Cultural Experience: Central entertains team from Sydney, Australia before delivering decisive victory, 60-49
by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Newington College basketball coach Rex Nottage brought his team from Sydney, Australia for such moments.
Newington is an all-boys school of 1,400 students that is regarded among its region’s top programs. The Wyverns annually take a trip every two years to the United States that’s equal parts basketball and culture for enrichment in both areas.
Newington’s 9,000-mile odyssey brought them to Louisiana and a seven-game exhibition tour aimed at improving their level of basketball against teams along the I-10 corridor in the southern part of the state.
Central was the latest case study for Newington, a veteran-laden team with solid guard play and an equally talented interior that both helped the home-standing Wildcats to a 60-49 victory Friday before an overflow crowd.
“With that type of athlete and size, that’s what they (Central) needed to do, and I thought they did a good job of it,” said Nottage, who has sent 38 basketball players to the United States on scholarships in his 20 seasons at the school. “We had plenty of counters for it because we see it but unfortunately, we didn’t get to it. We were out of whack. That’s why we’re here. If we didn’t want to experience it, we wouldn’t have bothered turning up.”
Central (11-2) overcame an 11-point deficit early in the second quarter to outscore Newington, 53-33, the remainder of the way.
Senior guard Jace Conrad and senior center Ked Franklin both scored 15 points to lead the Wildcats. Junior guard Jalen Thomas added nine and senior guard Steven Ranel, a UL-Lafayette football signee, added eight points.
“We were a little bit timid, a little unsure,” Central coach Scott Osborne said of his team’s 18-7 deficit less than a minute into the second quarter. “Steven Ranel came in and changed the game. He got a couple of deflections; he got the dunk and that got our student section going and that got us going. When Ked came in it brought the size matchup with them a little and he had a lot of energy.”
Newington, which is halfway through its season with a 22-6 record, went 2-1 in the first part of its Louisiana tour with wins over Covenant Christian (64-28) and Sam Houston (47-43) and a loss to Jennings (59-49).
The Wyverns (a mythical winged, two-legged dragon) dropped a 64-52 decision to The Dunham School on Monday before defeating Jesuit 55-45. They continued with a matchup Saturday with Dutchtown in Ascension Parish before going on to complete the competition portion of the tour with games Tuesday and Wednesday against Humble Christian and The Village School in Houston.
None of the games, which are considered exhibitions, count against Newington’s record, while Central’s victory is part of its season’s record but not its power rating, which is No. 6 in Division I non-select.
Newington will then fly from Houston to Los Angeles and become tourists with a trip to Disneyland and Universal Studios, followed by a pair of NBA games with the Los Angeles Lakers facing the San Antonio Spurs and then the L.A. Clippers against the New Jersey Nets.
“It’s amazing to experience different cultures and we love that,” Newington senior guard Jesse Weinstein said. “It’s not very often we get to come on a U.S. trip and play against a completely different level. The basketball is so different here than it is in Australia. It’s definitely helping our game and it’s a great experience for us. We’re really enjoying it.”
Sell out crowd welcomes both teams
It’s been three weeks since Central’s football defeated Ruston, 42-0, to win the Division I non-select state championship.
With the community’s passion for Wildcat athletics at an all-time high, promotion for the basketball team’s matchup with Newington began and gradually built throughout the holidays.
Central conducted a tailgate 3 ½ hours before tipoff Friday in the school’s parking lot and Newington was treated to a full house in anticipation of the school’s first game against international competition.
“The cool thing was when everyone started to find out about the game,” Osborne said. “We promoted it, piggy-backing off football. We made it biddy (basketball) night. We tried to do a good job before Christmas of promoting it and our people absolutely showed up.”
Newington’s entire team came onto the floor and proudly sang its national anthem followed by a Central student singing the Star-Spangled Banner.
Both teams engaged in a pre-game gift exchange and once the game concluded, gathered for fellowship and were treated to a pair of south Louisiana delicacies – jambalaya and king cake.
“The people have been fantastic,” Nottage said. “The hospitality has probably exceeded (expectations). It’s a beautiful gym and band. The boys got the whole high school experience and that’s what we’re here for.”
Conrad admitted the electricity inside the gym forced him to adjust.
“I was nervous seeing all of the fans,” he said. “It kind of reminded me of Denham Springs or Catholic last year. I tried to settle down and get us in an offense.”
Worldwide tragedy hits close to home
Most of the cities and schools Newington visited have gone to great lengths to provide hospitality and a memorable experience to their Australian visitors.
Never could the Newington travel party, which also includes its freshman and junior varsity teams, could have imagined finding themselves at the epicenter of a worldwide horror on their trip to New Orleans to face both Jesuit and Country Day (which was freshman and junior varsity only).
Nottage said his entire group had their sights set on a trip to famed Bourbon Street on Wednesday morning, joining their hosts from Jesuit for the excursion.
“Everything was planned,” Nottage said. “We were going to go and have a meal. When you have teenage boys on New Year’s Eve on Bourbon Street, that’s way too attractive. We stayed near the airport. It was a bit of luck we stayed in the right place.”
Weinstein said he started receiving calls from his parents in Sydney, which is nine hours ahead, about the events that had unfolded in the wee hours of New Year’s Day.
