In the fifth edition of the “Off the Court” Q&A’s with players on the William Paterson women’s basketball team, Beacon reporter Daniel Karp interviewed sophomore guard Mattison Chiera. Known by teammates as “Matti,” Chiera had a standout freshman campaign in orange and black, showcasing an impressive ability to score from anywhere on the court. She played high school ball at Colonia, setting a school record with 1,514 career points in addition to playing volleyball and soccer.

Name: Mattison Chiera
Number: #2
Year: Sophomore
Major: Speech Language Pathology
Hometown: Colonia, NJ

What would be one moment from your life you would like to relive?
If I could relive one moment, it would have to be scoring my 1,000th point in high school. The pressure was on as the entire school knew and all my family and friends were reminding me about it. I felt such a rush and it all happened so quickly. I feel like I did not get to truly enjoy that moment because it was eating me alive that day. The build-up took a major toll on me, and it’s a moment I would like to relive if I could again.

If you could have a superpower what would it be and why?
I would want to read minds. I never know what people are thinking whether it is about me, someone else, or even on the court. If I could know what someone was going to do on the court at all times, I think that would be dangerous. But in general, I would just want to know what people are thinking, so reading their minds sounds cool to me.

What is most challenging about balancing classes with your extracurriculars?
The most challenging part about balancing classes with my extracurriculars is deciding between when to be social and when to just focus on my classes. Time management is a big thing for me too.

If you were in a band, which instrument would you choose to master?
I would want to master playing the piano. I like hearing the piano, so I wish I could play it myself. I like watching people play the piano fast. Billy Joel, Elton John, and Yanni all play the piano at legendary levels.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be?
I would want to have dinner with Drake because he is one of my favorite artists. He seems like someone I would hit it off with pretty well. I have always loved his music and can relate to a lot of his songs.