Holy Name grad Matt Steinmetz still loves talking basketball every day

By Chris Zonca — MikeDragoSports.com special contributor

After our Reading High basketball team beat Wilson for the Berks County championship in 1990 I was interviewed by a reporter from the Reading Eagle; I didn’t recall his name until recently, when our paths again crossed.

Our team at Reading included Lamont Hightower, Brian Wright and of course Donyell Marshall, who went on to stardom at the University of Connecticut and played 15 seasons in the NBA.

My career path took me to the San Francisco area . . . the aforementioned sportswriter from Reading, Matt Steinmetz, ended up here, too.

It’s been quite a journey for Steinmetz, who has played out his basketball dream by covering the NBA. He was part of the Golden State Warriors television and radio team from 2004-2007, winning a Northern California Emmy Award.

These days he is a co-host, along with Daryle Johnson, of a radio talk show on The Game, “Steiny and Guru,” a popular sports radio station in the Bay Area.

Steinmetz, 59, was exposed to two loves growing up: basketball and words. His parents were English teachers; his dad Bob was a noted basketball official in Berks County. If Matt wasn’t playing basketball he was watching it or talking it.

Steinmetz played at Holy Name and then at Franklin & Marshall, where he is still on the all-time leaders list in several offensive categories. (He broke into radio at the F&M campus radio stadium, WFNIM.)

Like many former collegiate athletes Steinmetz wanted to stay connected to the sports world and took a job at his hometown newspaper, working in the sports department for $5 an hour. (He could have earned more money hustling guys in Horse at the local gym.)

He took basketball boxes and bowling scores over the phone — a rite of passage for cub reporters hoping to get a byline in the paper.

On a whim he moved to the Bay Area with a buddy in 1990. His love for basketball became the driving force of his life.

He worked for a legal publisher in Oakland in the morning, then drove an hour to Santa Rosa to do copy editing for the sports section of The Press Democrat.

In 1996 he got his big break when he was hired to cover the Golden State Warriors for the Contra Costa Times. He covered the dark days of the Warriors franchise: Post-Run TMC and the PJ Carlesimo-Latrell Sprewell choking incident.

He dug into the controversy and won an Associated Press Sports Editors first place award for Best News Story of 1997. He had made his mark in the Bay Area and the world of NBA journalism.

“I loved covering the team back then,” he said. “The Warriors always had a hard-core group of fans.  Even though they lost 12 years in a row, it was a chance to cover an NBA team.  I (thought I) had made it.”

The Carlesimo-Sprewell incident plays heavily on Steinmetz’s resume. 

“Those were crazy times,” he recalled. “That story had racial issues, it had old school coach versus new school player.  But it also showed me the professionalism of other players of that time.  I remember the class acts, the stand-ups guys. Win or lose, they were professionals.” 

Steinmetz mentioned guys such Adonal Foyle, Chris Mullin, and BJ Armstrong. 

“I was blown away by their professionalism,” he recalled.

When Steinmetz began as a sportswriter there were three mediums: Print, television and talk radio. By the time he had a few years and several hundred articles under his belt at the Contra Costa Times the internet was exploding. 

“It was the Wild West,” he said. “It caused a divide in journalism. But what it also did was level the playing field, which was a good thing. It gave people a voice who wanted to get into the business (of sportswriting).

“(The Internet) gives instant feedback on our reporting which is a blessing and a curse.  The perceived ‘experts’ had the same voice as the experts.”

Media members were never critiqued the way they are now. If someone didn’t like your opinion as a sportswriter they would either complain to a buddy at the bar or to their spouse.  Or they would send a letter to the editor.

Now, with chatrooms and comment threads on social media, writers are held to a higher level of accountability.  Even though Steinmetz considers himself a traditional journalist, social media and blogging have enhanced his brand.

“In today’s world, part of the story is you, your opinion,” he said.

Being a sportswriter is still a demanding job even though people often tell him: “You’ve got the greatest job.” 

You still have to put in the hours, hone your craft, continue to sharpen the saw. Steinmetz knows his passion for the game is matched only by the preparation that goes into it.  It goes back to playing hoops, talking hoops, and watching hoops.

As we spoke, the topic of conversation turned to the Warriors and Steve Kerr.

“The thing about Kerr is having played for ‘Pop’ (Greg Popovich) and Phil Jackson and having played with (Michael) Jordan, (Scottie) Pippen, and (Tim) Duncan, he has an incredible connection with Steph (Curry), Klay (Thompson) and Draymond (Green).”

​Most Golden State Warrior fans are anxious about where the Warriors go from here. Steinmetz believes the Warriors’ future is bleak. There’s no getting around the fact that the core has gotten older.  Nor can you get around the natural cycle of dynasties, which are rare in professional sports.

“Who wants to follow Curry (as the franchise leader)?” Steinmetz said. “He’s Michael Jordan.  He’s the greatest face of the franchise we’ve ever seen.”

Of course, the Chicago Bulls haven’t won an NBA title since MJ’s days.

Even though Steinmetz believes he’s seen the best of the Warriors he’s appreciative of the chance to talk about them each afternoon.

“I would never change my experience for any team,” he said. “Nothing beats a Warriors fan. Bottom of the bottom for a decade . . . They lived through that but also got one of the top five dynasties of all time.  No other fans have run the gamut of emotions from top to bottom.”