Authorities said someone, in an act of terrorism, drove a vehicle down Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring more than 30 other people.
The news had a chilling effect that gripped Newington’s basketball team.
“It was definitely a shock for us,” Weinstein said. “We meant to go to Bourbon Street that morning. We woke up for breakfast and saw it on the news. It was a tragedy. It was pretty scary.”
Nottage commended his players for the manner in which they dealt with such a life-altering moment.
“It was a life experience,” he said. “The kids were terrific.”
Newington encountered much more enjoyable times during its stay.
LSU assistant coach David Patrick, a native of Australia, gave the entire team a tour of the campus and Pete Maravich Assembly Center, providing a glimpse into what a major college looks like in person instead of an online video.
Nottage was particularly excited Friday to see former LSU standout Eddie Palubinskas, a former fourth-round draft choice of the Atlanta Hawks, in the stands before his team faced Central.
Palubinskas, a resident of Baton Rouge and former coach in the area, is a native of Canberra, Australia, and a former member of the Australian Olympic team in 1972.
“It was good to catch up with him,” Nottage said.
Polar opposite matchup
The latest college prospect for Nottage is 6-foot-9 senior Goc Malual who was playing for the second time this season following a lengthy injury.
He scored the game’s first six points and had eight points in his team’s 16-7 first-quarter statement.
Osborne said his team prepared for Newington in the same manner it would for any opponent. He was able to gain limited film of the Wyverns who fielded a lineup with Malual, 6-7 Callum Clairinghold, 6-6 Joel Lyons, 6-6 Kuchtiel Dut, and 6-5 Jesse Omozusi.
“We told the team this was the first time I could actually say we aren’t the bigger team,” Osborne said. “We had to block out. We got off to a slow start and didn’t do a good job. This is great film for us to look at and see. We’re going to see someone who’s as big or bigger than us and we need to take the lessons from here and apply it then.”
Franklin, typically a starter, gave Central an infusion off the bench, helping both on the offensive end and using his 6-5 presence to match up against Malual.
Osborne said it was the play of Ranel that helped swing momentum, including a crowd-pleasing dunk, which highlighted a 20-0 run in the second quarter for a 27-18 lead on Collin Verrett’s 3-pointer from the corner with 1:10 to go before halftime.
Franklin scored his team’s first six points, Conrad added five that featured a 3-pointer, and Ranel had four points in the run that helped Central to a 31-21 halftime lead.
“Good start, doing our thing which is normally how we play,” Nottage said. “No excuses. I thought Central did a good job of changing things up and taking out of that.”
Osborne said the game represented one of the few times he’s played with Ranel, Keithon Womack, and Scott Smith, since the team’s state championship football season.
All three have been able to practice three times for the Wildcats who were missing 6-7 senior Markell Sampson because of a broken wrist.
“We had to approach this the same way we would any other game because we’re behind some other people,” Osborne said of the return of the football players.
Newington, which turned the ball over 14 times (27 overall) and shot 33% in the first half, got to within six points (31-25) in the first minute of the third quarter on a pair of free throws from Malual and layup from Clairinghold against Central’s zone defense.
Both teams scored 13 points each in the quarter with Central regaining a double-digit lead for good (40-30) on Thomas’ drive. He converted a turnover into a three-point play with 1:34 showing that made it 43-30 when the Wyverns closed with five straight points on Jasper Rock’s 3-pointer and Dut’s putback.
“We have a veteran team with eight seniors and four juniors,” Osborne said. “They’ve been playing since they were freshman. We were down 16-2 to Woodlawn last year, came back to force overtime, and won. Having those experiences definitely helps the confidence when we get in those situations.”
Finishing off a memorable night
Osborne credited his experienced guard play for Central being able to stand up to the constant pressure Newington applied throughout the second half.
The Wildcats only turned the ball over once in the third quarter before committing four in the final quarter and wound up with 11 for the game.
“We are blessed to have Jace Conrad, Jaylen Thomas and Collin Verrett, and Max Tingle,” he said. “All could play some point.”
Conrad’s ball fake and up-and-under move for a basket opened the fourth quarter. Womack got inside of Newington’s zone defense for a three-point play and Franklin’s spin and jumper away from Malual’s outstretched hand gave Central a 51-36 lead with five minutes left.
“We turned them over a couple of times after half and our response was to give it back to them and that was the game,” Nottage said. “Full credit to Central.”
Weinstein said Central, which shot 42.6% from the field, provided obstacles with its speed and quickness that were too much to overcome.
“I think that’s been the biggest thing we’ve seen and that’s the athleticism,” he said. “They’re in every lane. They’re quicker than us and they can jump higher than us. The athleticism and quickness have been a struggle and that’s what got us.”
Newington went to a bigger lineup with Malual and Dut on the floor at the same time, but Central maintained a 15-point lead and Franklin knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key on an assist from Conrad with 1:51 left.
With Newington pushing the ball inside to Malual for 10 of his game-high 26 points, Central capped the night with a highlight reel play with 1:08 left.
With the Wildcats out in transition, Thomas found Franklin for a slam dunk to defeat the Wyvern’s full-court pressure and bring the house down.
“This is a great experience to play a team from another country,” Conrad said. “It’s definitely a different game and will help us adjust to other people.”