By Jennifer Halley - Copy Editor
A looming 6 feet 6 inches and 260 pounds, Andrey Avgi – known by his friends, family and the Western community as Andy – catches anyone’s attention as he walks through the door. He’s used to people looking up at him and gawking at his height. But Avgi’s height is not the only thing people notice about him.
Avgi is an animal on the basketball court. He proved that during this year’s basketball season, ending it strong as he became the only Wolf ever selected onto the NCAA All-American Basketball Team.
This is something he is not used to people staring at him for.
Simply put, being selected onto such a prestigious team “feels awesome,” Avgi said. “It actually caught me by surprise,” he added. “I didn’t think that I would be getting any other awards after my all-region awards.”
Well, he did. And he deserves every award he won. Avgi scored over 1,000 points this season, as well as being ranked third in GNAC for scoring, averaging 18.1 points per game. Additionally, he was ranked 10th in the conference for rebounding and third in field goal percentage, while also being named Player of the Year.
Pretty impressive, right?
“I definitely couldn’t have done it by myself; my teammates and coaching staff have the biggest part in my success,” Avgi said. “It isn’t just an individual award, even though only one person gets it. “
Another person he credits to his success? Girlfriend Dana Goularte, another one of Western’s successful athletes.
“Me and Andy met our freshman year here and have dated for three years,” Goularte said. “I love watching him play and have such a successful season.”
She added: “It was tough when we both were in season playing because we were busy and traveling but it was nice because we both understood the importance of putting in the time to our sport.”
Having a partner who is also deep in the basketball world helps this powerful pair not only stay on common ground, but “she knows what I am going through,” Avgi said. “I can talk to her about anything, and she would understand,” he added.
No achievement comes without definitive struggle, though and for Avgi, he stared that monster in the face a number of times.
“I had a appendectomy that took me out for a week,” he said. “That had to be the biggest struggle this year because it wasn’t basketball related and I had no control of that. “
Staying healthy and tending to injuries – making sure they didn’t get worse – were also some issues Avgi dealt with throughout the “long, exhausting” season.
On the court, Avgi is serious, determined and focused on winning. Off the court?
He’s a normal 22-year-old from Woodburn, a lover of burritos and fishing, and is the youngest in a family of three boys.
“It may seem like he’s a serious person on the floor but off the court, he is always joking around and is always making me laugh,” Goularte said. “He is one of the kindest people I know.”
Cherene O’Hara, a senior Communications major, echoed this when she said: “You get this really chill vibe [from him]; he seems really down to earth.”
She said Avgi would sit in the back of class, quietly saying “thank you” to everyone as they congratulated him on all his awards.
“Humble,” O’Hara added as an afterthought. “He’s very humble.”
Aside from friends, his girlfriend and coaches, family has been a huge influence on Avgi’s basketball career so far, another group of people he gives credit to.
“I would always watch my older brother John play when I was younger, and he was a big help in my development,” he said. “Also, my mom is important because she would make sure I got to every practice and games. She would always be there for support.”
Every athlete has their special ritual they do in order to prepare for the big game; for LaMarcus Aldridge: it’s tossing talcum powder into the air at the scorers’ table. For Avgi: he comes to the courts well before the game starts and gets a feel for the rims; it helps him get into the mindset of the night.
And to help him stay motivated throughout all the stress, exhaustion and pressure of the season?
“I hate to lose in anything [and] I love to win.”
Seems pretty basic, but for a dedicated athlete like Avgi, staying motivated is the biggest factor in whether or not he does well.
Basketball has ended. Avgi’s drive has not.
“I will just train in the off season and get better for the next season,” he said.
He added: “Just a big thanks to all the fans and everyone that came to our games. It is nice to have a big following. We really do appreciate it.”
