Nick Tuszynski, economics junior, has been a key factor in the success Loyola’s basketball team has enjoyed thus far into the 2008-09 season.

Tuszynski is a native of Dallas, Tex, and attended Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, where he played forward on the varsity basketball team.

Although his team never won a district championship, they consistently made the playoffs. Tuszynski grew up in an athletic family; his father, John, played college basketball at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and his sister currently plays basketball as well.
Nick credits his father as the person who introduced him to the sport.

“As early as I could walk my Dad made sure that I had a ball in my hands,” he said.
Tuszynski remembers many days playing competitively in the driveway with his sister, and each year the siblings improved their game and the competition would grow more fierce.

“Neither one of us could stand losing,” he recalled. “Many tears were shed on that driveway.”

The Loyola basketball program has improved steadily since Tuszynski first arrived as a freshman in fall 2006. That year, the team went 5-26, and according to Nick, he had to adjust, “I had to learn to deal with a lot of failure. It was very frustrating for everybody because we were practicing 15 to 20 hours a week, but just weren’t getting the results.”
Tuszynski says that the team has built off of his sophomore campaign, where they posted a 16-13 record.

“The program has improved so much since my first year. Coach (Joey) Stiebing implemented the triangle offense which has helped a lot. We improved last year, but this season we’re trying to get to 20 or more wins,” he said.
With the steady improvement he has seen since his freshman season, Tuszynski sees a bright future for Loyola basketball after he graduates next spring.

“We have a few really good freshman, along with some solid walk-ons. I think these guys are learning to win, and we should have a good base for the future. All of the guys have been working extremely hard and doing the best they can,” Tuszynski said.

The team doesn’t have any seniors, so Tuszynski has taken on a leadership role in the locker room as a junior. He says that this season he has enjoyed the most success of his entire basketball career dating back to before high school.

Tuszynski, who plays forward, says that two players he has idolized and tried to model his game after are Dirk Nowitzki of his hometown Dallas Mavericks, and NBA legend Larry Bird. Like the aforementioned NBA stars, Tuszynski prides himself on a strong work ethic and constantly playing hard.

“Both of those guys had that desire to be competitive and work hard, even though they may not be blessed with freakish athleticism. I’m sort of in that same boat,” he said.

Tuszynski says that the Jesuit tradition, not the athletic program, is what initially attracted him to Loyola. He claims that the Jesuit education and lifestyle he had in high school “totally blew (his) mind” and he takes pleasure in meeting new people and maturing as an individual. Coming out of high school, he was recruited by several low-end Division-I colleges, but chose Loyola because academics were his first priority.

Dan Pitta can be reached at [email protected].