An Angel in shorts

Warren Harding vs Ridgeville

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By Joe Scalzo

Angel Gonzalez has played a big role in Harding’s state-tournament trip.

WARREN —The average temperature in Puerto Rico is 82.4 degrees. It’s a little cooler in the winter, a little hotter in the summer, but generally stays between 75 and 85 degrees. In fact, the island’s lowest recorded temperature is 39 degrees.

Puerto Rico’s average snowfall is zero inches.

The average temperature in Warren is 50 degrees.

The average snowfall is 56 inches.

These statistics are important since this story is about a Warren Harding junior named Angel Gonzalez who moved to Warren before the school year after spending all but one year of his life in Puerto Rico. He saw snow for the first time last year while living in Virginia.

“But not every day,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s crazy here.”

Gonzalez, a promising basketball prospect who began playing with the Puerto Rican national team when he was 11, spent his sophomore year at Bishop O’Connell, a Catholic school near Washington D.C.. He lived with guardians while his family stayed home in Puerto Rican.

O’Connell went 28-8 and advanced far in its tournament, but Gonzalez didn’t enjoy everything about the experience. His English that first year was still spotty — Gonzalez still speaks with an accent, but converses well — and he had a tough time adjusting to life without his family.

Afterward, his mother and two brothers moved to Warren.

“We thought Ohio was the best place for us to live and this was the best school for me,” said Gonzalez. “We wanted a better experience for our lives. It was hard at first. Everybody was looking at me like, ‘Who’s that new kid?’

“A lot of people were talking about me.”

Some of the conversation came from within the hallways and some came outside them. Because Harding has a history of transfers — football players Maurice Clarett, Alex Engram and Delbert Ferguson and senior basketball player Desmar Jackson, to name a few recent examples — and because the Valley is a sports-crazy area, a few eyebrows were raised when Gonzalez arrived.

But the complaints have died down, due in large part to Gonzalez’s demeanor on and off the court. His ability draws plenty of attention — Gonzalez is a polished player with terrific instincts for the game — but he doesn’t talk trash or cause problems for his teammates and coaching staff.

“Angel Gonzalez does everything well,” said Raiders coach Steve Arnold. “He’s a huge key for our basketball team.”

It’s a point of pride for Gonzalez that he’s fit in so well.

“When people started to see me play, they liked that I always played hard and I’m always a good teammate,” he said. “I enjoy being here with my team. It’s a good experience for me.”

Gonzalez still misses things about home. His steady diet of chicken and rice has been replaced by pizza and pasta. And the winter weather in Warren ... well, it stinks.

“When winter started, it was crazy,” he said. “I started getting sick, then my mom and my brothers.

“It was a big change for us.”

But he’s adapted and he’s a major reason why Harding is in the state semifinals for the first time since 1966. After advancing to the regional final last season, Harding lost 6-foot-8 post players Chris Henderson and Damian Eargle to graduation. Consequently, Gonzalez, who is 6-4, has spent much of the season battling much bigger players inside — and holding his own.

His biggest strengths are his athleticism — Gonzalez is a quick jumper who can dunk with ease — and his feel for the game, which allows him to anticipate where the ball is going, particularly on the offensive glass. Gonzalez averages 15 points and eight rebounds per game.

Although he wasn’t here last season, he seems to understand the magnitude of what the Raiders have accomplished.

“It’s a big deal for me,” he said. “A lot of people expected a lot from this team.”

Several Division I schools have sent Gonzalez letters and he said his dream is to play college basketball. (“Basketball is my life,” he said.) But that decision can wait.

“I’m only a junior,” he said. “I’m not worried about it now.

“I’ve still got another year.”

scalzo@vindy.com