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Playing the best basketball of his career, Reuben Te Rangi knows how much he is about to lose everything.
The 24-year-old will be a key figure in the Tall Blacks against Jordan, an Arab country, in their qualifying match for the Fiba World Cup Asian Zone at the Horncastle Arena in Christchurch on Thursday night.
Te Rangi comes in a sparkling form, having scored 10 goals to zero in 10 consecutive matches against the Brisbane Bullets of the Australian National Basketball League (ANBL). On November 1, he played a leading role in the loss to the Adelaide 36ers by Brisbane (108-98), scoring 29 points in ANBL's career record.
ANTHONY AU-YEUNG / GETTY IMAGES
Tall Black Reuben Te Rangi changed his life after being convicted of assault in 2014.
In his seventh season of ANBL and in his third place with the Bullets, Te Rangi is the 17th best scorer in the league with a career record of 13.9 points per game. His 46% percentage, which is three points, is also a personal best of ANBL, up 37% in the 2017-2018 campaign.
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CHRIS HYDE / GETTY IMAGES
Reuben Te Rangi was a Bullbane Bullets star in the first two months of ANBL.
Te Rangi's dreams hit bottom in 2014 when he was charged with serious assault, sentenced to 160 hours of community service and six months of supervision for his involvement in a nightclub brawl of New Plymouth as a result of an NBL game for the Southland Sharks. Teammate Shea Ili and former New Zealand international Leon Henry have also been involved in this unsavory incident.
Four years later, Te Rangi changed his life.
It could easily have been the end of his professional ambitions, but he worked tirelessly behind the scenes and developed himself as a person and basketball player.
"Experiences like this make you grow a little faster than you expect, I think on the other hand, I'm proud of where I am and happy to play good basketball and do the work that I do. Likes, "Te Rangi recounted Things.
ROBYN EDIE / STUFF
Reuben Te Rangi, pictured with the Southland Sharks in 2017, said his family had been instrumental in supporting his most difficult chapter. He was photographed with daddy Alex, mother Piloma, nephew Amarni, brother Dante and sister Aerin.
Te Rangi is remorseful for his behavior and has had to regain the confidence of his coaches, his teammates and the basketball community. He has repaid them in the best possible way and is a vital member of the Tall Blacks team. He was captain last year for the Asian Cup in Lebanon.
"For me, I've just seen the big picture, not only for you, but for everyone, it's the most important thing I've learned: to see the whole situation in which You are.
"You have to step back and see what you had and it was really a scary time."
BRADLEY KANARIS / GETTY IMAGES
Reuben Te Rangi has become a key member of the Tall Blacks and wants to make a place for himself at the Fiba World Cup next year.
Few people know Te Rangi better than Tall Blacks coach Paul Henare, who coached him at the Sharks and New Zealand Breakers.
Henare closely followed Te Rangi's play with the Bullets as a national coach and assistant for Melbourne United and said he had made great strides.
"He had high expectations very early and he found himself and let himself grow up and become the leader and athlete that he is now," said Henare.
"He has a very good pace and has spent a lot of time doing it well.The other thing is probably decision making."
Te Rangi thrived under the orders of Bullets coach Andrej Lemanis, who guided him through the Breakers in his first season with the team in 2012-13.
ANTHONY AU-YEUNG / GETTY IMAGES
Reuben Te Rangi has excelled with the Brisbane Bullets and wants to transfer this solid game to the Tall Blacks.
The opportunity to work under Lemanis and a fresh start in Queensland was huge for Te Rangi, one of ANBL's most advanced players in the first two months of the season.
"It was good for me to stand on my own two feet [in Brisbane] and manage a little. It was a good learning curve for me. I love Brisbane now. It's a second home for me. "
The Tall Blacks, who are 7-1 at the top of their qualifying group, would reserve their ticket to the World Cup with two more games to play, if they can beat Jordan and Syria on Sunday in Wellington .
Jordan is 5-3 and will face a daunting challenge, despite its demanding New Zealand travel schedule to Christchurch on Monday.
Their guard is reinforced by 33-year-old naturalized US guard Justin Dentmon, who played in the EuroLeague and played eight NBA games with San Antonio, Dallas and Toronto between 2011-13.
From an eye catch
Tall Blacks v Jordan; Thursday 19h; Horncastle Arena, Chch.
Tall Blacks (from): Guards: Shea Ili, Jarrod Kenny, Kruz Perrott-Hunt, Reuben Te Rangi, Derone Raukawa. Attackers: Tom Abercrombie, Mika Vukona, Jordan Ngatai, Ethan Rusbatch, Tohi Smith-Milner, Tom Vodanovich. Centers: Alex Pledger, Rob Loe and Tyrell Harrison.
Jordan (from): Guards: Mah 'Abdeen, Amin Abu Hawwa, Alawadi Mousa, Jordan Al Dasuqi, Justin Dentmon, Sinan Eid, Malek Kanaan. Attackers / Centers: Zaid Abbas, Yousef Abu Wazaneh, Ahmad Al-Hamarsheh, Mohammad Hassouneh, Mohammad Hussein, Ahmad Obeid.
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