A huge barrier blocked Taylor Stevens from making an impact sooner.
The obstacle’s name was Nathan Lozeau.
The past two weeks Stevens, a senior on the Marysville-Pilchuck High School boys basketball team, has emerged as one of the best players in the area. Through four games he is averaging 24 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists for the 2-2 Tomahawks.
How did Stevens, a 6-foot-6 center, seemingly rise from obscurity so fast? It begins to make sense when you consider he spent the 2006-2007 season backing up Lozeau, a 6-10, 280-pound former Marysville-Pilchuck standout who now plays for the University of San Diego.
Stevens averaged about a dozen minutes a game and 3.2 points last season, his first on the varsity team. Even though he wasn’t on the court a lot, he picked up plenty of lessons from his renowned teammate.
“He’s made me the player I am today,” said Stevens, who scored a season-high 29 points Dec. 4 in a victory against Kamiak. “I had to go against him every day in practice.”
As he dealt with being Lozeau’s backup, Stevens steadily added new offensive moves and enhanced his shooting skills. This past summer Stevens’ confidence blossomed during games with his M-P teammates and his Seattle-based Emerald City AAU squad.
He immediately made the most of his chance to start for the Tomahawks, erupting for 53 combined points in the first week of the season versus Mount Vernon and Mountlake Terrace.
Stevens may have surprised some observers around the Western Conference, but his teammates weren’t stunned at all.
“We knew over the whole summer. He was leading our team in scoring,” said M-P senior forward Colin Thomason.
Stevens seems to carry himself differently now, senior guard Blake Scheller said: “He just brings a different swagger this year. Last year he backed up (Lozeau), but this year he’s taken on a key role on the team and he’s really stepped up.”
Unlike many post players who mainly score near the basket, Stevens attacks from all over the court. His points come on a mix of long-, mid- and close-range shots. He also earns foul shots frequently and makes teams pay for putting him on the free-throw line. So far, he has made 32 of 37 attempts (86.5 percent).
Stevens, who is shooting 57 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3-point range, isn’t a gunner. He is an all-around player who happens to make a lot of shots, M-P coach Bary Gould said.
“When you watch (Stevens play) it’s not a forced 26 or 27 or 29 points,” Gould said. “It’s not like Taylor’s (shooting) every chance he gets. He’s an incredible passer. He gets double-teamed and finds guys for a layin.”
Snohomish (3-1) limited Stevens to a season-low 14 points Friday in its 65-49 triumph over M-P, but the versatile big man gets another chance to inflict damage when the Tomahawks play at Everett (0-4) 7:30 p.m. tonight.
Part of Stevens’ success stems from his decision to get tougher. He’s not nearly as bulky as some posts but he doesn’t mind bashing around near the hoop on both ends of the floor.
The key, he said, is to get mad.
“I used to not be one of those very physical guys. I just liked to hang out on the wing and shoot,” said Stevens. “I (wasn’t) very physical. (But) this year I kind of developed that — being angry and just going out and pushing people around.”
Although he’s compiled a take-notice scoring average, Stevens isn’t the only offensive option for M-P. Thomason (10.5 points per game), Scheller (5.3) and junior guard Ryan Lanphere (5.3) have all hit crucial shots and scored at least 10 points in a game.
M-P lost two NCAA Division-I recruits — Lozeau and University of Portland guard Jared Stohl — from last season’s squad. That won’t necessarily prevent the 2007-2008 Tomahawks from matching or exceeding what the program achieved before, Gould said.
Good defense will again be vital, said Gould, whose team this season allowed an average of 47 points in its two victories and 64.5 in its two defeats.
Said Stevens, M-P’s captain, “We have guys who are going to go hard every minute they’re in the game. Instead of having two D-I players, we have (players) that are going to look for each other and help each other to win basketball games.”
Contact Herald Writer Mike Cane at mcane@heraldnet.com. For more high school sports news, check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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