Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

He's right at home while far from home

TOM CHARD

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Staff Photo by John Ewing: 20080220 Wednesday, February 20, 2008...Portland vs. Cheverus boys class A regional semi-final game. Cheverus' Indiana Faithful pushes the ball upcourt against a Portland defender.

John Ewing

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Staff Photo by John Ewing: 20080220 Wednesday, February 20, 2008...Portland vs. Cheverus boys class A regional semi-final game. Cheverus' Indiana Faithful pulls down a rebound against Portland.

John Ewing

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Staff Writer

Indiana Faithfull.

You've got to love the name.

With a first name the same as one of the great college programs in the country, it would seem he was born to play basketball.

Not exactly true, said Faithfull, a sophomore guard for Cheverus from Sydney, Australia.

''My mother was a runner and my father was a swimmer,'' he said. ''They didn't name me after the school. They were looking for a western name.''

''We almost named him Cody or Wyatt,'' said his father, Marc Caleb, who has been in Portland since Christmas. ''But someone in our family said 'How about Indiana?' and we all thought it sounded great.''

Faithfull, who is called Indy by his teammates and most everyone else at Cheverus, said his first name certainly garners attention.

''They call me Indiana Jones,'' he said.

Although his parents weren't basketball players, Indiana and his sister, Rhianna, are. She's a freshman guard for the University of Santa Clara in California, sitting out this season as a redshirt.

''I started playing basketball when I was 10,'' said the 17-year-old Faithfull.

Faithfull has been a key player for Cheverus (18-3), which plays Bangor (21-0) Tuesday in the state Class A boys' championship at the Cumberland County Civic Center. The game was postponed because of Saturday's storm.

An off guard who shoots and passes well, the 6-foot-2 Faithfull came to the United States seeking to improve his game. He hopes to play at a Division I college in a couple of years, just like his sister.

''There's a lot more opportunity to improve here,'' he said. ''They play a lot more games and practice more in the United States.

''At Cheverus, we train six to seven days a week. In Australia, we would only practice one day a week and play one game. My school team in Australia wasn't very strong.''

To get better competition in Australia, Faithfull played at the club level, which is similar to AAU in the U.S. He played in the under-16 national championship two years ago for the New South Wales Metros.

''We lost in the national final,'' he said.

It was a great experience, but Faithfull knew that if he wanted to keep improving and have a chance to play in college he would have to follow the lead of his sister, who spent her junior and senior years at a school in Arlington, Va.

The Sydney Kings are a professional team that plays in Australia's National Basketball League. Faithfull knows Billy Tomlinson, an assistant coach with the Kings whose son, Nate, played for the Lee Academy postgraduate team and will play for the University of Colorado on scholarship next season.

''(Tomlinson) knew that I was interested in coming to the U.S. to play and go to school,'' said Faithfull.

The path to Cheverus was an easy one. Stags Coach Bob Brown is well known in Sydney for his coaching clinics.

''I've gone to Australia 10 to 12 different times,'' said Brown, who has written a book on basketball published in Australia.

Faithfull and his parents visited Cheverus a year ago.

''I had no idea what kind of player Indy was,'' said Brown, who added Faithfull has been a great addition.

''Indy has a very good feel for the game. He's unselfish and gives us great size at the guard position.''

During practice last week, Faithfull made a no-look pass to set up a basket. The play gave Brown a chance to point out the play and then demonstrate it to the team.

Brown marvels at Faithfull's ability to adapt to a new culture.

''He comes halfway around the world and takes challenging academic courses. He's had to learn about U.S. history,'' Brown said.

Asked to describe his year at Cheverus, Faithfull answered without hesitation.

''Fabulous,'' he said. ''Everyone here has made it real easy. I'm doing better in school than I did in Australia. It's been great.

''We've accomplished a lot. The competition has been better than I expected.''

Faithfull lives in Freeport with Chris and Beth O'Neil and their two children. He also lives some of the time in Portland with his father, who has no doubt helped his son's transition.

Faithfull learned a lot about Bangor last week in practice. He knows the Rams will be Cheverus' toughest opponent, but after a three-game losing streak late in the season, the Stags have bounced back and are playing their best basketball of the season. A major reason is Faithfull's steady play.

''Indy has tremendous court vision,'' said senior point guard Doug Alston. ''He somehow always finds the open man. Indy makes it easier to play than anyone I've played with.''

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or at:

tchard@pressherald.com