Four Prep Players Make Commitment to PLU
Pacific Lutheran University men’s basketball head coach Steve Dickerson has announced that four individuals will join the Lutes as part of the 2010 recruiting class.
Dickerson and his staff have received verbal commitments from the following student-athletes: Mat Engstrom, a 6-4 wing/guard from Chelan High School in Chelan, Wash.; Kai Hoyt, a 6-4 wing from Roosevelt High School in Seattle; Kole Podowicz, a 6-6 wing/post from Timberline High School in Lacey, Wash.; and Johnny Tveter, a 6-3 wing from Cascade Christian High School in Puyallup, Wash.
Mat Engstrom, Chelan, Wash.
Engstrom earned 1A all-state honors and was a first team All-Caribou Trail League honoree during his junior and senior seasons at Chelan High School. A three-year varsity letter winner, Engstrom played in two state tournaments, earned sportsmanship award honors as a junior and senior at the state tournament, and was Chelan High’s Most Valuable Player each of his last two seasons.
Engstrom finished his prep career with 992 total points and averaged 10.8 points per game. He also grabbed 845 rebounds and averaged 8.95 rebounds per contest. In addition, Engstrom averaged 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game in three seasons at Chelan High.
“Mat will bring tremendous toughness to our program, and he has a great sense of the game,” Dickerson said. “He can rebound, score, pass and defend from multiple positions on the floor. He will enhance our defense and our rebounding.”
Kai Hoyt, Seattle, Wash.
Hoyt played in two 4A state tournaments for Roosevelt High, and as a senior was the fifth leading scorer (15 points per game) and sixth best rebounder (8 per game) in the KingCo 4A.
A team captain as a junior and senior, Hoyt earned KingCo 4A honorable mention recognition during those two seasons. He also played in the KingCo 4A Comcast all-star game each of his final two years at Roosevelt High after leading the league in shooting percentage as a sophomore. A three-year letter winner in basketball, Hoyt earned his school’s “Ben Snowden Scholar-Athlete Award,” presented to one male and one female student each year.
“He will immediately improve our ability to get to the rim on offense and will be an outstanding defender and rebounder,” Dickerson said of Hoyt. “Kai has terrific leadership qualities, excellent athleticism and toughness, and very good strength.”
Kole Podowicz, Lacey, Wash.
Podowicz finished his prep basketball career in fourth place on Timberline High School’s all-time scoring list. As a junior, he averaged 17.5 points per game and earned first team All-Western Cascade Conference, and followed that up by earning all-league honors as a senior while also receiving the team’s Most Valuable Player award. During his sophomore season, Podowicz played wing and averaged 15 points per game. In three seasons at Timberline High he averaged 16 points, nine rebounds and three steals per contest.
In addition to his basketball exploits, Podowicz earned all-league academic honors and pitched for the school’s baseball team.
“Kole brings great agility and athleticism to the program,” Dickerson said. “Offensively, he can score consistently from 17 feet and in. He will bolster our rebounding on both ends of the floor and he will improve our defensive post play. He also has very good strength.”
Johnny Tveter, Puyallup, Wash.
Tveter helped lead Cascade Christian High School to the 1A state championship in 2010 after earning first team All-Nisqually League honors.
He was an honorable mention all-league pick during his first three seasons of varsity prep basketball. A two-time team captain in three sports, Tveter earned 12 letters in five different sports at Cascade Christian, and 11 times he was an all-league scholar-athlete award winner.
“Johnny has great basketball instincts and was the glue that held Cascade Christian’s state championship team together,” Dickerson said. “He does all the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet but translate into wins. He can play multiple positions and will immediately help our defense.”
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