Eduardo Andre is used to adjustments in his life.
The Angolan-born center moved to London when he was just a child and remained there until he decided to come to the United States in pursuit of the game of basketball when he was 17-years old.
“Being that young it’s difficult for anybody especially when you’re halfway around the world and you’re not around your family every day. You don’t get to go home after school and see your mom, your dad, your brothers and sisters so you get a little home sick at first but like anything you have to adapt,” he said. “And me being able to adapt it kind of built my character a little bit. I had to grow up faster than other people.”
That was made even harder by the COVID-19 pandemic as Andre wasn’t able to go home and see his family while his parents have still not been able to make it over and see a game.
Basketball was something that he didn’t even start playing competitively until 14, but it took him to Texas where he played two seasons at Woodrow Wilson High in Dallas and was ranked among the top 10 recruits in the state in the 2020 class.
Andre would then spend a season at AZ Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona before enrolling at Nebraska where he would appear in 50 games during his two years with the Cornhuskers.
Then it was onto Fresno State where he had his most productive two seasons averaging 8.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per game as a junior and then 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in an injury-shortened 20-game campaign a year ago.
The attraction for him was the fact that head coach Darian DeVries has had success at every stop in his career and wanted to experience that in his final year of eligibility.
So, his past has more than prepared to step into his new role in Morgantown.
“I think basketball is pretty much basketball wherever you go. The only difference is you have to learn a new system, a new style of play that’s pretty much the only differences I’ve seen from being at different programs,” he said. “Coach and everybody and all the staff around here help you to adapt and understand all the terminologies and stuff and how the team wants to play.”
For his new at West Virginia, Andre hasn't had any issues fitting into a scheme that is more fast-paced and up and down than what he has done in the past. But he has embraced his role not only as a leader, but on the court.
“My role when it comes to basketball is me being one of the bigger guys here is trying to protect the rim, being a presence on the glass at all times and doing all the little stuff I can,” he said.
In this offense, Andre doesn't play with his back to the basket as much, but he has become a player that impacts the game with his ability to run the floor and how he can set screens and roll to the rim.
“And I finish around the rim which will be important for us,” he said. “I’m versatile enough to fit into any offense I need to.”
That has been even more important of late with the injury that sidelined Amani Hansberry. Andre was thrust into a much larger role and has responded with some of the best basketball of his career.
"Yeah, he's been terrific, especially defensively. He's been disruptive in there," DeVries said. "And even in the pick and roll game, he's doing a nice job there, too.I think he's one of those guys we feel very comfortable. If they're gonna put two on the ball, we can throw it to him in the short roll and he can make the right reads from there. So, he's continuing to get better and better and more confident each game."
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe
