Most Division I athletes craft their talent from the time they are a small child, whether it means kicking a soccer ball against the garage, shooting lay-ups in his or her driveway, or swimming laps in the kiddie pool.
For Brian Andre, this was not the case. Andre, a 6-foot-9-inch center from Bingham, Maine, started his basketball career well into high school.
"Actually it was sophomore year in high school," said Andre. "I was a baseball player. I moved from Lewiston, Maine, a city kind of down south, to the north because my parents bought a hotel up there."
Andre, a sophomore history major, credits his two best friends back home for getting him off the pitcher's mound and to the basketball court.
"They are the first people I made friends with at the new school," said Andre. "I was always big and they would always say 'Come play ball with us, come play ball with us.' We just played ball every day."
Along with the encouragement of his friends, Andre sized up the baseball and basketball programs at his new school and made a decision.
"The basketball program was great," said Andre. "I was 6-8 as a sophomore in high school so I was just like 'maybe I should start playing some basketball.'"
Andre, who hangs out with his friends and plays Xbox in his free time, made a wise choice in joining the Valley High School Cavaliers, a team that would go 105-1 in his three year tenure. Through being victorious in so many games, Andre crafted a desire to win and a hatred for losing.
"I hate losing. I hate it. I swear I hate it so much," said Andre. "I only lost one game in high school. We won all the state championships we played, all the tournaments we played, all classes across 'A' to 'D'. I come here and I'll do whatever. I don't care if I have to take someone out. Literally, anything. I just want to win. I want to win."
Not only does Andre want to win on a game-to-game basis, he looks ahead to winning a Mid-American Conference Championship before he graduates. He also feels that this year may be the year.
"I think our chances are great," said Andre. "We're the best team by far. We come to play."
As of late, Andre's playing has been hindered by pain between recurring knee injuries and bruised abs. However, he describes himself as "tough, strong and physical" and recognizes that the game of basketball is more than just 10 bodies on a court.
"I've learned a lot of the mental game," said Andre. "I mean everybody here has a physical gift, that's why we are D-I athletes, but you have to learn the mental things. That's the biggest part of the game really."
Before each game, Andre prepares mentally by listening to heavy metal music and raising his anger level to supreme. When his mental tactics don't succeed, he looks to his dad for advice.
"My dad always gives me great advice," said Andre. "I always talk to my dad all the time. Whenever I am down, my dad always finds a way."
His dad must have given him good advice before the Bulls' game this past December against Niagara University. After Daniel Gilbert, Mario Jordan, and Yassin Idbihi fouled out, coach Reggie Witherspoon had to turn to Andre to step it up in a crucial situation.
"Double overtime where all our big men fouled out and I had to step it up and guard (Juan) Mendez, the leading scorer in the country, and we got it done," said Andre.
Andre, who looks to play professional basketball or possibly become a teacher and a coach, now looks to get it done with his teammates this Saturday at Fresno State, part of ESPN's Bracket Buster Saturday.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
