Jason Foster no longer gets lost in a crowd.

Not that he’s trying. It’s hard to miss a 6-foot-7 guy on campus at the University of Puget Sound, especially with a basketball under one arm and a Slurpee, his after-practice reward, in the other hand.

On game nights at packed Memorial Fieldhouse, Foster is the one with the ball in his hands. He makes things happen on the wing. For a big man, he has a keen shooting eye, but he has enough wiggle in his step to get by other forwards and score in the lane.

Even in a talent-laden program like UPS, he still stands out. He was widely listed as a preseason NCAA Division III All-American. Last month, one Northwest Conference coach remarked he was “one of the five best players in Division III in America.”

Foster has scored 1,302 career points in three-plus seasons. If he continues at his current pace, he’ll leave the Loggers as one of the top three scorers in school history. He’s averaging 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds through seven games this season for the Loggers (5-2).

It hasn’t always been like this for Foster. A few years back he was a rail-thin frontcourt player who wasn’t even one of the top scoring options on his high school squad at Foss.

“I didn’t necessarily believe in myself right away,” Foster said.

In 2003, Scott Sonntag took over as coach at Foss. He knew Foster from the junior varsity team the season before, and he wasn’t sure basketball was really a big deal to the teenager.

Foster got a big wake-up call early in his first season on varsity. He faced Bremerton High’s Marvin Williams, now an NBA player with the Atlanta Hawks, and got schooled.

Foss lost by 20. Foster fouled out. But when he went to the bench, Sonntag noticed an immediate change in him.

“He really grew up that night,” Sonntag said. “He went from trying out basketball … to knowing it was something he wanted to figure out.”

What Foster lacked in experience or bulk, he more than made up for with sound judgment, high intelligence and overall athleticism. Sonntag contacted NCAA Division II schools in 2004 about Foster, but similar feedback about Foster from all those coaches: Too skinny, too soft.

UPS thought otherwise. Then-coach Eric Bridgeland and assistant Justin Lunt saw Foster as the ideal wing in the Loggers’ up-tempo system, and they targeted him as one of the team’s top recruits.

“They told me about the possibilities I could have, but it was up to me,” Foster said. “They didn’t guarantee me anything.”

Perhaps the most favorable thing to happen to Foster was being in the same recruiting class as Robert Krauel, from Phoenix. The two played essentially the same position with not only similar skill sets, but with much the same outlook on life.

“We lived in the same building, and kind of grew a special bond,” Krauel said. “We’ve gone through the wars together, and that freshman year, we had the same mentality of accepting our roles, all the way until we got to the point now where we’re the leaders of this team.”

Two factors in Foster’s development from program project to professional prospect have been crucial:

 • Strength. When Foster arrived at UPS in 2005, by his admission, he was “stick and bones” weighing 175 pounds. By contrast, then-senior Zack McVey was a put-together post player who held his new teammate accountable in the weight room.

And Foster put in the work. He got a job in the UPS fitness center and took advantage of his time there. He diligently followed a workout plan designed by Jennifer Peterson, now the Loggers’ softball coach.

Each season, he’s put on 10 pounds of muscle without losing agility.

“Getting stronger was big,” said Lunt, now the UPS coach.

 • Belief. Quiet and introverted, Foster was used to operating in the shadows from high school until the early stages of college.

One of Lunt’s first tasks when he took over as Loggers coach in 2006 was to get Foster believing he was a primary force, not a second choice.

That way of thinking was foreign to Foster. Lunt tried unconventional measures to get him to change.

One came during a game against Linfield, Lunt brought a player off the bench to replace Foster. When Foster sat down, the coach told him he had to repeat, out loud, the phrase, “I’m the best player on the court” 50 times before he could re-enter the lineup.

“I didn’t have a choice whether to believe it. If I didn’t believe it, and play like that, I wouldn’t have developed into the player I’ve become,” Foster said. “As I’ve grown over time, I’ve become more of the leader and picked up players around me.”

The things Foster values – efficiency, unselfishness, teamwork – are the building blocks at UPS. Never has he had to be the best player to lead a forlorn program in need of his production every night. He’s been the best player on one of the best teams in the country, knowing he could have a bad night once in a while and still be successful.

That has enabled Foster to grow into the respected player he is today.

“There are great players who don’t win, but put up great numbers,” Foster said. “There are great players who win, but know you can’t win without four other players out there. For me, it hasn’t been about the numbers … but only about getting the win at the end of the day.”

Todd Milles: 253-597-8442

UPS, PLU 2008-09 basketball capsule previews

UPS WOMEN

Coach: Suzy Barcomb, 11th season (200-75 record).

Last season: 23-5 overall, 14-2 NWC.

Starters: C Karen Chase, 6-2, senior; PF Andrea Edwards, 5-11, senior; SF Natasha Ludwig, 5-10, junior; SG Jocelyn Riordan, 5-9, freshman; PG Claire Ely, 5-9, junior.

