Had the mail arrived late 10 years ago, Novi boys basketball might not have a leader right now.
The Wildcats graduated six seniors, five of whom were starters. Four of their rotational players off the bench have returned, looking to take on more important roles as Novi defends its Kensington Lakes Activities Association title.
That includes senior Matt Floros, an enforcer in the paint who should be the team’s toughest defender.
The power forward has used the offseason’s Summer League schedule to improve his game. He wants to become more of a scoring threat, but there’s also another challenge he’s accepted.
“I’ve got to find out how to be a leader because I’m one of the guys who got experience last year,” Floros said before a June 19 game at Livonia Franklin. “Being a leader and trying to help glue together this team will be difficult because we have a lot of new guys who don’t fully know our style of basketball yet. I need to get them to buy into the system and play together. But that’s why Summer League is great for getting chemistry with all of the younger guys.”
To become that leader, Floros is drawing from his experience as a karate instructor.
That’s right, he doesn’t have your traditional athletic upbringing.
He doesn’t play football or soccer, nor does he wrestle. What free time he has away from school and basketball, he spends at Next Level Karate in Novi. He trains a handful of days while teaching the other times he’s there.
And he’s good at it, too. He’s a third-degree black belt, making him a martial arts expert.
“I’m one of the highest ranks in my school now, so I help coach and teach other kids, which translates to basketball and being a leader,” Floros said. “I’ve been doing karate for 10 years now, and it’s helped me develop consistency and discipline in whatever I do. It’s allowed me to be consistent in the weight room and everywhere else.”
He got into karate in the second grade after his parents received a flyer in the mail.
He’s been a regular ever since, dedicating his life to the discipline.
The benefits speak for themselves. Floros claims karate has made him more explosive on the court, as he has quick-twitch capabilities that give him an edge in rebounding and getting up and down the floor faster.
Taking care of business has become second nature to him. He doesn’t make excuses to skip the weight room. He’s in the best shape on the team. Who wouldn’t listen to direction from a leader as physically impressive as him?
“He works hard and is probably the strongest on the team,” coach Chris Housey said. “He doesn’t play football, but he’s jacked. You don’t want to mess with him. He’s tough.”
And he should be a reliable contributor.
Housey compares Floros’ game to recent Novi graduates Thad Lawler (2024) and Trey Tesorero (2025), two players known for doing the dirty work and being scrappy in the paint. Their unselfish, unsung hero play helped Novi go from the basement of the league to becoming conference champions in only three seasons.
“Matt does those little, unnoticeable things you don’t see on the stat sheet,” Housey said. “But when you watch the game, you’re like, ‘Man, he had a really big impact.’ Looking at his stat line, you might not think he did anything, but he’s our glue guy. He gets rebounds and talks on defense. He’s a leader, a great kid and a hard worker.”
Floros likely won’t lead the Wildcats in scoring, but he’s becoming the kind of leader they need. His discipline from the dojo and toughness on the boards should help inspire them as they replace five starters and take another crack at winning a league title.
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on Twitter at @folsombrandonj.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: There’s a third-degree black belt leading Novi boys basketball
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
