Being a 6'10” 270-pound center certainly has its advantages. Just ask Viking Senior Nate Lozeau, who had a .571 shooting percentage, was averaging 8.8 points per game after the first 19 games of the season.
But there's a downside that most people don't recognize. Being that big, you often don't have anyone to practice against.
So, Lozeau was pleased when he discovered that 6'10”, 290-pound freshman Brandon Cataldo from Rainier High School had signed on with the Vikings. According to Head Coach Tyler Geving, Lozeau has been mentoring Cataldo, a situation which is working well for both of them.
“It's great. He's very experienced and it's been rubbing off. He has a lot of good moves and techniques,” said Cataldo. “Having him here has been a real advantage. I've never had someone that big to go against,” he added.
From Lozeau's perspective, “It's also helped me because it's given me the opportunity to go against another big kid.”
And, along with a lot of work between his junior and senior years, having Cataldo around is paying off for Lozeau, who is shooting .571 from the field, .721 from the line and averaging 5.7 rebounds.
“He started out well this year. Any time you have a 6'10” player who is getting double figures every night, people have to plan around him,” observed Geving.
Lozeau's route in becoming a successful Viking post player was a bit of an odyssey.
Coming out of Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Washington, he drew interest from, among others, Loyola Marymount,Colorado State, Boise State and the University of Idaho. Tyler Geving, recruiting coordinator for then PSU Head Coach Ken Bone, also talked with him.
Lozeau signed to play for Eastern Washington but there was a coaching change and he obtained his release. Ultimately he decided to accept an offer from the University of San Diego.
And, what a decision that was!
His first year, the Toreros earned the West Coast Conference's bid to the NCAA tournament, drawing a 14th seed against No.3 seed University of Connecticut, a game Lozeau will never forget.
“There was a lot of excitement just getting to the tournament. Then, we beat Connecticut in the first round. It was a huge upset….a lot of excitement getting to the tournament and then beating them. They were supposed to beat us,” recalled Lozeau.
But, he missed the Pacific Northwest and his family. So, he connected once again with Geving, who was delighted at the opportunity to bring Lozeau back to the Pacific Northwest. He enrolled at PSU following winter break his sophomore year (he comes from a close family and they've seen many of his games at PSU).
That meant a year on the bench as he waited out NCAA transfer rules, but he believes it was time well spent. “It gave me time to work out and to work on my skills. It worked well for me,” he said.
His first year as a Viking was mixed.
“He was having a good year then he hurt his ankle and never really recovered from it. We needed him to rebound more and be a low post threat,” said Geving.
Over the summer, Lozeau said he spent “long hours in the gym. It really helped my skills and that's helped my confidence.”
Lozeau's family moved to Marysville (north of Seattle) from Kirkland about the time he began his growth spurt and came to the attention of an AAU coach, Eric Stohl, father of University of Portland basketball player Jared Stohl, a good friend of Lozeau.
“I wasn't very skilled, just big and tall and that helped,” he said. Between his sophomore and junior year, he started refining his game from just being the biggest kid on the court. "I worked on my touch around the basket and developed a right-handed jump hook and a jump shot."
Geving doesn't underestimate Lozeau's contribution to this year's Viking squad.
“A lot of 6'10” guys are awkward. It's a big help for Nate, at 6'10”, to do the things he can do. He's a good player. Being a low post threat, people know he can score, especially when they try to guard him one-on-one. People will try to double team him and that opens up our perimeter players,” he said.
In his spare time, Lozeau likes being outdoors, “anything, when the weather is nice…hiking, camping, fishing.” Although he doesn't find much time for it, he likes to read, especially biographies. A recent favorite was Michael Jordan's biography. “I was interested about the influence of basketball on Jordan's life, how dedicated he was, and how much he loved the game.”
A sociology major, Lozeau is on track to graduate this year, isn't sure what he'll do with his degree (he's enjoying working with Cataldo and might consider coaching if an opportunity came along), and has his eye on playing after college. The NBA might not be in his future… but maybe Europe, he said.
“I talked with Dom (Waters) recently. He's playing in Belgium and said it's awesome, a great experience. He's meeting people from all over the world. I think that would be a great opportunity.”
