Q&A: Milwaukee F D’Andre Downey Has Gophers Offer and Lots of Athleticism (w/ video)

Q&A: Milwaukee F D’Andre Downey Has Gophers Offer and Lots of Athleticism (w/ video)

Milwaukee Forward D’Andre Downey Has Gophers Offer and Lots of Athleticism
By Chris Monter

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/133103?referrer_id=

D’Andre Downey, a 6-foot-8 junior forward from Milwaukee Riverside, played in the Twin Cities recently in the East Metro Showcase. Downey, who has a Minnesota offer, recently became eligible for the Tigers, who are 13-3 and ranked No. 5 in Division I (Wisconsin’s biggest class). Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith and assistants Saul Smith and Vince Taylor recently watched Downey and senior teammate Philip Nolan play against Hopkins.

Downey is a long, athletic player with good shot blocking skills. He needs to continue to improve his offensive range as he scores most of his baskets around the hoops. Downey runs the floor well, but like Nolan, he needs to get stronger and improve his rebounding.

GopherHole recently caught up with Downey to learn the latest on his recruitment.

Gopher Hole: How does it feel to be back on the court?

D’Andre Downey: I feels great. Get back in shape and get back on the court. It feels good. Real good.

Gopher Hole: I know that you are a competitive kid. Was it tough to not be able to be out there and help your teammates?

D’Andre Downey: It was real tough, especially watching the loss to East Troy. It was tough

Gopher Hole: What things were you able while you were sitting out to continue to improve yourself as a player?

D’Andre Downey: I worked hard in practice. That’s all I could do, so I worked hard in practice and got back on top of stuff and got back on the court.

Gopher Hole: What is the latest on your recruitment? What schools are you hearing from right now?

D’Andre Downey: Mainly, Minnesota and Creighton. Georgia and DePaul, also.

Gopher Hole: What schools have offered you so far?

D’Andre Downey: Minnesota and Green Bay.

Gopher Hole: Have you had a chance to go to any college games at all this year?

D’Andre Downey: No.

Gopher Hole: Are you going to try to visit some schools after the season is done?

D’Andre Downey: That is what I am going to do after the end of the season.

Gopher Hole: Who are you playing for AAU-wise this spring and summer?

D’Andre Downey: The DTA Spartans.

Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?

D’Andre Downey: They are telling me about the team and that it would be a good fit for me to go there, because they fit my playing style.

Gopher Hole: Have you been to Minnesota at all to visit?

D’Andre Downey: No. I haven’t been there yet.

Gopher Hole: Do you like playing these tough games where you play good opponents to get you ready for the playoffs?

D’Andre Downey: I like playing tough teams because it gets me better as a person and as a basketball player. Playing against teams like that is going to help you get better and prepare you for what’s next.

Gopher Hole: Do you also see things that you need to work on team-wise and individual-wise?

D’Andre Downey: In games like this, you see a lot of things that you can be working on, like where to get the ball and how intense you have to play.

Gopher Hole: When you decide on a college, what are going to be main things that are going to make you pick one school over another?

D’Andre Downey: A good academic program and a good athletic program.

Gopher Hole: Does location matter much? Do you want to stay somewhat close to home or does that matter?

D’Andre Downey: Location really don’t matter.

Gopher Hole: Was grades the reason you had to sit out the beginning of the season?

D’Andre Downey: Yes. It was grades.

Gopher Hole: Was that a learning experience for you that you have to take school more seriously?

D’Andre Downey: It taught me a lot about myself. And what I could do and what I can’t do. It helped build character not being out on the court, due to grades. It showed the importance of grades.

Here is video:

http://vimeo.com/20966113

Usually game tape makes a kid look better than he is. This guys game tape is not impressive at all. Hopefully he's improved a ton since this was taken.

Stan said:

Usually game tape makes a kid look better than he is. This guys game tape is not impressive at all. Hopefully he's improved a ton since this was taken.

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I would have to agree. Tucking in your pants and standing on the free throw line is not game tape. He will also need to live in the weight room if he wants to bang in the Big Ten.

Stan said:

Usually game tape makes a kid look better than he is. This guys game tape is not impressive at all. Hopefully he's improved a ton since this was taken.

Click to expand...

I definitely thought that as I was watching it. Certainly wasn't a reel of "highlights" like most of the stuff on the internet tends to be. With that said, I kind of appreciated this video for that very reason. It didn't just showcase certain plays of his that were eye-popping, it showed how he plays, things he might need to work on, etc.

