Filzen Makes Bulls Fans Believe

After former men's basketball standout Rodney Pierce graduated, many questioned where the offense would come from. As it turns out, the answer came from a small town in Minnesota.

Junior guard Zach Filzen is the Bulls' deadliest weapon from 3-point range and currently leads the team in scoring with 15.1 points per game. He is valuable to the team not only because of his on-the-court performances, but also because of his intensity and commitment to success.

"He is very quietly competitive," said head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "He really has an innate desire to do really well… he wants to be at his best at all times."

The Bulls' sharpshooter grew up in Northfield, Minn. with his parents, David and Tammy.

His mother coached women's basketball at Temple University and at the University of Minnesota under current Bulls head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald. It was his mother's love of the game and her in-depth understanding of the sport that sparked Filzen's interest in basketball at the tender age of five years old.

The intense passion that Filzen now has for basketball was first sparked by a comment from his middle school coach.

"My eighth grade coach told a high school coach that there was another player on the team who was better than me," Filzen said. "That [bothered me] and it [inspired me] to work really hard."

Filzen gradually improved throughout his high school career. By the end of his four years, he was a three-year letterwinner, a two-time team Most Valuable Player, and a nominee for the McDonald's All-American high school basketball team.

While most athletes would be satisfied by these achievements, Filzen felt like he could've done better. He is proud of his individual honors, but he considers team success just as important. Although his team did well during his time at Northfield High School, Filzen is disappointed that it couldn't go farther.

"I felt like I had a pretty good career, but I would've liked for my team to do better," Filzen said. "We didn't [connect] like I would've hoped. It was disappointing, but I just had to learn from it and apply it to this year's team."

Filzen had an interesting journey to Buffalo. He played his freshman year at Northern Arizona University, and, fortunately for the Bulls, the match was not meant to be.

Filzen disliked the Lumberjacks' style of play and transferred to Buffalo because he believed the Bulls had a better coaching staff. He also appreciated Witherspoon's competiveness and amiability.

"[Reggie's] a great guy," Filzen said. "He knows how to teach the game and treat his players well… which is something I want; and exactly what the team needs."

Filzen is constantly working to improve his game because he knows how important he is to the Bulls' success. Anything close to average is frustrating to the shooting guard.

"Sometimes, he can be a little hard on himself," Witherspoon said. "He wants to be at his best at all times… [When he's not], he gets upset, and he's working his way through that."

Filzen wants to fully realize his potential and believes that his career will be a waste if he doesn't. He attributes this to his strong Christian beliefs, as well as his competitive background.

Off the court, Filzen is involved with Christian activities like Athletes in Action, an evangelical sports ministry that uses college basketball as its main platform. His caring and charitable demeanor does not stop him from being a fierce competitor on the court.

"I just want to win," Filzen said. "I want to maximize the abilities and gifts that God has blessed me with and for this team to become as good as it can be."

How good can the team be, though? Only God knows.

E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com