FRISCO, Texas – During his five seasons at Mississippi State, Cameron Matthews was the consummate glue guy, that indispensable member of any roster who will do whatever asked to help his team win regardless of whether those efforts appear on the postgame stat sheet.
Matthews, 24, not only left Starkville by playing in a program-record 167 games and setting another MSU mark with 274 career steals – fourth-most in SEC history – but was also one of two Bulldogs, Jarvis Varnado the other, to make the SEC All-Defensive Team twice.
Now with the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers of the NBA G-League, the affiliate of the Houston Rockets, this former State standout is averaging 9.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game through 17 contests. He’s playing just over 30 minutes a night for the Vipers and has already made a believer of his new head coach, Joseph Blair.
“He’s a multi-edged tool. He’s a Swiss Army knife of a player for us,” Blair said. “His ability to do the intangible items (has really stood out). The stat sheet doesn’t always display his impact on the game because of the things he does. He’s able to play multiple positions and give us different things every night. Whatever the team might need, he’s a guy willing to step up and do it, whether it’s handling the ball, setting screens, getting extra rebounds, defending, whatever it is.”
In short, the Olive Branch native is doing the same things in the G-League that he became known for at MSU, just doing so in a new setting.
“It’s been different, but it’s been a good experience overall,” Matthews said of his time in the G-League thus far. “Just been taking it one day at a time, just trying to learn how to be a pro and just get better every day.”
And with RGV already playing Mexico City four times this season, twice in the G-League’s Tip Off Tournament in December 2025 and twice more in the regular season in January, he’s already played against fellow former Bulldog RJ Melendez, who Matthews was teammates with last season, with Melendez and Mexico City winning three of those four meetings.
“Yeah, we did (already play Mexico City). It was fun, but we lost so that part wasn’t fun, but it was good to see RJ again,” Matthews said. “I’m grateful for it (my time at State). That’s where I grew up and became a man. Most of the things I’m going to take with me for the rest of my life, I learned there.”
The ex-Bulldog is grateful to be continuing his basketball career as a professional but admits that there are times when he finds himself missing the raucous atmosphere which Humphrey Coliseum was known for.
“Just the fans and the energy that it brought (is what I remember most),” he said. “It was a different feeling altogether.”
Looking back, Matthews also realizes that playing in a physical conference like the SEC for five seasons more than prepared him for the rigors of a long pro season.
“The strength coach, coach Dom (Walker) and the things that I learned there have helped develop my body more for the physicality (of the G-League).”
After not hearing his name called in the 2025 NBA Draft in late June, Matthews secured a spot on the roster of the Rockets’ entry in the 2025 Vegas Summer League, and in five games he averaged 3.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, a big enough taste of the NBA game to give him a hint of what to expect in his first full campaign at the professional level.
“Summer League, it was fun. I was still trying to learn how to affect the game in different ways at this level, and I feel like I got a better grasp of it,” Matthews said. “I would say (the biggest adjustment has been) a mix between speed of the game and the amount of games played. Taking care of my body and things like that, just learning to be a pro (is what I’m focused on).”
And even though basketball is now a full-time job, he still finds time to keep up with how the Bulldogs are faring this season.
“It’s not really what we’re used to, but I think we’re competing really well,” he said.
Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.
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