Key player: Scoring options will be limited, so Barcomb needs Chase to have a bounce-back season. She can score with her back to the basket and her shooting range extends out to the free throw line. Chase, who has started 87 of her 95 games at UPS, scored a career-high 29 in a game earlier this season against Redlands.

Outlook: Barcomb has always demanded a tough-minded, efficient brand of ball from her teams, but that will be greatly tested this season. She has only nine players on the roster, and two returning starters in Chase and Ely who are not natural scorers but will be taking shots regardless. “We’re manufacturing points,” the coach said. The silver lining is that the young talent, including River Ridge product Courtney Blume, will get plenty of playing time.

Did you know: Before transferring to the University of Washington as a walk-on basketball player, Barcomb played two seasons of volleyball at Central Missouri State.

Schedule:

November
16 St. Thomas (Minn.) 49, UPS 42
21 x-Chapman 78, UPS 64
22 x-UPS 62, Redlands 58
25 UPS 65, Warner Pacific 42

December
5  y-UPS 65, Cal State East Bay 59
 6  y-UPS 47, UC Santa Cruz 36
10 UPS 48, @Evergreen State 38
27 z-Luther, 6 p.m.
28 z-Illinois Wesleyan, 6 p.m.

January
2  *Lewis & Clark, 6  p.m.
 3  *Linfield, 6 p.m.
 6  *@Pacific Lutheran, 6 p.m.
10 *@George Fox, 6 p.m.
16 *@Whitworth, 6  p.m.
17 *@Whitman, 6 p.m.
23 *Pacific, 6 p.m.
24 *Willamette, 6 p.m.
30 *@Lewis & Clark, 6 p.m.
31 *@Linfield, 6 p.m.

February
 3  *Pacific Lutheran, 6 p.m.
 7  *George Fox, 6 p.m.
13 *Whitworth, 6 p.m.
14 *Whitman, 4 p.m.
20 *@Pacific (Ore.), 6 p.m.
21 *@Willamette, 6 p.m.

* Northwest Conference games
x-Redlands Tip-Off Tournament, Redlands, Calif.
y-Cal State East Bay Tournament, Hayward, Calif.
z-Nick-N-Willy's Winter Classic (UPS)

UPS MEN

Coach: Justin Lunt, third season (42-16 record).

Last season: 19-7 overall, 11-5 NWC.

Starters: C/PF Jason Foster, 6-7, senior; PF Robert Krauel, 6-4, senior; SF Austin Boyce, 6-5, junior; SG Colin Koach, 6-0, junior; PG Antwan Williams, 6-0, senior.

Key player: One Northwest Conference coach surmised that Foster, a Foss High product, is one of the five best players in the country at this level, and that is reflected in all of the preseason All-American attention he has received. A leaper in the frontcourt, he has improved his ballhandling and shot selection.

Outlook: UPS will run its helter-skelter tempo on both ends, using as many as 10 players on a consistent basis. Foster is a bona fide go-to scorer, Krauel is a do-everything workhorse and Williams is the floor general the Loggers need to make it all go when he plays under control. The offseason emphasis was on playing better halfcourt defense, so don’t look for UPS to consistently score 100 points a game as it did the past few seasons.

Did you know: True freshman Nadav Heyman tried out for the Israeli junior national team two days after his graduation from Corvallis (Ore.) High School.

Schedule:

November
15 UPS 93, UC Santa Cruz 76
16 UPS 87, Macalester 51
20 UPS 95, @Corban 84
28 x-UPS 76, Dominican 64
29 x- UPS 82, Cal Maritime 70

December
 4  @Warner Pacific 98, UPS 95
 6  @St. Martin's 83, UPS 78
28 y-Gustavus Adolphus, 3 p.m.
29 y-Simpson (Iowa), noon

January
 2  *Lewis & Clark, 8 p.m.
 3  *Linfield, 8 p.m.
 6  *@Pacific Lutheran, 8 p.m.
10 *@George Fox, 8 p.m.
16 *@Whitworth, 8 p.m.
17 *@Whitman, 8 p.m.
23 *Pacific, 8 p.m.
24 *Willamette, 8 p.m.
30 *@Lewis & Clark, 8 p.m.
31 *@Linfield, 8 p.m.

February
 3 *Pacific Lutheran, 8 p.m.
 7 *George Fox, 8 p.m.
13 *Whitworth, 8 p.m.
14 *Whitman, 6 p.m.
20 *@Pacific, 8 p.m.
21 *@Willamette, 8 p.m.

* Northwest Conference game
x-County Bank Classic, Turlock, Calif.
y-Ameriprise San Francisco Classic, Burlingame, Calif.

PLU WOMEN

Coach: Kelly Warnke, second season (19-13 record).

Last season: 14-11 overall, 7-9 NWC.

Starters: C Emily Voorhies, 6-1, senior; PF Melissa Richardson, 6-0, senior; SF Trinity Gibbons, 5-8, senior; SG Sara Backstrom, 5-6, freshman; PG Nikki Scott, 5-7, senior.

