Matt Hurt

Matt Hurt's Biography

Matthew Christopher Hurt, an American professional basketball player, was born on April 20, 2000. He is known for his association with the South East Melbourne Phoenix within the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) and has a remarkable college basketball track record with the Duke Blue Devils.

In his formative years, Hurt attended John Marshall High School in Rochester, Minnesota, for four years, from 2015 to 2019. His participation in multiple basketball series in high school is highly notable. As a freshman, Hurt was instrumental in leading his team to a 26-4 win-loss record. Similar success followed him through his sophomore year, as he once again steered his team to a triumphant record of 25-4.

Hurt’s overall performance accelerated throughout high school, and particularly during his junior year, he averaged impressive scores of 33.9 points, 15.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 4.3 blocks. This outstanding display of talent enabled his team to post a record of 26-3 and reach the section title game. Additional to his high school games, Hurt averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game on the Adidas Guantlet Circuit for his AAU team, D1 Minnesota.

During his final year, Hurt established an impressive average of 36.8 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assist per game and was awarded the title of Minnesota Mr. Basketball. Further highlighting his athletic excellence, he participated in the 2019 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game and Nike Hoop Summit.

After graduating from high school, Hurt committed to Duke University on April 19, 2019. His choice was based after considering many offers from other high-flying universities including North Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas. He was considered an elite prospect, compensating his status with a five-star recruit and was ranked as the No. 10 overall recruit and No. 2 power forward in the 2019 high school class.

Hurt’s performance only soared once he started playing at Duke. He continued to post high scores with a career-high of 25 points and 4 rebounds against Boston College in December 2019. For the 2019-20 season, he averaged 9.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 31 games with 22 starts.

In the 2020-21 season, Hurt was included in the preseason watch lists for the prestigious John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, and Karl Malone Award. His season ended on a high note, averaging 18.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He ended the regular season named as ACC Most Improved Player and first-team All-ACC.

Following his sophomore season, Hurt decided to enter the 2021 NBA Draft. However, he went undrafted, but that did not deter his ambitions. This led to him signing a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets on August 13, 2021, and played for the team in the NBA Summer League. But he was waived by the Rockets on September 24, just before training camp. He later joined the Memphis Hustle for the 2021-22 NBA G League season.

In 2024, Hurt signed with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) for the 2024–25 season. Demonstrating his dedication to the sport beyond just his career, Hurt played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship, helping the team secure a gold medal.

Sporting talent also runs in Hurt’s family. His older brother Michael is a former college basketball player for Minnesota, and his younger sister, Katie, is a sophomore playing for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.