Pivotal to his success was putting in the extras in an environment where everyone is training hard.
"I also started making smarter choices on the court," says Spooner who was receiving positive reinforcement from coach Curtis Wooten.
This year the Year 12 student not only became a starting five for Wooten but spearheaded HBHS to the nationals at the zone 3 qualifying premiership in Palmy a fortnight ago.
Spooner was named player of the match three times in HBHS's six wins from seven games.
In section A play, the schoolboys beat Upper Hutt 69-42 with Devante Miller and Pete Wilkie scoring 12 points each and Shaye Wilkens named player of the match.
In the 73-61 victory over Rongotai College, Marcos Edwards top scored with 19 and Miller contributed one point fewer and Spooner chimed in with 17 as well as player of the match.
Spooner emulated his feat in the 61-50 win over St John's while Miller added 15 points.
He then reloaded his cartridge for 20 points in the 78-72 statement over St Pats Silverstream while Sheldon Mataira was named player of the match with 26 points.
"In this match we were down 12-0 at the start of the game and were down the entire game until two minutes to go when we took the lead when Devante and Tuehu scored three points each," says Wooten.
In the quarterfinals HBHS succumbed 78-62 to Scot's College 78-62 but the coach rued what was a five-point affair with a few minutes to go with former HBHS lynchpin Isaiah Jones featuring for the victors.
"We played great defence and forced 25 turnovers but had a bad night shooting," says Wooten, naming Spooner player of the match for his 33 points.
In the playoffs for 5th-8th, HBHS beat Onslow College 80-71.
It was a tit-for-tat encounter but HBHS shifted gears in the third spell for 10 unanswered points to open a 12-point gulf.
Player of the match Marcos Edwards scored 26 points.
In the final outing for fifth place, HBHS edged out Hutt Valley 77-71. Edwards, Thomas Barclay and Mataira sat out of the game.
Hemi Marshall and Wilkens were named joint players of the match with 14 rebounds each.
"In every game, one player stepped up even if they weren't named man of the match," says Wooten, adding Spooner was easily the most consistent player but someone also backed him up.
He says when the team made a four-day trip to Hamilton, Tauranga and Rotorua, Spooner came close to losing his starting position.
In the Super 8 competition last month, the teenager played "a really good quarter" although HBHS lost their perch as defending champions.
Former Hawk twins Damion and Dwayne Davies co-coached Napier Boys' High School had beaten Hastings Boys' High along the way to lift the shield but they have failed to qualify for the nationals.
"Earlier in the year Tuehu was struggling with everything but now his ability and confidence have soared," says Wooten of a player in his second year in the top team.
Spooner sees himself as a point guard who can find love with the rim and fancies his ability to dribble.
"If I've got the right shoes on I can be pretty quick," he says with a grin.
He was a rugby winger but that changed at the age of seven when he picked up a basketball at Bridge Pa School.
When he made the under-13 Bay rep team he started taking the game seriously at the expense of rugby.
His father, Regan Spooner, a former Hawk and national age-group forward, has been helping him with his training while mother Darlene is into box fit. The parents are bodybuilders.
While receiving kudos for matches at the premiership are "pretty big" for him the guard believes he can be much better.
He trains every day but Sundays.
Spooner says HBHS can improve on their seventh placing at the last nationals.
The marquee tourney is something he looks forward to after his first taste last year.
"It's pretty intense but the environment is pretty cool. It's a good experience with a lot of people there," he says.
HBHS details
Team: 1 Tuehu Spooner (starter versatile guard, year 12), 2 Marcos Edwards (starter versatile guard, captain, year 12), 3 Peter Wilkie (centre, sixth man, year 12), 4 Devante Miller (starter shooting guard, year 12), 5 Shaye Wilkens (centre, sixth man, year 13), 6 Thomas Barclay (starter forward, year 13), 7 Sam Mitchell (centre, sub, year 12), 8 Hemi Marshall (starter forward, year 13), 9 Sheldon Mataira (versatile guard, sixth man, year 13), 10 Ethan Carr Benge (shooting guard, sub year 11), 11 Ollie Clinton (versatile guard, sub, year 10), 12 Latrell Ah Kiong (versatile guard, sixth man, year 10), 13 Joshua Tarrenga (versatile guard, sixth man, year 11), 14 Henry Ah Funny (versatile guard, sixth man, year 11).
Draws
HBHS games only:
■Monday September 26, 2.15pm: v Rosmini.
■Tuesday September 27, 9am: v Hamilton Boys.
■4pm: v Te Awamutu.
■Wednesday, September 28, 12.30pm: v Palmerston North Boys.
■5.45pm: v Selwyn College.
