Lethal Shooter Prepares Cabañero, Badajos for the Pressure of Jordan The One

Chris Matthews, better known as Lethal Shooter, has built a worldwide reputation by making difficult shots look routine. The Washington, D.C., native is one of basketball’s best-known private shooting coaches, having trained NBA and WNBA stars such as Jaylen Brown, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard and Candace Parker.

His own résumé supports the nickname. At St. Bonaventure, Matthews made a then-program-record 101 three-pointers as a senior. He later had a brief NBA D-League stint with the Reno Bighorns and played professionally overseas before moving into coaching.

In a 2022 Red Bull challenge, Matthews made 23 of 25 attempts from NBA three-point range in 66 seconds, including 20 in a row. His viral catalogue also includes shots involving moving vehicles, flaming basketballs and other unconventional setups.

But during his latest visit to Manila, the spectacle took a back seat to a more serious assignment: helping two Filipino teenagers prepare to win on the global stage.

Matthews worked with UST Tiger Cub and Gilas Youth guard Andwele Cabañero and NU-Nazareth School’s KJ Badajos, the Philippines’ representatives to the Jordan Brand The One Global Finals in Shanghai, China, on August 29.

It marked Matthews’ second publicly documented visit to Metro Manila this year. In January, he visited The Tenement in Taguig as a Red Bull athlete, making the first reported basket from the rooftop of the seven-story complex. This time, his focus was preparing Cabañero and Badajos for the demands of one-on-one basketball.

Preparing for the Global Stage

Badajos topped a 10-player girls’ field at the Manila qualifier, while Cabañero emerged from a 16-player boys’ bracket. Both enter the Global Finals with strong résumés. Badajos helped the Philippine NU Girls team win gold at the 2025 ASEAN School Games, while Cabañero earned a spot on the UAAP Season 87 Mythical Five before representing Gilas Youth.

They will now face fellow qualifiers from more than 20 cities across Asia, Europe and North America. The boys’ and girls’ champions will receive a cash prize, appear in a global campaign and officially join Jordan Brand as ambassadors. Their three-week preparation program also includes mentorship from Kiefer Ravena.

Winning When Tired

For Matthews, the biggest separator in Shanghai may not be an extraordinary move or difficult shot. It will be whether Cabañero and Badajos can still score once fatigue sets in.

“I’ll say being able to score when you’re tired. You know, playing one-on-one, it’s about the person that’s in the best shape, so the goal that I have today is to put them through a great workout but at the end to push them when they’re tired to see if they can score because I feel like watching it last year in New York, there were no calls being called and I feel like it’s my job right now to give them inside detail and inside news on how to properly try to win this tournament for the country.”

Based on what he observed at last year’s Global Finals, Matthews expects physical games in which competitors cannot depend on receiving every foul call. His workout was designed to recreate that pressure by raising the players’ heart rates and then testing their ability to remain composed and execute.

That challenge becomes more difficult under The One’s format. Games are played to 23 points or until an eight-minute clock expires, with baskets worth two or three points. Players have only nine seconds to shoot, while the make-it-take-it rule allows the scorer to retain possession.

Matthews therefore devoted part of the session to the mental side of playing through exhaustion, particularly controlling one’s breathing when pressure and fatigue begin affecting decision-making.

“I’ll say just putting them through a workout that’s typically unnormal, something that’s high endurance, making the heartbeat go up, but most importantly understanding how to breathe and how to relax when you’re under pressure. I feel like the best players in the world, I’m going to say it again like Michael Jordan, the reason why he was so successful is because under pressure, while everybody else was nervous, he mastered breathing and that’s going to be my job today, just teaching them how to master their mind when they’re tired because normally in life, in any sport, when somebody’s tired and the other person isn’t tired because of their ability to play through being tired, they’re normally the person that wins.”

Master the Basics First

For all the long-distance shots associated with his name, Matthews’ most fundamental shooting advice was to begin much closer to the basket. He stressed the value of daily form shooting and warned young players against extending their range before their mechanics are ready.

“I’ll say just coming into the gym trying to shoot threes. I feel like if you’re trying to master the art of shooting, you should always form shoot every day and try to shoot inside the free throw line, and then once you master inside the free throw line, you should step out to the free throw line and then step out to the three-point shot. I don’t think kids who are young should shoot three-pointers because you mess up your form.”

The final test comes in Shanghai, where Cabañero and Badajos will carry the Philippine flag into a format that leaves them without teammates to lean on. With Lethal Shooter helping sharpen their conditioning, composure and mechanics, both now have a clearer understanding of what it will take.

Can either Filipino representative turn those lessons into a Jordan The One global title? The answer will come on August 29.

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