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Andoh eyes second DI chance

David Andoh has been on quite a journey over the past three years.
Prior to his senior season at St. Mary's (Berkeley), Andoh decided to transfer to IMG Academy in Florida to help him prepare for the collegiate level. He was the fifth ranked prospect in Northern California at the time and claimed a handful of Division I offers.
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After finishing his high school career in Florida, Andoh decided to come back to Northern California for college and committed to San Jose State.
"My family and I lived in San Jose for many years prior to my departure to IMG Academies," said Andoh. "I loved San Jose; it's a great city and the University is located right at the heart of it. I really liked coach [George] Nessman both on and off the court. I trusted that he would help me grow my game and take a positive step towards reaching my full potential."
Andoh averaged 2.3 points and two rebounds per game at San Jose State in limited time, but showed potential for future seasons.
Unfortunately, head coach George Nessman was fired at the end of the season and Andoh decided to transfer.
"The biggest thing that influenced my departure from SJSU was the fact that coach Nessman and staff were let go post our WAC tournament loss in Las Vegas," Andoh added. "I also didn't really like the culture of the institution. Men's basketball was always being belittled; we didn't really have the respect of the community and athletics was definitely not on the same wavelength as the university."
As a result, Andoh committed to Wagner, but never played a game for the Seahawks. He spent the summer in New York but decided to come back home citing a "rushed decision." For his sophomore season, Andoh played at Merritt College as an attempt to land another Division I offer.
This past season at Merritt, he averaged 13.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent from the field. The 6-foot-7, 220 pound forward creates mismatches as a stretch four because of his ability to attack a slower defender or knock down the mid-range jumper if given too much space. He's also a willing rebounder for his size.
"I can play multiple positions effectively and have been told I have a pretty high basketball IQ," Andoh added. "I feel like I'm pretty good in transition but definitely in the half court as I have a very strong mid-range game in all respective aspects."
Andoh is now looking for a college to spend his final two collegiate seasons. He was close to landing an offer from Virginia Tech and committing to the Hokies, but after head coach James Johnson was fired, Andoh is unsure whether he'll still have that opportunity.
"It was surely devastating," he said of the news. "I was going to Virginia Tech, although unofficial at the moment, my sights were pretty much set on it. Throughout the process, I had really began to build a solid relationship with the coaching staff - they are great people with even better intentions. I truly felt that coach Johnson was still working through some things that plagued from the previous staff and that two years wasn't really an adequate amount of time to re-brand the way he would have wanted."
With his sophomore season complete and the signing period less than a month away, Andoh hopes that the new coaching staff at Virginia Tech extends an offer. If not, he wants to end up at another strong program.
"I want to go somewhere competitive," he finished. "At the end of the day, I want to win and impact a community while doing so. For me, it's all about growth. Growth in my physical abilities, in my mental, and in my outlook. This time around is a big deal. There's a rep on me that I can't stay put, that I bounce around. Have I been to a couple of schools? Yes I have. I've been to some awesome places but at the end of the day, I walk with a heavy chip on my shoulder because of how much I've taken from these experiences. I used junior college as an opportunity to scrape off the dirt from my past so that I can start with a clean slate at my future school."
Andoh's future school will be getting a skilled combo forward playing with a heavy dosage of determination. It will be interesting to see where Andoh lands come signing day.
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