Basketball New Zealand

Dion Prewster

Robert Avery, The Pasadena Citizen
Dion Prewster describes the weather in his hometown of Wellington, New Zealand as gloomy most of the time.

His description apparently isn’t far off because a New Zealand website, although not going as far as calling the weather gloomy, did state there’s “moderately high rainfall.”

But it’s been anything but gloomy since the arrival of Prewster on the San Jacinto College basketball team’s roster because there’s been some moderately high rebounding and scoring totals coming from the sophomore.

In a nutshell, San Jac’s personable power forward has been a big reason why the Ravens have spent the entire 2009-2010 season in the Division I national rankings courtesy of a handsome 25-5 season record and first place in the Region 14 South Zone standings.

Not bad for a player who has only spent the last four years playing the game.

“This year, I was just more assertive. Being one of only two sophomores, I felt like I had to step up my game. It was just something coach expected,” Prewster said Tuesday. “Having that one year under my belt, I also felt more comfortable in the system.”

“Last year, we kept at him to be more aggressive offensively. He just seemed to settle for passing. Then all of a sudden after the first of the year he just went on a tear. He was hitting 3s, getting to the basket, rebounding, playing defense. I can’t imagine a better player in the league for about two or three weeks,” San Jac head coach Scott Gernander said.

Comfortable would be an understatement simply because Prewster just doesn’t know what an off night means. Double-double games in the scoring and rebounding columns have become commonplace for Prewster, which explains why he’s taking a 13.5 scoring average and 11.83 rebounding average to this week’s Region 14 postseason tournament in Tyler.

Ranked No. 5 in the nation in rebounding, he has gladly accepted his role as chairman of the boards, especially under the defensive glass where he’s accumulated 248 rebounds, second-best in the nation among Division I junior college teams.

“Rebounding-wise, I don’t think I’ve had a 6-4 kid rebound like he has,” Gernander said.

“Going into the season, I can’t say that was one of my goals. I just wanted to go out and rebound because it was something I did last year really well for the team,” Prewster said. “This year, it’s just been a blessing to be in that position.

“We were kind of lacking in size so I needed to pick up some more boards somewhere. Luckily enough, I’ve been grabbing my fair share. I think rebounding is more of a habit. You don’t have to jump the highest or be the tallest necessarily to grab rebounds, it’s a matter of crashing the offensive boards and anticipating.

“This year, being in the four spot, I’m definitely always around the basket and that helps too. I’m also playing a lot of minutes. There’s a lot more opportunities to grab rebounds when you’re playing that many minutes.”

“I’ve never had a kid in all my years of coaching play as many 40-minute games as he’s had,” said Garnander. “I think he’s had about five games where he’s played 40 minutes and he’s had several at 38. It’s like we want him on the floor because we run so many things through him.

“We call him a four-man position-wise but he’s outside facing the basket. He’s just such a versatile player. Just the way he’s stepped up his game offensively this year has really carried us through a whole bunch of games.”

“Last year, my three-point shooting was OK,” said Prewster. “This year, it’s been a lot better. I’m hitting threes with a little more regularity. I’ve added other positives to my game that’s opened everything else up.”

Born in California, Prewster moved to New Zealand around the age of four after his parents divorced. An only child, Prewster was raised in a single-parent home. Prewster’s mother, a native of New Zealand, kept him in sports, especially soccer.

“Really, I had been a soccer player all my life. Even as a freshman in high school, I thought I was going to be a professional soccer player. Basketball just came along because one of my good buddies played,” Prewster said. “I dunked the ball in my first game. Ever since that day, I fell in love with the game. But I think soccer helps with the footwork, the Xs and Os and timing. It goes hand-in-hand.”

As an example, Prewster calls Phoenix Suns player Steve Nash the best passer in the NBA but in the summer, Nash plays soccer. Although it’s a sport where a player can’t use his hands, it can teach running to spots to get the ball. In fact, Nash in recent years has been running a soccer charity tournament in New York City involving both NBA and soccer players.

After a move to Iowa and the program of Andy Woodley, the former Sam Rayburn head coach, Woodley told Gernander about the potential Prewster had at the collegiate level. Prewster came for a visit and the Ravens liked what they saw.

“I saw the resume and I wanted to be a part of it. I didn’t realize the prestige that this program has and its achievements until I got down here. It’s really good to be a part of it,” Prewster said.

Because of his late start in the game, Prewster takes advantage of whatever down time he has to sharpen his talents. Gernander says it’s not uncommon for Prewster to be in the weight room or shooting by himself in Anders Gym.

“He’s one of the finest young men I’ve ever coached,” Gernander said. “It’s not like he’s one of those rah-rah guys trying to get people to follow him. He just gets out there and leads by example. Almost every night he’s down here doing something extra.

“He’s kind of a workaholic and it’s paid off for him. He’s got other guys doing the same thing. You can’t get much better of a leader than he’s been. He’s one of those kids you don’t have to worry about.”