Former Clarkston star Andrew Myers breaks down CMU transfer
Andrew Myers’ first college had about as many undergraduate students as his high school enrollment.
Now, along with over 25,000 others, he is a Chippewa.
Coming from Madonna University, the walk-on junior guard has enjoyed the past 10 months as a member of the Central Michigan men’s basketball team.
“It’s been pretty fun,” Myers said. “We started out hot and all the guys are pretty cool, so I’m enjoying it. I like Mount Pleasant. I was nervous going from a smaller school to a bigger school, but it’s not bad.”
In the 2016-17 season at Madonna, Myers started almost every single game. He was a four-year letter winner at Clarkson High School.
“It was a good experience,” Myers said. “We didn’t win a lot of games, but I liked my teammates and coaches. I just needed a change.”
Prior to making the move to Mount Pleasant, the guard was looking to transfer to an NAIA program or Division II school, but Myers’ coach at Clarkston, Dan Fife, helped put him in contact with CMU.
Then, Director of Basketball Operations DJ Mocini and Davis took him the rest of the way.
“I talked to DJ and he showed me around campus,” Myers said. “Then, I went into Keno’s office and we talked for 15-25 minutes. He seemed like a really good guy when I met with him.”
As a coach, Davis said he has to keep his eyes peeled on top high schools in the state of Michigan, including Clarkston, to help the Chippewas have success for years to come.
“There’s a lot of schools in the state that do an incredible job of developing players,” Davis said. “When you look at our roster, we are going to have players from in-state and out of state, but we need to evaluate in-state first.
“The idea of being able to be consistently successful comes with getting players from your backyard.”
Myers, while he could be playing this season following his transfer, is sitting out for the 2017-18 season as a redshirt.
“When you’re redshirting, you’re getting an opportunity to get minutes, even though it’s not game minutes,” Davis said. “You aren’t just sitting on the sideline. You get to go against the starting rotation and work with the scout group. That’s how we evaluate them for our program’s future.”
Before coming to CMU, Myers wasn't used to up-tempo, 3-point shooting offense coached by Davis. His first discussion about CMU’s play style came from senior forward John McCarty, who played for Clarkston’s rival, Lake Orion, in high school.
“I didn’t know a whole lot about (the offense at CMU), but John McCarty went to a rival school back in my area so I kind of talked to him about it,” Myers said. “It took me a couple weeks to get used to basketball again, but I feel like I can play with anybody now.”
Myers committed to Madonna the day he got an offer, Oct. 6, 2014, during his junior year at Clarkson. He had a lot of other NAIA schools recruiting him but never received an offer because he was locked in to play for the Crusaders.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound guard likes to push the ball on offense, play tough defense and pull up from downtown, which pleases Davis.
“When you shoot the ball, there’s an opportunity for you to play,” Davis said. “Coaches will find a spot for you if you can shoot at a high-percentage. Looking ahead, we’re going to be a lot deeper next year and have more opportunities to do different things.
“The future is bright.”
