By Zach Braziller
In early November, Rashad Andrews was focused on helping St. Anthony repeat as mythical national basketball champion.
By mid-March, he was at Madison Square Garden, shooting the lights out and leading Boys & Girls to its third-straight PSAL Class AA title.
When reminded of the rollercoaster ride during the last four months of life, Andrews shook his head in disbelief.
“I never imagined anything like this,” he said.
The 6-foot-5 wing left St. Anthony after a disagreement with the school, which he said was non-basketball related and declined to go into the specifics.
The Queens native, who verbally committed to Adelphi in the fall, landed at Boys High and got off to a quick start, scoring 12 points and adding eight rebounds in his debut, a rout of Westinghouse. He had his ups and downs, averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game, but provided the Kangaroos with a tough perimeter defender, one of the team’s calling cards.
His postseason was following a similar path until Saturday afternoon at the Garden, when Andrews exploded for 26 points and earned MVP honors.
He almost single-handedly gave Boys High a cushion, scoring 21 points in the first half, and made all five of his three-point attempts. Shooting at the Garden is usually tough for players in their debut; Andrews felt at home.
“I felt comfortable on that court,” he said. “It felt like I was in the NBA.”
Jefferson Coach Lawrence “Bud” Pollard said he was the difference in the title game. Andrews expected to have opportunities, thinking the Orange Wave would look to take away Leroy “Truck” Fludd and Wesley Myers.
He took advantage of every chance, sinking the three-pointers and also getting to the free throw line and creating off the dribble.
“We were going to have to go to Rashad and he was prepared,” Myers said.
After the contest, when asked about Adelphi, Andrews said he wasn’t sure about his immediate plans.
During the week, he said he might consider opening up his recruitment, but that he had yet to decommit from the Division II school.
A few Division I schools have reached out to him and a handful of schools figure to be in attendance for the Federation tournament.
“You’re only recruited once in your life; he has to hear them out,” Lovelace said. “Yeah, he verballed to Adelphi. Sometimes you need something else to compare it to. If they come out and are interested, you have to take a look at it.”
For now, Andrews is enjoying the ride, being a part of this memorable title run and hoping to win a state title this weekend in Albany. He won championships at St. Anthony, but as a reserve.
“It was a great feeling, but I didn’t feel like I was a part of it,” he said, clutching his MVP trophy. “I really earned this one.”
