Recruiting Report: Lamont Berzat (2017)
Even though Landry-Walker High School has only been around since 2013, the Charging Bucs have quickly built a reputation for consistently having some of the best guards in the state of Louisiana. With Tyree Griffin (Oklahoma State) and Lamar Peters…
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Continue ReadingEven though Landry-Walker High School has only been around since 2013, the Charging Bucs have quickly built a reputation for consistently having some of the best guards in the state of Louisiana.
With Tyree Griffin (Oklahoma State) and Lamar Peters (Mississippi State) now in the college ranks, 2017 point guard Lamont Berzat hopes he is the next in line to carry on the tradition.
“I knew that I was going to have to be the guy to carry that torch after Lamar left, and I’m just really excited for the opportunity,” he said. “I don’t feel like there’s any pressure on me to fill their shoes, I just have to play my game and become more of a leader on the team.”
While Peters played the role as the prolific scorer for Landry-Walker over the past two years, Berzat accepted the role of being a hard-nosed defensive stopper against opposing guards and often acted as the emotional leader for a team loaded with Division-I talent.
He developed more of a polished offensive game in 2015—improving his floater and 3-point shot—but hop
He is very crafty with his dribble, often finding his way into the paint off of pick-and-roll or in transition, but what separates him is his unwavering effort that he brings on a night-to-night basis, which allows him to often force turnovers and get under opponent’s skin.
Even though he has mostly been a role player over the past two seasons, Berzat understands that he will need to take on an even larger role if he hopes to carry on the success his team has enjoyed over the past three seasons.
“It’s been tough, it’s been really tough adjusting to that new role,” Berzat said. “I understand that the team is going to look at me to make a lot of the choices on and off the court, and I’m just trying to learn over the summer what it takes to be that guy. But I think I coming along fine.”
He announced his decision to commit to the University of New Orleans in December of 2015, citing his long-time relationship with Privateers coach Mark Slessinger and saying “it’s hard to leave home.”
Berzat has also received interest from schools such as Richmond, Northwestern State, Virginia Tech and New Mexico, but with his increased role on what is expected to be yet another highly-successful Landry-Walker team, it is only a matter of time before more schools start reaching out to him.
“The recruiting process has been pretty good so far, there are still schools reaching out to me and saying they are going to pay attention to what I do this year,” Berzat said. “I’m glad I got my commitment out the way so I can just focus on the season, and I think UNO is a great place and I see us doing great things there.