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January 17, 2004 :: Home |
Never Enough Andrew Strait shapes himself into one of the state's best
By
SCOTT SPRUILL It wasn't the seeing that was the question, it was the believing. In one startling move, Andrew Strait became an entire basketball team -- a sure-handed point guard, an aggressive power forward and a slam-dunking post. Not during a series of plays or through the course of a game. One play. No. One move. Near the end of West Valley's game against Selah last week, a loose ball bounced harmlessly near midcourt and a few seconds later it was being rammed through the rim by Strait, who at 6-foot-8 is not surprisingly capable of such elevation. But this was no high lob to a backing-in center or a fast break with a high-jumper's run-up. Strait collected that loose ball and had an entire team -- plus his own -- between him and the basket. After reaching back to corral the loose ball, Strait turned to face his defender, above the left side of the key and well beyond the 3-point line. He first went from his right hand to his left with a split-leg pass, then immediately broke free with a crossover back to his right. His momentum would not be wasted on an uncontested 10-footer jumper. Strait continued to charge down the right side of the lane with Selah's defense trying to close the alley. Not a chance. Strait cradled the ball in his right hand, rose directly up to the rim and tomahawked the dunk across his body, his long legs splayed for balance. "We've got a couple of plays like that, where we put Andrew at the top of the key and give him as much room as possible," said West Valley coach Jim Berndt said. "That was a big-time play all the way through." * * * From his young days playing AAU grade-school basketball in Cowiche -- his father played at Highland -- through his sophomore year at West Valley, Strait simply followed the course nature put him on. He grew to 6-5 as a ninth-grader and led the junior varsity in scoring and rebounding, and then moved up to varsity the next season with an ideal nurturing environment. Mentored by his older brother Dylan and all-stater Ryan Rostvold, Strait was a thin 6-7 sophomore post who stayed primarily near the basket and did his job quite well. The Rams won 23 games that season and placed fourth at state. "I was basically in the key the whole time, that was my role," he recalled. "I tried to use that season as a learning experience because I knew we were going to lose Dylan and Ryan and the other seniors and I'd have to do a lot more. I wanted to be ready for it." That's when Strait began thinking about developing beyond his natural gifts as a tall, agile player. He started looking ahead to college and understood that tall, agile players were not exactly rare. It would take something more. So Strait joined up with the elite Seattle Rotary Select AAU team and practiced with and played against the best athletes on the West Coast. His commuting efforts were nicely rewarded. With the addition of a perimeter touch -- even out to the 3-point line, Strait picked his scoring average up to 22 points during his junior season. He was named the Mid-Valley League's player of the year and the Rams won 23 games again, placing eighth at state. But it wasn't, he felt, nearly enough. That's when Strait had to buckle down and make some hard choices. He spent another summer traveling back and forth to Seattle and teamed with many of the state's best, including Bremerton's Marvin Williams (signed with North Carolina), Clarkston's Josh Heytvelt (Gonzaga) and Kentwood's Rodney Stuckey (EWU). "It was the most intense basketball I've played anywhere," he said. "Every day you go against the best guys, and I'm not the Œthe tall guy' anymore. It gave me a chance to play as more of a forward, the position I'd play in college, and against awesome competition." Even so, not enough. Strait examined what more he could do and the answer was clear. Add bulk. While his sleek frame helped his agility it would soon be a liability in the tougher, more physical college game. That led to more difficult decisions. Strait opted to forego his senior season in football -- he was an all-league tight end as a junior -- and instead work with a personal trainer. "I felt I had to pass on football if I was going to take my basketball to another level," he explained. "The priority I set for myself was preparing for the college game and there were things I felt I could do in the offseason to help that." Strait, again, got what he wanted. Combining four months with a trainer and the natural growth of an added inch to 6-8, he's 25 pounds heavier than last year at 215. "I'll admit, some of it was boring," he said of lifting weights last fall while many of his classmates played football. "It was everything -- upper body, back, legs, core. I'm the kind of guy that gets bored if I don't see results but it was great, I saw results quick." Now, nearly halfway through the Mid-Valley season, the new Andrew Strait has made his impact a heavy one. He's responsible for 25 points and 12 rebounds a game -- despite seeing many tight zones -- and the third-ranked Rams are 9-0. "He's a different player -- far, far better than last year," Berndt said. "He's worked harder than anybody I've seen. He's a very focused kid who made himself into an outstanding all-around player." Before putting these bigger and better skills on display this season, Strait settled the issue of college by signing with the University of Montana. While there could well have been a scholarship offer from Gonzaga or Washington this spring, the power forward-to-be is perfectly happy with his selection. "It was sign early or wait and I thought about waiting," Strait said. "It was possible Gonzaga or a Pac-10 school would offer but after visiting Montana I thought, 'I don't need any better situation than this.' It's a mid-major program but a good one." Strait harbors no jealousies with the signings of his high-profile summer teammates because he knows he can play with them. In fact, Strait and the 6-10 Heytvelt, considered by many as the West Coast's top power forward recruit, had a memorable dual that spanned three days last season. Clarkston traveled four hours to West Valley for a regional opener and Heytveld tore the place up with 27 points and 15 rebounds in a 59-44 win. Strait countered with 16. "They beat us pretty good. I had my hands full and my shots weren't falling," Strait said. "It was frustrating for me because I felt like I knew his weaknesses and I didn't take advantage. The good thing was it put us in the loser's bracket and started our fire." Two days later the Rams faced Clarkston again in a winner-to-state, loser-out game in Ellensburg and Strait turned the tables, scoring 26 points to Heytvelt's 14 in a 20-point blowout. "The second time was completely different because Andrew made contact with him earlier and got him out of position." Added Strait, "I stepped out a little more for the middle-range shots and stopped trying to foul him out of the game. I did a lot better job going after his defense and using all my shots." With the range of his star player, Berndt runs plays for Strait to shoot 3-pointers and to dunk off lob passes. Everything in between is fair game. "I trust him because he's smart and he knows what works for him," the coach said. "It's easy to give a kid a green light when he doesn't take a bad shot." Like when he's standing with the ball 30 feet from the basket and a thought crosses his mind.
Dunk.
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