Oct. 29, 2009

Wesley Matthews became the 43rd player in Marquette history to play in the National Basketball Association when he checked in for the Utah Jazz in the team's season opener at Denver Wednesday night.

Matthews was inserted into the lineup out of a timeout late in the first quarter and finished with five minutes of game action, appearing in both halves. He missed his lone shot attempt and was one of two rookies (Eric Maynor) to see game action.

Matthews also joined a list of less than 30 father-son combos to ever play in the NBA when he took the court. His father, Wes, played several years in the league, including a stint with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Matthews and the Jazz return home to host Steve Novak and the Los Angeles Clippers Friday night in the team's next outing.