For the record, this video is from last season (I believe), when Downey was a sophomore. So who knows how much he has improved in the past year?

A couple things that I took away from the video: he's definitely lanky and athletic. Pulled down a bunch of rebounds in crowds using his long arms and athleticism, but he'd obviously have to work much harder for those boards in a Big Ten game. Good hands on D, got after it a little bit on the defensive end which I'm sure Tubby loves. Could use some work finishing around the rim and going up strong. Really needs to do a lot of work to bulk up, but who doesn't at that age.

To gauge the competition: As some of you know, Rufus King (the opponent in the video) is a pretty consistent Division 1 powerhouse in Wisconsin. Last year, they finished 22-3, with two of their losses coming to Riverside. Of course, Riverside also got crushed by Hopkins up in Minny this season (and also lost to King), so take that for what it's worth.

Riverside is pretty close to my stomping grounds in Milwaukee, so I'll see what I can do about getting down to see Downey and Nolan. It's tough not having a plethora of YouTube videos up for some of these guys.

920/414 Gopher said:

I definitely thought that as I was watching it. Certainly wasn't a reel of "highlights" like most of the stuff on the internet tends to be. With that said, I kind of appreciated this video for that very reason. It didn't just showcase certain plays of his that were eye-popping, it showed how he plays, things he might need to work on, etc.

For the record, this video is from last season (I believe), when Downey was a sophomore. So who knows how much he has improved in the past year?

A couple things that I took away from the video: he's definitely lanky and athletic. Pulled down a bunch of rebounds in crowds using his long arms and athleticism, but he'd obviously have to work much harder for those boards in a Big Ten game. Good hands on D, got after it a little bit on the defensive end which I'm sure Tubby loves. Could use some work finishing around the rim and going up strong. Really needs to do a lot of work to bulk up, but who doesn't at that age.

To gauge the competition: As some of you know, Rufus King (the opponent in the video) is a pretty consistent Division 1 powerhouse in Wisconsin. Last year, they finished 22-3, with two of their losses coming to Riverside. Of course, Riverside also got crushed by Hopkins up in Minny this season (and also lost to King), so take that for what it's worth.

Riverside is pretty close to my stomping grounds in Milwaukee, so I'll see what I can do about getting down to see Downey and Nolan. It's tough not having a plethora of YouTube videos up for some of these guys.

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Is Riverside on the Kenosha side of Milwaukee? If so I could TRY to get there to see a game or two, would be difficult though.

zambam said:

Is Riverside on the Kenosha side of Milwaukee? If so I could TRY to get there to see a game or two, would be difficult though.

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Unfortunately not. It's on the East Side (on Locust) a few blocks from UWM.

Their last game of the season is on Thursday the 23rd at Hamilton High. That's pretty much the only thing remotely close to what you're looking for:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Hamil...t+Avenue,+Milwaukee,+WI&radius=15000&t=m&z=12

It looks like they played at Kenosha Bradford back in December. Go figure.

Actually, if I remember right a bus that has a stop outside of my school (Carthage) that goes to Milwaukee stops at UWM so I could maybe make it to a game, if I find the time.

The "Kenosha side of Milwaukee"?!

If you go, stop over at Oakland Gyros.

Downey and Riverside played two games at St Paul Johnson in January. Downey and Riverside looked very good Friday night, but Riverside got destroyed by Hopkins on Saturday. Downey looks the part athletically, but does need to gain some strength. He didn't jump out as a can't miss prospect, but I can see why the Gophers are following him. It was disappointing to read about the grade concerns.

Great. Another kid who can't shoot. A perfect Tubby recruit.

Gopher Warrior said:

If you go, stop over at Oakland Gyros.

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Excellent recommendation, GW.

And CDH, I was also a little disappointed with the news about his grades, but we'll see how he responds to that wake up call of being suspended. A lot of kids, myself included, really loaf(ed) through high school because they aren't pushed as hard as they should be. Hopefully, as a 16-17 year old kid, he sees the importance of staying on top of school and this doesn't happen again.

WISSPORTS has him as the 12th ranked junior in the state of Wisconsin. Shows him averaging 10 points per game. Not all schools report the stats on a timely basis so I wouldn't focus on that.

Height: 6'8"
Position: F/C
Class: 2013
Profile:
A long, athletic forward who can run the floor, rebound and block shots. Offensive game is developing, but his upside is outstanding as he continues to grow, gain strength and develop his skills.
Colleges:
NCAA Division I scholarship offers from Green Bay and Minnesota.