Recruiting Update: Nathan Bittle (2021 Crater HS)
Truthfully, after a tough loss in their first game at the 5A state tournament, Crater could have simply mailed it in. But Nathan Bittle was not going to let that happen. The now 6-foot-11, 185-pound sophomore put on a show…
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Continue ReadingTruthfully, after a tough loss in their first game at the 5A state tournament, Crater could have simply mailed it in. But Nathan Bittle was not going to let that happen. The now 6-foot-11, 185-pound sophomore put on a show of 40 points, 16 rebounds, and ten blocks against Pendleton in the consolation round in a record-setting performance that nobody in attendance will soon forget.
“Last night, coach said that we needed to clear our minds and that’s what we did – we came out strong,” Bittle said. “We came out and knocked down our shots and it was a good game for us. I started feeling it so my teammates gave me the ball, so I told my coach that towards the end of each quarter I needed to touch the ball more because I’m feeling good. So my coach and teammates knew that, and we went off.”
“Me and my teammates, in practice we’ve been working our hardest and it showed today,” he added. “It was our best game of the year.”
When it comes to Bittle’s performance in the 78-62 win, it’s hard to know where to start as he pretty much dominated in every phase of the game. Offensively, his 40 points came on 16-for-26 shooting, 4-for-11 from three-point range, but also on a variety of shots from put-backs to dunks flying in from the baseline. Bittle scored in the half-court but also ran the floor and finished on the break and even showed off some ball-handling on occasion.
But defense as usual may have been where he made the most impact. It was near impossible for the Buckaroos to get much scoring near the paint as Bittle was erasing just about everything, sometimes 2-3 shots in a row, and if he wasn’t blocking the shot he was altering countless others. The ten blocks in a game set a state tournament record for all classifications.
“It feels great knowing that I have my teammates back at the rim,” Bittle said. “Being able to block shots so they can pressure outside, it’s good for our defense.”
Crater will move on to play Thurston on Saturday morning for 4th place at the tournament and from there, Bittle will be a very busy young man. He’ll be playing AAU basketball with West Coast Elite out of California again and he’s also continuing to work in the USA Basketball program.
“We have a great coach in coach Chris Francis (with WCE) and we’ve got a lot of good players so we’re going to go out and show people who we are,” Bittle said. “In April, I’m going back to USA (basketball) and going to the Final Four and practicing there in Charlotte.”
And of course, there’s a college recruitment that keeps Bittle on his toes. He holds scholarship offers from half of the Pac-12 and others, and some blue bloods such as Duke and Kentucky have been in touch. Bittle has enjoyed getting to know college coaches and their programs but is in no rush.
“I’m still talking to a bunch to a bunch of schools and I have an open mind,” Bittle said. “I don’t know where I’m going to go yet. But it’s been a great experience.”
What Bittle does want to focus on is improving his game. Physically he’s grown an inch to 6-foot-11, added some weight to get to 185 pounds, and his wingspan is now 7-foot-5. “I need to keep on working on my shot, keeping it the same, and finishing at the rim, ball-handling, and playing better defense.”
Bittle currently ranks as the #1 ranked player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2021 rankings.