SANTA CLARA, CA -- Jeremiah Testa, a known quantity in his own league, introduced himself to the Central Coast Section on Friday night.
The Serra senior with the black mane and devil-may-care “13” on his white jersey scored 20 points to lead the Padres to a 62-39 win against Palma. The victory came in an Open Division first-round game at Santa Clara High. Serra will now meet Bellarmine at 5:30 Tuesday at Independence High in the section semifinals.
Fast, confident, fearless – Testa is the type of player Serra did not have enough of in the old days; sensational, yes, but the kind who can also test a coach’s patience now and then.
“Sometimes he’ll take shots that kind of make you say ‘Oh, I’m not sure if that’s a good shot,’ but he makes them,” Serra coach Chuck Rapp said. “He’s the kind of guy who’s going to make plays and you got to let playmakers play.”
Leading 26-18 at the half, Serra opened the third quarter with a lay-in off an alley-oop pass to WCAL player of the year Jake Killingsworth to make the lead 10.
Then after a Palma 3-pointer, Testa made a 3-pointer. Then he made another. Then teammate John Besse blocked a shot, Testa scooped up the ball and whipped a pass to Killingsworth for a pretty, reverse lay-in and – pow – the Serra lead was suddenly 15 with 3:22 left in the third. Game over.
During one stretch of the second half Testa scored or assisted on 20 of Serra's 24 points, often forcing the action with his straight-ahead play.
“When I get the ball I’m just looking for lanes automatically,” the first-team all-leaguer said. “I know I have a step on my first defender but the key is, where is the help? If I see there’s a hole in the defense I take it and I go as hard as possible.”
Since Testa is also a track star, that’s usually good for the Padres.
“Straight angles,” Rapp said. “It’s just hard cuts and straight angles. He goes to the basket with reckless abandon. He’s quick – probably the quickest guy I’ve ever coached.”
Those whippet-quick, cocksure players didn’t usually matriculate at Serra until the travel-ball era which has changed prep basketball. Now all of the top teams have guys who play AAU in the off-season, with Testa and fellow Padre guard Lee Jones having both played for Team Esface for several seasons.
“I’ve been playing with Testa for a long, long time – he’s one of my really good friends,” Jones said. “From playing basketball that long you become very confident in your game.”
Testa’s brother played at Carlmont, but he chose Serra because he liked the Padres’ “defensive intensity” and Rapp, the CalHiSports.com 2015-2016 state coach of the year. Now Testa is trying to help Serra to a seventh consecutive section title game at the highest level and a second consecutive Open title.
Asked to explain his go-for-broke style, he said: “This year I’m a senior and I’ve been thinking and my coaches have told me that I need to take big shots. I need to help my team win. And I’m going to do everything I can to win.”
John Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@prep2prep.com and followed on Twitter @PrepCat
