Milestone Man Te Rangi Sticks to Process

Via Tom Hertz - NBL Media

No team succeeds without glue guys. Players who do whatever is needed; whatever is asked of them to help their teams win. And if you embrace that type of role, you can build a long and successful career that way.

That’s exactly what Reuben Te Rangi has done. As he prepares for his 300^th NBL game later today, Te Rangi, who came up through the Breakers Academy as a junior, has long been one of those players that everyone wants on their team.

Reliable, skilled, hard-working, passionate, a great teammate and all about winning.

He’s won two NBL championships, 3 NZNBL championships, represented New Zealand in many tournaments and taken home some individual accolades along the way too. Most notably in NBL19 when he won both the NBL’s Most Improved Player as well as the NBL’s Best Sixth Man award when with the Brisbane Bullets.

Now in his third season with the South East Melbourne Phoenix, he’s focused on helping his team make a late charge to secure a Finals spot after a rough patch over the past month. The Phoenix fell from third place to seventh recently.

Going into Sunday's must-win clash against Perth at the State Basketball Centre, they’re sitting in seventh place with a chance to tie Melbourne United with 14 wins, should they beat the Wildcats.

Te Rangi was kind enough to spend some time with NBL Media to reflect on his career to-date and how he can continue to help his team succeed in reaching their goals.

You started your pro career as a 17-year old with the Harbour Heat in the NZ NBL and had a lot of buzz from what you’d done as a junior. What were your realistic expectations for that season and where did you hope it would take you, because you’d initially wanted to go down the US College route, right?
I think I really wanted to go to College before I had an offer from the Breakers. Like every kid, you want to go to College and see what it’s like over there, but I think for me, I wasn’t that into going back to school. So, once I had a pathway that I had set in stone, that Harbour Heat season was just go out there and play against men and learn a few things from them.

By the end of that year, the Breakers had signed you as a DP and your NBL career was underway. As someone who came up through the ranks in Auckland, was part of the Breakers Academy and would have seen that team emerge as you were growing up, how big was it for you to get that opportunity?
It was actually huge. Obviously, I’d been in the junior Breakers Academy and then the Breakers Academy and I always got to see the guys around and see them train and stuff like that.

But, I think the first day when I was sitting down next to Mika Vukona and C.J. Bruton and guys like that, that was probably the realisation that holy heck I’m sitting with these guys that have been pros for a long time and now I can start learning some things from them.

Your first Breakers coach was Andrej Lemanis who you later re-united with in Brisbane. You were only with him for that one season as a DP with the Breakers, but how much did he help you that year, and then subsequently in Brisbane?
Yeah, Drej had been around the Breakers a lot, so I got to deal with Drej quite a bit in my younger stages. So, it was kind of a good transition going in as a DP in that first year. And that was one of the main reasons for me moving out to Brisbane as well, was being able to play under Drej again.

He had a huge influence on the way I played and definitely a big part of the reason I had a good season out there in Brisbane as well.

(Te Rangi at the New Zealand Breakers in 2012.)

You were lucky enough to be a part of two championship teams with the Breakers. That first season under Drej in 2013 and then two years later under Dean Vickerman in 2015. What are your best memories of those years and those teams?
Man, it’s hard to pinpoint one specific memory, but the one that definitely stands out for me is winning the championship against Cairns when [Ekene] Ibekwe hit the buzzer-beater to get us the championship. So, that was the one that stands out to me.

But also looking back, just day in and day out going in and working with the lads and just acknowledging the process that it took to get to those places.

I imagine Mika Vukona has been a big influence on your career. He was with you when you started your career and then re-joined you during your last two seasons in Brisbane. What did you learn from Mika early on that you’ve taken with you over the years as your career has progressed?
Definitely a toughness. While growing up, everyone looked up to Mika. Not because he was putting up points on the board, not because he was doing all these things on the stat sheets, but he was always the one who brought energy, the toughness, the grittiness to the game.

So, us as New Zealand kids looking up to someone, it was definitely Mika. For me, just bringing that to my game and just [trying to] implement that in the places I’ve been has been the biggest thing.

