If you need a reason to get out of the house, I have one for you.
His name is Matt.
Matt Bingaya, to be specific.
You probably haven't heard of him. But on Wednesday night I asked West Liberty basketball coach Jim Crutchfield about this Matt, a Fairmont State basketball player.
"He's incredible," was the response.
The sweet thing: Bingaya is coming to an arena near you if you live in Charleston. He'll be at the Civic Center on Sunday when the Falcons match up with the University of Charleston. He'll be in Institute on Tuesday when the Falcons meet West Virginia State.
I'd suggest you check him out. See, last season Bingaya was the second-leading scorer for Southern Miss. That's the Division I, Conference USA Southern Miss.
Bingaya led the Golden Eagles in scoring eight times and hit double figures 20 times. Now he's on the same FSU team with ex-WVU guard Chase Connor and in the Falcons' frontcourt with All-Mountain East performers Jemel Morris and Thomas Wimbush.
Here's why: Bingaya, 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, signed with Southern Miss and Donnie Tyndall after averaging 25 points in high school near Columbus, Ohio.
If you know anything about the name "Donnie Tyndall," you probably went uh-oh when you read it. That's because the coach's program was busted for booster impropriety at Morehead State and then again for violations at Southern Miss. Tyndall had moved to Tennessee, however, before the Southern Miss violations were revealed. Out, however, he went from Knoxville.
Bingaya was in the middle of the mess. He played a year for new Golden Eagles coach Doc Sadler but ultimately moved away. Enter former WVU assistant and current Fairmont State coach Jerrod Calhoun.
"Matt was cleared to play here," Calhoun said. "He was in the middle of the mess, but was able to transfer here. [WVU] Coach [Bob] Huggins' brother Larry knows Matt's high school coach, Jordan Blackburn. Also, Jemel Morris, one of our best players, is very, very good friends with Matt. So Matt came here on a visit and loved it."
"I've known Jemel since the eighth grade," Bingaya said. "We played AAU ball together. He reached out and when I got here I decided this was the place."
Schools like Bowling Green and Northern Kentucky, among others, offered spots. Calhoun said "50 to 70 Division I schools" wanted the player but "he didn't want to sit out. He felt it was better for his career to keep playing. And that was our pitch to him."
"It wasn't the ideal situation," Bingaya admitted. "But I looked up Fairmont and saw it was a pretty good team. I took a visit and immediately bonded with the guys. Everyone wants to win here and ultimately that's what I want."
Don't misunderstand. The decision to sit out wasn't easy.
"It was kind of tough," said the player. "I'd already sat out one year [as a redshirt player]. I understand there's a process involved. But when I found out I could play now, I decided that's what I wanted to do."
Bingaya said he transferred not so much because of the implications, but because of the potential aftershocks.
"We saw there could be bans," he said. "And everyone wants to play in the NCAA tournament. Here I can get there, regardless if it's Division II."
Yes, by the way, Bingaya said he's bonded with the other ex-Division I player on the Falcons' roster, Connor.
"We're tight," Bingaya said. "We're together every day. I like him a lot."
And Calhoun, along with assistant Joe Mazzulla, likes Bingaya a lot. The small forward is averaging 18.9 points, while Morris is second on the team at 12.1 per game.
"It's between him and [West Liberty's Seger Bonifant] over who is the MEC's best player," Calhoun said. "Seger is the best perimeter player and Matt is the best inside. Matt can do it all. He's a 6-5 lefty who can go inside or out."
And these days, he's giving state basketball fans a reason to get out.