely start his career with the Moose coming off the bench as a role player. So, Mayock’s goal during his first season was simple: take it slow.

“I knew coming into Westtown I would have a much different role,” Mayock said. “I would be coming off the bench … I used that entire year to learn as much as I could and get better from playing with all the high-level guys that were at Westtown.”

Reclassifying didn’t just help Mayock adjust to Westtown. It also helped him get healthy and grow into his frame.

“When he came over to Westtown, he was the perfect kid for a reclass year,” Seth said. “[He] was a kid who needed to get a year back because of injury [and] gain a little bit of belief in himself as a player.”

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Mayock embraced his role and became an important rotation player for the Moose. Westtown boasted a lineup that included Florida State guard Jalen Warley, Albany guard Ny’Mire Little, Berger, and Hill School guard Trey O’Neil. His job was to serve as a scoring threat off the bench, and with talent at the guard spots, he had plenty of opportunities. Mayock was one of five Westtown players to shoot above 40% from beyond the arc that season.

Mayock continued to find success on the court as a junior, playing alongside the likes of Duke standout Dereck Lively II and Penn State guard Jameel Brown. To Mayock, playing with talented players has been one of the most rewarding parts of his transition to Westtown.

“Playing with guys like Dereck or Jalen Warley makes the game very easy and also very fun,” Mayock said. “So, just finally being able to showcase what you can do alongside guys like that, it brought a lot of joy into basketball.”

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A key part of Mayock’s development as an offensive playmaker and scoring threat is Westtown’s shooting philosophy. Rather than focusing on shot selection, which Berger believes players will master at the college level, Westtown focuses on helping players with shot expansion. Berger’s primary goal is to help his players feel more confident shooting the ball.

In the case of Mayock, that has meant helping the 6-foot-7 forward reach a point where he is looking for shot opportunities as soon as he crosses halfcourt. That strategy has helped Mayock develop a deep shooting range that extends to NBA distance and that covers the whole arc. The philosophy has also helped Mayock hone his shooter’s mentality.

“Having that shooter’s mentality, it opens up the rest of the game,” Mayock said. “[I] know the defender’s worried about me unleashing a shot from wherever it may be on the court.

“It just gives you supreme confidence because when I turn down a shot from NBA range and coach tells me it’s a good shot and they want me shooting it, it just makes me feel like I can do anything on the court.”

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Mayock’s growing confidence on the floor, as well as his vertical growth — Mayock now stands at 6-foot-7 after arriving at Westtown at 6-2 — helped him garner attention as a Division I recruit. Mayock drew interest from several Ivy League schools, including Princeton, as well as Albany and American.

Playing at the Division I level had always been on Mayock’s radar, as the Westtown senior comes from an athletic family background. His mother, Alix, played college basketball at St. Joseph’s, and his father, Mark, played football at Boston College with Mayock’s uncle, Mike, the former general manager of the Oakland Raiders. Both of Mayock’s siblings have Division I ties too, with his brother Angus pitching for the University of Connecticut and his sister Katie having followed in Alix Mayock’s footsteps by playing basketball on Hawk Hill.

Though it looked like Mayock might find himself playing in the Ivy League, once American showed interest, it was clear that his basketball future was there. Just over a week after American showed interest, Mayock committed. Key in his decision were conversations with American sophomore forward Matt Delaney, who is a close family friend. Delaney’s mother, Jeanine, played with Alix Mayock at St. Joseph’s. Their relationship helped pave the way for Delaney and Matt Mayock’s conversations about Mayock’s possible future at American.

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“When Matt [Delaney] said it’s a great place, and [when], on his official visit, we met a few of the players, it just had really good vibes to it, and I think it’ll be a great fit for Matthew,” Alix Mayock said.

Also key in Mayock’s decision was American’s offensive scheme, which features a free-flowing style with backdoor cuts and frequent passes. It’s a game plan that suits Mayock’s style. The Westtown senior was also encouraged by his conversations with American’s coaches.

“They had very big plans for me as well, which is something that I wanted in my future college,” Mayock said.

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