Key player: With the transfer of Jen Sorensen from Tacoma Community College as a backup point guard, the Lutes moved Gibbons to small forward, where she can concentrate on creating shots for herself to increase her 10.2-point scoring average from last season.

Outlook: The one part of last season’s transition that was seamless for Warnke was fitting the personnel recruited by former coach Gil Rigell into her motion offense and pressure defense. “Every player is somebody I would have recruited myself,” the coach said. The large senior class includes three impact post players, with Voorhies the best scoring threat and Olympia High graduate Meghan Dowling the defensive stopper off the bench.

Did you know: Warnke played at Wisconsin-Oshkosh under coach Kathi Bennett, sister of WSU men’s coach Tony Bennett, and spent one season as her assistant at Evansville.

Schedule:

November
15  PLU 61, St. Thomas (Minn.) 59
21  @Concordia (Ore.) 65, PLU 55
22  PLU 51, Northwest 51
28  x-PLU 71, Finlandia (Mich.) 41
29  y-PLU 54, Wartburg (Iowa) 46

December
  4  @Saint Martin's 77, PLU 57
13  PLU 62, Evergreen 58
29  y-Concordia (Wis.), 6 p.m.
30  y-Dubuque (Iowa) or Southwestern (Tex.), TBA

January
 2  * Willamette, 6 p.m.     
 3  * Lewis & Clark, 6 p.m.     
 6  * Puget Sound, 6 p.m.     
 9  * @Pacific, 6 p.m.     
16 * @Whitman, 6 p.m.     
17 * @Whitworth, 4 p.m.     
23 * Linfield, 6 p.m.     
24 * George Fox, 6 p.m.     
30 * @Willamette, 6 p.m.     
31 * @ Lewis & Clark, 6 p.m.
     
February
 3  * @Puget Sound, 6 p.m.     
 6  * Pacific, 6 p.m.     
13 * Whitman, 6 p.m.     
14 * Whitworth, 4 p.m.     
20 * @Linfield, 6 p.m.     
21 * @George Fox, 6 p.m.

* Northwest Conference game
x-PLU Northwest Invitational
y-Southwestern University Invitational, Georgetown, Tex.           
 

PLU MEN

Coach: Steve Dickerson, third season (25-29 record).

Last season: 11-13 overall, 7-9 Northwest Conference.

Starters: Center (C) Victor Bull, 6-7, sophomore; power forward (PF Curtis Trondsen, 6-5, sophomore; small forward (SF) Josh Dressler, 6-2, senior; shooting guard (SG) Gabe Smith, 6-1, junior; point guard (PG) James Conti, 5-10, freshman.

Key player: When Dressler arrived at PLU four years ago, he carried 155 pounds on his frame. Now, the senior from Vancouver is 205 with a powerful build. That should help him play a variety of positions, including defending the opposing post player. He’s fiery, ultra-competitive and can will the Lutes to win on pure guile.

Outlook: The pieces of this team don’t necessarily fit the traditional mold. Somehow, it works for the Lutes, whose disruptive, high-energy style will frustrate many conference opponents, particularly from the defensive end. Dressler is the undisputed leader, Trondsen and sixth man Kyle MacTaggart represent instant scoring and Conti and Tony Polis will likely split point-guard duties.

Did you know: MacTaggart and Kell Duncan, both of Goodyear, Ariz., were recommended to the program by ex-PLU coach Bruce Haroldson, who was their big-man camp instructor.

Schedule:

November                
15  x-PLU 84, Macalester (Minn.) 72
16  x-PLU 96, UC Santa Cruz 68
25  PLU 111, Walla Walla 78
28  y-Concordia (Minn.) 84, PLU 79
29  y-Wittenberg (Ohio) 80, PLU 60

December
 2  PLU 84, Cascade 83
13 @Saint Martin's 99, PLU 77
29 z-Buena Vista (Iowa, 8 p.m.      
30 z-Luther (Iowa), 6 p.m.      

January
 2  * Willamette, 8 p.m.      
 3  * Lewis & Clark, 8 p.m.      
 6  * PUgent Sound, 8 p.m.      
 9  * @Pacific, 8 p.m.      
16 * @Whitman, 8 p.m.      
17 * @Whitworth, 6 p.m.      
23 * Linfield, 8 p.m.      
24 * George Fox, 8 p.m.      
30 * @Willamette, 8 p.m.      
31 * @ Lewis & Clark, 8 p.m.      

February
 3  * @Puget Sound, 8 p.m.      
 6  * Pacific, 8 p.m.      
13 * Whitman, 8 p.m.      
14 * Whitworth, 6 p.m.      
20 * @Linfield, 8 p.m.      
21 * @George Fox, 8 p.m.

* Northwest Conference game
x-UPS Tipoff Classic
y-PLU Invitational
z-Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Tournament, Thousdand Oaks, Calif.
 

Todd Milles: 253-597-8442; todd.milles@thenewstribune.com