Another Look in at Andre Berry - From Secret Weapon to a Main Weapon
As a Rhode Island MBB fan, it is impossible to forget about Andre Berry's surprise performance in his sophomore season at #19 Dayton. The West Hempstead native was forced into action because of season-ending injuries to E.C. Matthews and Hassan Martin. In the Rams' unprecedented 75-66 upset, Andre Berry scored 13 points on 7 of 7 shooting from the field, as well as securing three rebounds in his 13 minutes of playing time. In the immense upset for Dan Hurley and his team, Berry was the team's secret weapon. Two seasons later, Berry has developed into one of the main weapons on a loaded Rhode Island men's basketball team.
As time has passed, Andre Berry has matured on and off of the basketball court. Consequently, he has attained a better comprehension of the elements that make a successful men's college basketball team. Clearly, Berry understands the importance of a huge Rhode Island backing.
Everyone could have picked out Berry to be the Atlantic 10's Most Improved Player for this 2017-2018 season. The JUCO transfer that averaged 3.2 points per game and 1.6 points per game in his past two seasons, now averages 9.1 points per game in the current season. In a term that I contained "BERRY TIME", Andre Berry can put up double figures in an instant due to his catching ability and his soft touch around the rim. Moreover, Berry has an admirable mid-range game for a player of his stature. In fact, #34 has scored in double figures in 14 games, including two 20-point performances. Most recently, his 18-point outpouring (7-12 FG and 4-4 FT) against Saint Joseph's in the semifinals of the 2018 Atlantic 10 tournament led his team to the championship game.
While arriving to Kingston, RI, the big man was out of shape and in need of better conditioning. After work with URI's director of basketball performance, Daniel Marshall, he was able to cut down a significant amount of weight (approximately 70 pounds) and stay on the court longer. After playing only 6.9 minutes per game and 4.9 minutes per game in his first two seasons as a Ram, he averages 17.6 minutes per game in his senior season.
Throughout his years, Andre Berry has shown his rebounding prowess. In limited playing time in his initial seasons, he averaged 2.4 rebounds per game and 0.7 rebounds per game. With the considerable increase in playing time, the senior forward averages four rebounds per game. By and large, comparing last season to this season, Andre Berry has arguably made the greatest improvement, among his Rhode Island teammates.
No one may have predicted it but #34 has become a main weapon in the Rhode Island men's basketball team's arsenal.
