College Commitment – Owen Nathan (2025 Roosevelt)

Had [player_tooltip player_id='1368227' first='Owen' last='Nathan'] played out the season, more could have come along with his college recruitment. But the more the all-around 6-foot-2 guard thought about things, there was no longer a reason to wait. So late last week, the Roosevelt senior decided to end his recruitment by making his commitment to Oregon Tech - and did told Hustlin' Owls head coach Justin Parnell his decision late last week.

"I was just like thinking at home, and obviously those coaches have been by my side since they were my first offer, first visit, all of that," Nathan said. "They always had my back, and I was thinking, you know, there's no better spot for me personally as a player. I think it's somewhere that I can see myself not only getting a good education and getting a good job from it, but also playing. So I think all of those factors just went into my decision, and I talked with my family, and then when (OIT) texted me they were coming to the game, I said, there's no more perfect time than just doing it in person."

Parnell and OIT was in town to play Warner Pacific and Multnomah this past weekend, but decided to stop by and watch Nathan and the Roughriders play on Thursday night. It was after Roosevelt's win over Jefferson that Nathan talked to his future college coach face-to-face and he'll always remember the reaction.

"Big ol' smiles and that made me feel like I made the right decision," Nathan said. "They kept insuring me that we're going to have a good team for the next four years, be national championship contenders. You know, that really made me feel like I made the right decision."

Nathan had been stewing on his decision since making an official visit to campus this fall, which was instrumental in helping him decide that Klamath Falls would be his home for the next four years.

"I mean, at first I was a little, iffy about the place, because I've never been down in Southern Oregon, but when I got down there - beautiful campus, mountains, all that, I can definitely see myself having fun out there," Nathan said. "My boy Mason (Bierbrauer) committed over there so I knew I would have a person to go down there - I wouldn't just know nobody. So, I think all those little things just went into my decision. The whole combination just makes sense for me."

As far as play style, the fit was right as well. "I went to go watch them play last night - they played really hard-nosed physical basketball, get up on defense, bump you and that's my play style," Nathan said. "I just like being physical, defend, play fast, get up and down the court. So I think the play style definitely fits for sure."

With his decision in the bag, Nathan now has a load off his shoulders. His focus goes on to his senior season, one where he feels the Roughriders have survived their tough non-league schedule and are turning the corner toward their ultimate goals - most recently coming off a big win over Grant in the PIL Showcase.

"I'm excited - it's 2025 and we're 3-0," Nathan said. "I see us having a big season coming up where the team's really starting to come together. Everyone's starting to fill their roles, do their job. Grant's a good team, but we were always down at the end of the day. We got the big win that we needed, and we're coming for that PIL championship. I just want to make it back to the Chiles Center and have that feeling again, make it back to the state championship and get our redemption this year."

Our congratulations go out to Nathan and his family on his commitment. He joins fellow Class of 2025 members [player_tooltip player_id='1368245' first='Mason' last='Bierbrauer'] (Barlow) and [player_tooltip player_id='1910894' first='James' last='Kefgen'] (Westview) with his decision.