And also his leadership. I’ve always tried to pick a few things that I could take to the teams that I’ve been on. So yeah, he’s been a big influence to my game for sure.

Who are some of the other big influences you’ve had over the years?
Man, there’s a lot to mention. I do have a story of C.J. [Bruton] though when I was in High School. I think I would have been 13 or 14, but he gave me a pair of his Kobe 5s at the time. They were worn, but for them to come from C.J. was a big deal for me.

I just remember that one memory and it might have been something small for him at the time, but it was huge for me. And as a kid in New Zealand, I was just walking around saying ‘these are C.J.’s shoes’ and I wore them til they were legit falling of my feet.

You spoke a little about the influence Drej had in terms of your decision to leave the Breakers and go and play in Brisbane. Was that tough in terms of leaving your hometown team and such a big part of New Zealand basketball culture to come across to Australia to play?
Yeah, for sure. It was definitely a big decision for me at the time. Obviously for me though, I needed grow as a person and as a man also. So, being able to move away from home and you know, those little things of looking after yourself and figuring things out for yourself was a big part of that [decision] as well. I think it’s shaped who I am now, but it was a big decision for me at the time for sure.

How do you reflect on your time in Brisbane? You developed into the league’s best sixth man and most improved in one season. But the following season, you played sparingly after offseason knee surgery which forced you to miss the 2019 FIBA World Cup and also how that NBL20 Brisbane team was constructed. How do you look back on that time in Brisbane?
Brisbane was an awesome place. I really loved living there. Yeah, I mean that’s the way basketball and professional basketball is. Everyone that comes into a team is good enough to play and at the time I wasn’t up to scratch because I’d just had surgery.

But, that’s all part of professional basketball and I think those are the things that I reflect on now.

(Te Rangi during his time at the Brisbane Bullets.)

Then you moved to the Phoenix where you linked up again with Judd Flavell and also Adam Gibson and Cam Gliddon who were with you in Brisbane. What was behind the decision to sign with South East Melbourne?
All the places I’ve been, there’ve always been familiar faces and people that I think can get me better, so that was a big decision for me. Linking up with Judd Flavell again, he had coached me pretty much all through junior years, so linking up with him was awesome.

I thought the Phoenix team had a great team and a championship looking team, so that was a big reason for me to come down as well.

Sunday is your 300^th game. That’s quite the milestone for someone who is still in his prime at just 28 years old. What does this milestone mean to you?
I have to take a step back and think ‘yes, it is a big occasion’. But for me man, I don’t really like the spotlight being on me. I just like going under the radar and doing my job, but I have to take a step back and realise that it is a big occasion and take it all in.

Like I said, I have to enjoy the process as well.

How do you look at your career to-date? How would you describe the type of player you’ve become and the roles and influence you’ve had on your teams over the years?
That’s a tough one. I always strive to get better. Like I said, I have to take a step back and appreciate that I’ve been in the league for so long and that’s a testament to something I’ve been doing.

I always think I come into teams and work hard, and I always try to provide a little bit of leadership. Maybe not so much speaking, but doing.

What would be your fondest memories of your NBL career to date?
The two championships we won, always great memories. I mean, when I look back on my career, I think just the people I’ve met. I have so many lifelong friends now. Being able to travel the world and see different places has been amazing. There are too many things to pinpoint.

But, like I said, now that I’m getting a little bit older, just realising that the process is a lot better than some of these big occasions that happen.

This season has been an interesting journey for the Phoenix. You’ve looked like contenders at times, but still face an uphill battle to make the playoffs, even after a strong win on Wednesday. How is the team feeling about these last three games and still having a shot to contend for that championship?
Yeah, in that Tasmania game we pinpointed exactly what got us over the line and I think we lost that over the last five to six games, so coming into these last three games, it’s all on us.

A couple results didn’t go our way last night [Friday], but it’s all in our hands and we’re just going to take it one step at a time and one game at a time. And, make sure we come into those games with the fight and drive we had against Tasmania.

Reubs – congratulations on 300 and a wonderful career so far. Good luck for the rest of the season and thanks for your time.
Appreciate man. Thank you.

(Te Rangi at the South East Melbourne Phoenix.)