Swen Nater was born in the Netherlands, his parents divorcing when he was three years old. When his mother remarried and the family\'s economic situation deteriorated, she, her husband, and Swen\'s younger brother moved to the United States, leaving Swen and his sister in an orphanage. After three years it appeared they would remain in the Netherlands until a television show, It Could Be You (a forerunner to This Is Your Life), discovered the situation and brought the two siblings to America to be reunited—on TV—with the rest of the family. At age nine, he was in a new country and did not speak a word of English.. Swen graduated from Long Beach Wilson High School in California.\n', '

Nater attended and played basketball at Cypress College, a junior college in Cypress, California (where he met his wife, Marlene). He played little as a freshman, but was a Community College All-American as a sophomore. He earned a scholarship to UCLA, and redshirted his first year.\n', '

Nater helped John Wooden\'s UCLA Bruins win two NCAA titles. He was a backup to Bill Walton, and he never started a collegiate game—his primary role was helping to develop Walton in practice.\n', '

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