Tony Angelo the indispensable ‘Mr. Energy’ for Central Catholic: ‘If we didn’t have Tony, we don’t have this championship’

From defense to clutch shots to hustle plays, the 5-foot-9 senior guard was a key piece of Rams’ OSAA 6A boys basketball state title team

Author:
Dan Brood
Publish date:
Mar 12, 2024 9:34 PM EDT

He can be a spark plug on offense.

He brings the intensity on defense.

He’s also a team leader.

And, when it comes to Central Catholic senior Tony Angelo, a 5-foot-9 guard who helped lead the Rams boys basketball team to the Class 6A state championship, everyone is in agreement — he supplies the energy.

“He’s a great leader. We all call him ‘Mr. Energy,’” Central Catholic senior Miles Berry said. “It’s kind of like a joke, but it’s true.”

“We call him ‘Mr. Energy,” Rams senior Marley Zeller said. “That’s what he does — he just brings the energy. He’s a great defensive player, and he brings the IQ. He’s just a great guy to play with.”

“He means everything to us,” Central Catholic junior Isaac Carr said. “We call him, ‘Mr. Hustle.’ He’s our guy.”

As for Angelo, it likely doesn’t matter to him what he’s called, as long as he gets the chance to help the Rams come away with a victory.

“I’ve got a special role. I’m a leader on the team, and I’m an energy guy. I do whatever it takes to win, at the end of the day,” Angelo said as he stood on the court at the University of Portland’s Chiles Center on Saturday after Central Catholic’s 85-76 win over Roosevelt in the Class 6A state title game. “Whether I start or don’t, no matter how many minutes I play, whether I score 13 points or two points, it doesn’t really matter — I’ll do whatever it takes to win.”

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That attitude doesn’t go unnoticed by the coaches.

“Tony has the heart of a champion,” Rams head coach David Blue said. “He plays like he’s 7-feet tall. He’s a great leader. He holds his teammates accountable, and they all respect him. He’s been so selfless. Whether he comes off the bench or starts, no matter how many minutes he gets, I can always count on him.”

“I can’t say enough about Tony,” assistant coach Shawn Malloy said. “If we didn’t have Tony, we don’t have this championship. Tony’s been a leader since he was a sophomore. It’s just in his DNA. He is our motor. He’s the engine. He keeps us going.”

Angelo scored eight points for the Rams in the final, including one of the biggest baskets of the game.

As Roosevelt was trying to rally late in the third quarter, Angelo gave momentum back to the Rams. After a free throw by the Roughriders with 3.7 seconds left in the period, Angelo took a long pass from sophomore Zamir Paschal and, as time was running out, he sank a pull-up 3-point basket as the horn sounded, prompting chants of “To-ny, To-ny,” from the Central Catholic student section.

“I was calling for the ball, and I was feeling it,” Angelo said with a big smile on his face. “I let it go, and it went in. That felt great. It was a huge momentum swing for us, and then we finished it off in the fourth.”

“He’s a competitor. I had no doubt that was going in,” Blue said of the play.

In addition to his clutch 3-pointer, Angelo turned in his usual intense defense.

“That’s something that I try to do,” Angelo said. “I try to stay consistent. Whether my shot is falling or not, I try to stay consistent on defense. I think it’s contagious. When I’m doing that to the other team, the rest of our team does it as well.”

The team doing well — that’s always important to Angelo. And he makes sure to get the Rams ready to do well, each and every game.

“He’s in the locker room hyping us up,” Berry said. “He’s gone in and out of the starting rotation, but he always keeps the same attitude. He’s just always hyping up the rest of the team. It’s fun to play with a guy like that.”

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When the final horn sounded at Saturday’s state championship game, Angelo was the first to head toward the Central Catholic student section, leading to some more cheers of “To-ny, To-ny!”

“It means everything,” Angelo said of the state title. “I feel like we’ve been doubted the entire year. We’ve had the hardest schedule; we’ve played the hardest teams. We worked so hard for this. Last year, we lost to West Linn (in a Class 6A state tournament quarterfinal game). It was a tough loss. Coming back, we had pretty much the same guys, so we knew we had a shot. We put in the time in the gym. We put in the effort, and it really showed up.”

With his future basketball plans uncertain, the state championship is extra meaningful to “Mr. Energy.”

“I’m still deciding if I’m going to play or not (in college), so that makes this also really special,” Angelo said. “This was so much fun. I can’t even capture it right now. I’m at a loss for words, to be honest. There’s just so many emotions. Knowing that it came to an end is weird to think about, but the fact that we got a win is so special.”