Before the basketball season becomes a distant memory, need to throw some beads Andre McGee’s way:

McGee will never be an All-American, never make All-Conference, and will never see his basketball jersey hanging from the rafters. But he’s the kind of individual you want to have playing basketball at the University of Louisville, what his coach would call a Louisville man.

His good qualities abound. He enjoys playing the game, enjoys seeing other players succeed, thrives on seeing his school do well. He respects andremthe rules and recognizes that Rick Pitino is one of the best coaches around, does everything he can “to become the best player I know I can be.”

He also has a great sense of humor, a quick smile, and has no problem being the straight man for Terrence Williams’ comedic efforts during news conferences. The co-captaincy is in good hands with these two players.

A native of Moreno Valley, Calif., McGee is the son of Anthony McGee (and Jackie), who played basketball at Long Beach State. Wears 33 on his jersey because that was the number on his dad’s jersey. His oldest brother, Tony, played at Eastern Washington and older brother, Antoine, played at Colorado.

Offensively, he’s not flashy, not a slasher, rarely ever dunks the ball. But he’s not timid either, getting several lay up attempts blocked during his first two seasons — but rarely during his junior year. He was one of U of L’s best three-pointer shooters behind Jerry Smith last season, hitting 52 of 132 attempts and a 39.4 percentage.

He often gets overlooked when it comes to the box score. But he’s always contributing, even when he’s on the bench. You know he’s always got his mind on the game and not himself, setting the best kind of example for his teammates.

Appreciate Andre McGee: he’s good for U of L basketball.

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.

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