Growing up in the state of Indiana, basketball culture has a special place in the life of Gavin Bizeau.
From going to sectional and regional games in front of basketball-crazed fans as a young kid to developing into an IndyStar Indiana All-Star as a senior at Plainfield High School, Bizeau experienced all that Indiana high school basketball has to offer.
“Growing up, you don’t really even have a choice,” Bizeau said. “You are just thrown into that basketball culture where basketball is everything to the state and to the people you know especially in high school. Growing up with that, I think it elevates the game and makes you care more about what you are doing and how you are playing.”
After spending his freshman year at Duquesne, Bizeau decided to transfer to the University of Toledo, where he believes he has a great chance to succeed as part of the basketball program.
“There is no question in my mind that Toledo has some of that culture,” Bizeau said. “I’m excited to be a little bit closer to Indiana and have that culture.”
Bizeau, a 6-foot-11 center, averaged just 5.5 minutes per game as a freshman at Duquesne and scored 1.3 points per game. After he made up his mind to transfer this offseason, he said he developed a close bond with Toledo coach Tod Kowalczyk and the coaching staff.
“I wanted to go somewhere else where it was more my kind of people and more of a team environment,” Bizeau said. “Obviously, it is a really successful program at Toledo. When I was looking at Toledo, I think location-wise it was really perfect for me. I get along really well with the coaching staff, and that was really the biggest thing for me.
“The more I talked to people about it, everybody was talking about how good a school it is and how I would fit really well there. When I really got to know [Kowalczyk] and his coaching staff, it really gave me that confidence to go ahead and commit. I know I can be successful there, and I know it’s a system where we can win championships and do some great things.”
Bizeau has shooting range to the 3-point line. So what else is Toledo getting with Bizeau?
“I can play on the perimeter, and I can play in the post,” Bizeau said. “I can be a matchup nightmare. I can really shoot the ball. I have handles, and I can really do everything. I’m looking to fill in anywhere we need some scoring in the future. I think I can be a really good scorer for us.”
Bizeau will have to sit out the 2019-20 season due to NCAA transfer rules, during which time he hopes to develop physically and add some muscle to his skinny frame.
“It’s all about the grind this year,” Bizeau said. “I have to grind, grind, grind all year. A big thing for me is going to be my physical development. I’m still a little bit skinny, and I know once I get that weight, and I kind of turn into a man, I’m going to be a monster.”
First Published May 29, 2019, 9:47 p.m.
