Rare Chance For Captain
Tagged in: FIBA U19 World Championship, Junior Tall Blacks
For New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks captain Dion Prewster, the FIBA U19 World Championship in Auckland, starting next week, is more than just an opportunity to play at home.
It is also a rare chance to play in front of his family.
“Mom hasn’t seen me play in over two years,” said Prewster, who is based at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas.
“I’m really excited. It just adds more, not fuel to the fire, but makes me play harder for the team because my friends and family will be there.
“Mom’s pretty excited and being captain adds a little more to it. She’s definitely proud but I’ve still got to go out and do a job.”
Prewster, a high-rising 1.92m (6ft 4in) shooting guard, has not played in New Zealand in almost two years, since leaving Wellington and heading to the United States, his country of birth, for his final year of high school and freshman year at San Jacinto, a junior college in the outlying suburbs of Houston.
He will have a extended family group – including his mother Ana, aunts, uncles and cousins - of around 20 in the stands at the North Shore Events Centre throughout the tournament, with the Junior Tall Blacks opening up against Argentina on July 2.
The 19-year-old joined Kenny McFadden’s squad in late May once school let out for the American summer but he is no stranger to the Junior Tall Blacks set-up – 2009 being his fifth year in the team after making his debut as a 15-year-old in 2005.
Prewster’s experience and playmaking ability on the court made him an obvious choice as captain, a leadership quality that was evident just days after arriving home.
“My job, first and foremost, is to be a vocal leader.” Prewster said. “Motivating the guys, telling guys where to go, keeping morale up when things maybe aren’t going well, keep them up, staying positive and to be an extension of the coaches out there on the court, repeating the messages and reinforcing what the guys need to do.”
Prewster, a two-time BBNZ national age-group tournament MVP and championship winner, and seven-time tournament team selection, averaged 8.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.8 blocks in 32 games with the San Jac Ravens.
And he credits his shift to the home of hoops, which included winning a 4A state championship with Iowa City High in 2008, for developing his game.
“It’s helped develop my game because if I had stayed here, there wouldn’t have been the opportunity to play against that kind of standard, unless I played NBL. The game is a lot quicker and our training schedule is a lot more intense and full-on. Here you play a lot of games, while over there you train more.”
Prewster has had interest from larger NCAA-division one schools but is likely to stay for his sophomore year at San Jacinto, a school that includes former NBA players Sam Cassell and Steve Francis and Major League Baseball pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite as alumni.
He hopes the FIBA U19 tournament will open up new opportunities with bigger colleges or with professional teams for the future.
“There’s so many opportunities out there, the game really is global now. I don’t think people realise how much this tournament could open up some opportunities for them.”
