The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1436409
46 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Skakle proceeded to tell Andrews that he wanted him to still join the team but in a lesser role. Andrews, though, had dreams in the sport. So, unbeknownst to his parents, he sought out other options. Virginia and Wake Forest, two schools he originally turned down, were already filled up, but NC State had a spot. He knew Wolfpack head coach J.W. Isenhour, and on a quick visit to Raleigh met with some of the players. Feeling satisfied, Andrews signed to join NC State without even telling his parents. He finally approached the matter by telling his father he had good news and bad news. "I told him the good news was that I was going to NC State, and the bad news was that I wasn't going to Carolina," Andrews recalled. "He basically said over his dead body — I was not going to go to State, I was going to Carolina." Andrews estimated that his father did not speak to him for about six months after that, but when the Wolfpack played in the Big Four Tournament for tennis his freshman year, his father was there, wearing a red blazer. There was no denying the conversion from light blue to red in Andrews. Skakle's deci- sion to give the player's rival a scholarship over him would turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to Andrews. "In my four years, I never lost to Caro- lina in singles, doubles or a team event," he proudly stated. A Natural Love Affair With Tennis Andrews' athletic journey began as a youth watching his older sister take tennis lessons. Neither of Andrews' parents were big into sports, but they were supportive of their chil- dren's interests. Andrews' sister, however, was struggling with her hand-eye coordina- tion. It happened to be Isenhour doing the les- sons, and he handed Andrews a racket to see how he would do. "Immediately, I connected and started hit- ting the ball over the net," he said. "We fig- ured at that moment that I might have a better chance to like the sport than my sister. "For some unknown reason, I picked up the idea that hitting on the backboard was fun just by yourself and trying to get better." Andrews also played basketball and base- ball at the time, and later he competed in soccer at the high school level, but tennis was clearly his sport. He was a state champion at 12 years old and nationally ranked in his age group. "Sports weren't a real big thing back then," Andrews said. "It was just an activity, to be out there doing something other than getting in trouble." What Andrews appreciated, in hindsight, was that his parents allowed him to develop a love for the sport organically. He nearly gave it up at 15 years old when he was struggling with joint pain during a growth spurt. But ultimately, having a racket in his hand is what felt right for him. "I just happened to fall in love with ten- nis," Andrews said. "I didn't do it for any- body else. I did it for myself. That's a dream come true: when you find something you love, and then you get to go and experience that dream." When he arrived at NC State, he gained 25 pounds as a freshman, bulking up to 178. "I became a pretty big weapon," Andrews recalled. He lost just once that year in singles while winning an individual ACC championship playing at No. 5 singles and went undefeated in doubles for another league title. Those were the first of his five ACC championships. He won an individual title at No. 2 singles as a sophomore, and took the No. 1 doubles titles both as a junior and senior. He partnered with Mark Dillon in 1981 to win 20 doubles Andrews has enjoyed a prosperous career in real estate development and attributes much of his success to his experience as a student-athlete at NC State. PHOTO COURTESY ANDY ANDREWS