Last winter, Houston Christian did about everything a high school basketball team can do. The Mustangs went 32-1 into the SPC tournament, rode a 20-game winning streak into February and finished the job with a 66-42 rout of Episcopal in the SPC championship game.
So how do you top that?
If you ask Landon Veal, you don't try. You start over.
"We basically put last year aside. We're not even worried about that year," said Veal, the Mustangs' 6-foot-9 senior wing. "It's a whole new year, a whole new year of new people. I feel like we have a better environment, and a better team overall."
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That new environment includes the biggest addition in the SPC this offseason: Emmanuel Nwabuoku, a 6-foot-8 junior center who ranks among the top 50 players nationally in the Class of 2028 and arrives at Houston Christian after stops at St. John's and Strake Jesuit.
Together, Veal and Nwabuoku give head coach Ron Crandall two of the longest, most versatile frontcourt pieces in the city — and two players who both say they came to Houston Christian for the same reason.
The culture is the draw.
Veal's path to Houston Christian ran through Crandall, and the wins weren't what sold him.
"It's not even about our on-court success," Veal said. "He taught us a lot off the court. It's not all just basketball. He actually cares about us as people. That's why I really like him."
Nwabuoku saw the same thing from the other bench. He spent seventh through ninth grade at St. John's, played his sophomore season at Strake Jesuit, and faced the Mustangs enough times to know what he was looking at.
"I've always admired Houston Christian's basketball program. I played against them multiple times," Nwabuoku said. "I always noticed the way they play together, the way they're coached. Their approach to the game is what I believe every high school should try to attain."
Veal's play for the Mustangs and his AAU team is bearing fruit, with high-major offers from Auburn, Texas A&M and TCU among more than a dozen on the table.
"I have high-major offers, but I want to go somewhere my first year where I'm going to play — be able to play through mistakes and just get that on-court feel," Veal said.
Newcomer Nwabuoku turned heads at USA Basketball's minicamp in Indianapolis in April, blocking shots, cleaning the glass and even stepping out for a pick-and-pop three. He holds offers from the likes of Stanford, Vanderbilt and Harvard, with more coming.
Ask him what's driven the jump, and he goes straight to the mental side.
"My mindset has changed a lot from when I was a freshman to starting my junior year now. The biggest thing for me has been confidence," Nwabuoku said. "Things you put in so many reps, you're more confident doing. That's really how you improve."
Part of that work has been seeking out players older and stronger than him.
"That physicality is something you can get used to," he said. "That way you're getting college-ready before it's time to go to college. When you're ready for the next level before it's time to get there, instead of trying to catch up once you get there — that's the best way to move through."
He has a dream destination, too. Ask about a jersey he can see himself in, and the answer comes fast: Duke.
"Ever since I was a kid watching college basketball, I've wanted to go to Duke," Nwabuoku said. "I just love the way they produce a lot of NBA players. Once I get into the NBA — that's my ultimate goal. Not just getting there, but actually succeeding in the NBA."
Both Mustangs are musicians. Veal listens to everything — pop, jazz, '60s and '70s soul — and plays a couple of instruments himself. Nwabuoku's résumé runs deeper: violin and piano starting around age 6, then a switch to viola in his early teens.
"That's something that's been part of my life for a long time," Nwabuoku said. "Things like that can help with basketball. There are things in life, apart from basketball, that can prepare you for different things."
With these twin towers, Houston Christian didn't rebuild. It reloaded — and the gyms around Greater Houston are about to be packed.
They should be making some sweet music along the way.