The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1177236
34 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2019-20 BY JACEY ZEMBAL L ehigh graduate transfer Pat Andree usually gets summed up with the same word every time — shooter. Andree was one of the most feared shooters in the Patriot League, shooting 41.9 percent from three- point land last year. He went 70 of 167 from beyond the arc, while attempting 116 field goals (making exactly half of them) from inside it. Andree has made 41.5 percent of his 455 attempts from beyond the arc in college. NC State head coach Kevin Keatts badly wanted that skill set for his Wolfpack team and landed the graduate transfer, who only needed three years to earn his psychology degree at Lehigh. NC State was going through the NIT, but the coach carved out the time to pri- oritize Andree during the recruiting process. College basketball expert Jeff Goodman of WatchStadium.com ranked Andree the No. 30 overall graduate transfer in the country and dubbed him a coveted "stretch four" recruit. "When you talk about Pat Andree — and I'm talking about him because I know you guys [in the local media] don't know much about him — he is as good a shooter as I've seen in a long time," Keatts said. "What makes him special is he 6-8 and he has the ability to get a shot off against anybody." The 225-pounder was the fourth-leading scorer for Lehigh last year, averaging 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game for the Mountain Hawks. Those numbers would have ranked second in each category on the Wolfpack last year. It's also statistics like those that help his claim that he's the best shooter among roommates Braxton Beverly, C.J. Bryce and Danny Dixon. "I think the last three years and the way I have worked, I'm a good three-point shooter and that is what everybody knows me as," Andree said. "I don't even think honestly the last three years I've shot my best. "It's a work in progress and every single year I've tried to get better in that category." Adjusting to life in the ACC will be a season-long theme for Andree and his fel- low newcomers. Lehigh played a few ACC teams, but he knows it's just going to be vastly different level of play he sees this winter. "I would say the speed," Andree said of the biggest difference for him this year. "Just our style, we are everywhere and get- ting around. Our kind of motto is to fly around and be active. There is never a dull moment in practice." Lehigh has a listed 5,047 undergraduate students and 1,942 graduate students, and is located in Bethlehem, Pa. Getting adjusted to NC State and Raleigh has been fun for him this summer. "I got to hear a lot about the great success we've had here," Andree said. "Obviously, the great school and the great facilities. Being a big state school … I know it's just really been great. It's a lot different from Lehigh — it's a lot bigger." Andree got to play some pickup games in Raleigh during the summer, and also saw rapper J. Cole, former NBA star Carmelo Anthony, and current NBA player and for- mer NC State star T.J. Warren come through the Dail Center. "We got after it," Andree said of the pickup games. "Everybody wants to win on this team. It's a good attraction being at a school like this and obviously with a coach like coach Kevin Keatts." Andree also remade his body during the summer. He arrived in Raleigh around 235 pounds, and got as low as 208, before settling in at 215. He is listed at 220 in the preseason. "I'm just a lot quicker," Andree said. "I'm able to guard better defensively. I'm way more athletic and jumping higher." Andree is starting to learn about NC State's history after arriving last May, but his father Tim Andree has an interesting connection to the Wolfpack's past. He was in the 1979 McDonald's All-American Game, which included NC State-bound guards Sidney Lowe and Dereck Whitten- burg of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catho- lic, who helped lead the Wolfpack to the 1983 national title. Tim Andree Sr. was arguably the top player in talent-rich Michigan where he attended Bloomfield Hills (Mich.) Brother Rice High. The famed class of 1979 in- cluded future NBA players Dominique Wilkins and James Worthy, both from North Carolina, plus Isiah Thomas, Ralph Samp- son, Sam Bowie, Clark Kellogg, John Pax- son and Byron Scott, among others. It is arguably one of the greatest prep classes ever, which Andree is proud to be a part of. He went on to play at Notre Dame with future NBA players Paxson, Bill Laimbeer, Kelly Tripucka and Orlando Woolridge. Pat Andree half-joked he's heard all about the legendary class of 1979, and how his father made his way to college. Tim An- dree had then-assistant coach Roy Williams pick him up at the airport when he visited North Carolina back then. "His family didn't grow up with too much money, so he was always kind of revolved around basketball," Pat Andree said. "He was one of 12 kids. His family would either go to priesthood for college or play basketball, or play a sport and try to get into college." The elder Andree started 49 out of 105 career games and averaged 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds per game for the Fighting Irish from 1979-83. The Notre Dame ties run deep in the family. Tim Andree Jr. was a walk-on basketball player from 2006-10, while sister Bridget Andree is currently a student at the school. His mother was a swimmer, his older brother graduated from ND, and even a cousin, Kristen An- dree, rowed for the Irish. Notre Dame didn't recruit Pat Andree out of high school or after his stint at Lehigh, so needless to say, he knows who is coming to town Jan. 8. He is expecting at least 8-10 family members to attend. "I have that one on the schedule and it will be a big game in my family, but another game in the ACC," Andree said. "My family is excited for that. I'll be hoping that guys on the team don't have family coming in SHARPSHOOTER Lehigh Graduate Transfer Pat Andree Is Expected To Stretch Defenses With His Range "He is as good a shooter as I've seen in a long time. What makes him special is he 6-8 and he has the ability to get a shot off against anybody." ■ NC State head coach Kevin Keatts on Andree