IMG Basketball Academy standout David Andoh excels at the third annual Beach Blast
This past weekend, IMG Academies hosted the third annual Beach Blast tournament which involved 32 teams from 10 different states all throughout the Southeast. Including IMG Academies, numerous prestigious Academies attended the tournament to showcase their top unsigned prospects. The two day tournament had 360 of the top prep players competing in 48 games at IMG Basketball Academy’s world-class facilities in Bradenton, Fla.
As expected there were numerous standout players at the tournament, yet one of IMG Academies own seemed to stand out not only for his performance on the court but also his life story off it. 6-foot-7 high school senior, David Andoh has gained much interest from several mid-major programs like James Madison, Richmond and Fresno State. With a brother already playing at the Division 1 level, he has someone to look up to and learn from. Andoh’s family has had an interesting story that has allowed them to truly understand the meaning behind the saying “I’ve been around the block a time or two”. Over the past couple years the Andoh family have been to and from Montreal, Maryland, Arizona, California, and even Ghana before he found himself a home at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fl. After scoring 16 points in Friday’s opening round of the Beach Blast against Kingdom Prep of Lubbock, Andoh sat down with Bradenton Herald and discussed his story further:
Andoh, a 6-foot-7 high school senior, isn’t the only basketball player in his family. Andoh’s older brother, Enoch, is a senior at Bucknell.
Enoch stands two inches taller and has about 50 pounds on David, who weighs about 200 pounds. David said he has come close to beating his older brother in their 1-on-1 games.
But David has used those clashes to improve his game when confronting bigger bodies.
“He always dominates me. He’s just so much bigger than me,” said David, who is a small forward while Enoch is listed as playing a forward/center role at Bucknell.
Another key is getting concrete advice from Enoch on what to expect in all facets of going from high school to college, from the change in the game to going through recruiting.
New scenery, though, won’t be new for David Andoh.
He was born in Montreal, but moved around the United States as his father’s job dictated traveling.
His parents are back in Canada with his youngest brother, who is 10. David has another brother, a 14-year-old, who lives with his grandparents in Ghana where his father played soccer.
David Andoh bounced from Maryland to Arizona to California before landing in the Sunshine State for his senior year.
During those transitions, Andoh wasn’t set on basketball until his seventh- and eighth-grade years, when he developed promise on the hardwood.
“In seventh grade, I joined the Oakland Rebels, and I was kind of shaky, but picked it up a bit,” Andoh said. “After that, it skyrocketed, and my development grew.”
His game is versatile — Andoh can spot up jumpers from mid-range or beat his defender off the dribble and take it to the rim.
That and his character are what IMG’s Men’s National head coach Vince Walden pinpoints as things Andoh brings to the table.
“I think his greatest asset is his feel for the game,” Walden said. “He really can catch and change speeds, things of that nature. And also the ability to rebound the ball.”
