Highlanders senior guard Matias Prock finishes his storybook career at McLean High School by being awarded Liberty District Player of the Year, sources tell The Highlander. 

Prock has had an unbelievable season for the red and white. He averaged 20.9/gm with an astonishing SIX 20+ point games, he had a field goal percentage of 57.6%, going 63.6% for all two point shots and a clean 50% from long range. When Prock got going, he was hard to stop. The Highlanders star was on the receiving end of many fouls and double teams from opposing defenses this year. Unfortunately for them, Prock was automatic from the charity stripe, going 91.2% from the foul line.

Prock also averaged 3.9 rebounds per game, 2.7 assists per game, and 1.5 steals per game. Prock was able to etched his name into Highlander history on Jan. 25, becoming only the third McLean men’s basketball player of all time to score 1,000 career points. It is no surprise for McLean fans when the voice of the Highlanders, Rusty Payne, calls Prock, ‘one of the all-time Highlander greats’.

This amazing story came from very humble beginnings. Prock started his career with the Highlanders during the 2015-2016 school year, being the only freshman named to the varsity squad. To that point, the Highlanders had been decent, usually finishing around the middle of the Liberty District and typically being sent home rather quickly. Prock played well off the bench, and showed flashes of greatness in games against Langley and Marshall. But after going 3-19 overall, Head Coach Mike O’Brien made the decision of his career.

O’Brien loaded the team with members of the Class of 2023 going into the 2016-2017 season. Forwards Brian Aka, Evan Stout, Aaron Hale, and guard Tucker Leggett joined Prock as McLean looked for their young new core to gain experience in clutch games. Even so, the Highlanders were terrible. They finished with 0-22 record (0-10 in district).

During the 2017-2018 campaign, it was time to start seeing results. Prock and the rest of the juniors started seeing the court more and more, and their record improved drastically. The team went 9-13 on the year, and even upset the Yorktown Patriots in the district playoffs, earning a regional tournament berth. While the Highlanders weren’t able to make an incredibly deep run, things were clearly changing in McLean. 

This year, it really does appear the stars have aligned for the Highlanders. They started the year 6-0 in the district, and only fell to the third seed when VHSL rules forced them to forfeit a district matchup against Herndon. Even so, They have had their best season in years, finishing 14-8 overall, with a 7-3 district record. The Highlanders are built well, and seem like they have a great chance to add another banner to the McLean gymnasium. 

When asked to comment on the award, Prock, as always, remained humble and focus on the real prize- a district championship. 

“It feels great.” Prock said. “It was a personal goal for me this season but it doesn’t change anything for us in regards to the playoffs. We still have to win Tuesday, win Wednesday, and win Friday, and that’s what I’m focused on.” 

Prock will have a chance to continue his dominant year on Tuesday as the Highlanders take on the Yorktown Patriots in the first round of the district playoff.

On behalf of everyone at The Highlander, congratulations Matias!