Jonah Mathews, ASVEL: 'It's just a great honor'

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne's Jonah Mathews is making his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut this season. The 23-year-old small forward came to Europe right after university and is now in his third season on the Old Continent. In six games with ASVEL, he is averaging 10.3 points, 1.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals. His quick adaptation to the European game is no doubt explained by the basketball tradition in his family.

"I started playing basketball at about six. My dad was a coach for about 32 years now and ongoing. My brother played before me and I just followed," Mathews says.

Mathews played during most of his youth in his native California, and with more and more games under his belt, college scouts started to notice him. His brother Jordan, also a basketball player, had played college ball, so Johan decided to follow in his footsteps and ended up playing at the University of Southern California from 2016 to 2020, after which he had to decide on a pro career strategy. The fact that his brother Jordan had already played in Denmark and Italy led Jonah to Europe sooner, perhaps, than would have happened otherwise.

"I was thinking about going to the G-League, things like that. And I asked him about Europe and how he thought about it. He told me, 'Look, it's a little different coming from California and leaving home for that long a time, but it's great.' He loved it and I turned out to love it, too."

Jonah crossed the pond in 2020 to sign with the Koping Stars of Sweden and last season he moved to Poland to join Anwil Wloclawek. There, he averaged 17.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a starter in his first full season as a pro in Europe.

Jordan is currently playing in Poland with Spojnia, but now that Jonah has climbed up and landed a spot in a EuroLeague roster with ASVEL, the two brothers are more in contact than ever.

"We have some type of communication every single day," Jonah says. "When I was in my senior year in college and he was playing for Vanoli [Cremona], which was the COVID year, I definitely kept track of them."

The fact that his brother was already in Europe and told him about what to expect in such a new environment, made the transition easier for Jonah.

"It's always nice to come over to Europe and have some friends or have a sibling or somebody close to you that actually knows how it is and knows the ins and outs of it," Johan explains. "So, it actually pushed me to come faster. I didn't want to wait for the NBA or the G League. I just wanted to come here and start my career and play. And he told me this is the way to do it."

For Jonah Mathews, having made his debut in the EuroLeague is a dream come true. Due to the fact that he had been in contact with European basketball through his brother, he followed the competition and he know that playing here is no small feat, especially becoming the first member of a basketball family to do so.

"One of my cousins played in Spain back in the day. They all know about the EuroLeague and it's just a great honor for ASVEL to think of me at this young age to come and play. My brother knows all about it, and he congratulates me all the time and just tells me how proud he is of me," Mathews says. "Honestly, I've been watching EuroLeague, all the players like Shane Larkin for a long time, [Vasilije] Micic, a lot of dudes. Nando [De Colo], even in our team now, watching them on YouTube. I've seen games. My teammate last year, James Bell, played in the EuroLeague, and he was telling me all about it. So it's honestly an honor."