Last Saturday as Dustin Andrews was guarding Central Missouri power forward Sanijay Watts in the post, Watts put his shoulder into Andrew’s chest and Andrews fell to the ground, drawing a charge.
As he ran past UCM coach Kim Anderson on the sideline, Anderson had a few choice words for Andrews, who he thought flopped. Andrews’ reaction to Anderson’s yelling was his signature smile.
The junior guard is used to irritating the you-know-what out of the opposition. He’s the guy whom opposing players, fans and coaches love to hate. Standing just 6-foot-3, Andrews is often asked to guard the other team’s power forward, as Emporia State coach David Moe prefers to play four guards.
“I love it,” Andrews said. “I love to get down there and bang with the post. ... I love when they get so frustrated because I get lower than they do. They just get frustrated and start yelling at the refs and I smile at the refs.”
Andrews is a rare breed. Not only does he love playing defense, but this season he’s accepted being a role player in his third season with the Hornets, even though he’s the most experienced player in the program. Of course, it wasn’t always that way.
Andrews arrived at Emporia State after a successful high school career at Lee’s Summit North, and he choose ESU over several Division I schools. His freshman year he thought he would play and contribute. Moe had a veteran team and he already had a rotation in mind that did not include Andrews.
“I thought I should have been playing more and I thought I was doing pretty well in practice and should have been getting a little bit more time, but apparently he didn’t think so,” Andrews said. “We butted heads my freshman year and even a little bit in my sophomore year.”
Andrews would try to impress in practice by trying to make spectacular plays, but that was not the way to Moe’s heart or into his rotation.
Eventually Andrews figured that out last season, and when the Hornets lost Wes Book to injury, Andrews worked his way into the lineup. He began to understand that Moe did not want him to be a star. Moe wanted Andrews to let his veteran teammates do the scoring, while he focused on defense, in particular guarding the opposition’s power forward.
“He saw that as his opportunity and he wanted to play,” Moe said, “and he was going to do what it took to play, and that was where his opportunity was.”
Coming into this season, Moe knew he could trust Andrews, and Andrews has played more minutes than any returning player and he’s the only returner to start every game.
“He knows everything that we want to do,” Moe said. “Knowing how we play makes a big difference, being able to do the things that we want to do defensively and offensively. He’s not having to think about it and not having to worry about getting on him for mistakes, because he knows there’s no more guessing anymore about what I want him to do. He knows how I want him to play. He knows how we want to play and that makes it a lot easier.”
Andrews has made it easy for Moe to leave him in the lineup. He’s averaging 5.9 points per game on 62.5 percent shooting. He had not missed a free throw all season until Saturday against the Mules, and he has the fewest turnovers of any of the ESU starters.
“I think this year I’m trying to be a role player, just do what coach wants me to do,” Andrews said. “Take the shot when it’s open. Take the drive when it’s there. Not force plays. Just try to be a role player.”
Andrews has benefited from letting newcomers Lamar Wilbern, Robert Moores and Jeremiah Box make plays off the dribble, while he spots up for open jumpers, which as his percentages indicate, he rarely misses.
“When I’m open and my feet are set, like both the coaches say, it’s got a pretty good chance of going in, and I believe that,” Andrews said. “My confidence is pretty high right now with my shooting.”
Andrews had his first off night shooting the ball against the Mules, going 2-for-5, but he still made a positive impact. When he was on the floor — he played 30 minutes — Emporia State outscored Central Missouri by five points. The Hornets lost the game by 17, struggling with the UCM pressure and turning it over 19 times. Andrews only had one turnover.
“He’s not stepping out of his element just because the other team is pressuring,” Moe said. “He’s reliable when he’s out there defensively and offensively.”
And Andrews is also reliable when it comes to getting under his opponents’ skin. He wouldn’t admit that he flopped against the Mules, but he makes sure every night to tell the officials: “Hey, I’m smaller than these guys.”
“I get away with a lot of stuff,” he said. “I’m down there and I’m hacking more than anybody. I get away with everything down there. I love it.”