A Close Look in at Andre Berry - URI's Underrated Big Man

Mar 20, 2017
2 min read

Whenever Andre Berry enters into the game, you tend to see one of two reactions from the opposing team's bench, fear or laughter. For those teams that fear URI's biggest basketball player, continue to fear him. On the other hand, for the teams that think he's a softie, go test the theory out.

Offensively, Andre Berry simply carves out ample space and when his teammates pass the ball inside, expect him to catch it every single time. In a couple of post-game interviews, Berry has attributed his catching skills to his past practice with using his massive hands to catch objects of any shape or size. As seen in many games in last season in particular, Berry made his initial catch in the post and in the paint area before one swift drop-step or pivot for the easy lay in. For a man of his size, it is advisable that he does not get caught up in trying to do too much by starting to dribble around in the paint. Luckily for Coach Hurley, Antonio Reynolds-Dean and the rest of the training staff have taught him better than that.

Defensively, the thinking is evident that Andre Berry's lack of playing time comes from the coaching staff's concerns on this end of the floor from the big fella. After intense training and conditioning in the offseason that followed the 2015-2016 season, lead trainer, Daniel Marshall put Berry in a physical position to succeed. Even with the massive weight loss, Dan Hurley has shown some frustrations with Berry's defensive rotations (or lack thereof) and his fouling when he is defending the paint. With that said, #34 from URI maintains a good head above his shoulders and he is well aware of his defensive expectations. For example, in URI's 51-39 home victory over a tough Old Dominion team this season, Berry picked up an easy 2 points after stealing the ball from an unsuspecting ODU guard while in transition. Once this PF/C tightens up on his defensive rotations and defends with his hands straight up, the sky is the limit.

For anyone who thinks that I am kidding about the abilities and capabilities of Andre Berry, I am not. Rhode Island's #34 is the same big man who single-handedly beat Dayton in the 2015-2016 season. In addition, Berry is the same individual who shut down one of the most dominant forces in the Atlantic 10, Mo-Ali Cox, for three minutes of one of URI's most crucial games, when VCU came to the Ryan Center on February 25, 2017. We have all seen flashes of brilliance from Berry and they have always come when URI has had no else left to turn to. Now just imagine what Andre Berry can do when he is at the forefront of the action every game. Not all heroes wear capes and neither does Andre Berry, but his contributions to URI basketball do not go unnoticed.

Look into the eyes of the West Hempstead, New York native and you know that you are looking at a big man who can dominate the paint for the Rhode Island Rams in his senior year.