By Rich Chrampanis
LINCROFT – As he stood at midcourt soaking in the applause of the home crowd following his record setting shot, it would have been perfectly acceptable for Pat Andree to take a moment and realize what he accomplished. After all, with names like John Crotty, Bob Roma and his head coach, Geoff Billet, on the list of all-time CBA greats, the fact that Andree stood above them all as the Colts all-time leading scorer afforded him the chance to think about what he has accomplished.
Instead, Andree and his coach stared straight into the cameras not even flashing a grin. At the time of his record setting shot, the outcome of the game was still in doubt against the Howell Rebels. It’s this mindset and attitude that is the exact reason that Pat Andree will forever be a part of CBA’s rich basketball history.
Andree needed 23 points to surpass the legendary Bob Roma as the Colts top scorer in history heading into the Howell game. With 15 points at the half, Andree opened the third quarter with three straight three pointers to get him to 1,672 career points. His record setting triple put the Colts ahead 44-42 and once the moment happened, the entire CBA team seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief and went on to a comfortable 69-52 win over the Rebels.
Following the game, Andree did take the time to smile and appreciate what he accomplished, but on a day where all the media wanted him to talk about was himself, he still made it about the team.
“This is actually a team achievement for me because all the guys I’ve played with over the last three years helped me get here. This was not just me,” Andree said. The forward then went on to illustrate his point by describing the three point shot that gave him the record. “The way I got it was a wide open look from a great rebound from my teammate. I’m just capitalizing on the hard work of my teammates who got me the ball.”
Towering over the majority of his competition at 6-foot-8, Andree can dominate in the paint with polished moves in the post and the basketball IQ to get great looks. But what makes him one of the all-time greats in CBA history is his total game. His ability to shoot three pointers is astonishing; you don’t expect to see a big man have the kind of range that is reserved for shooting guards. Just as impressive is his ability to distribute the basketball with the kind of no-look passes that you would normally see from an elite point guard.
“He’s the whole package – student, person, family. He’s the type of kid we want representing our school and our basketball program,” coach Geoff Billet said. “The points are great and I’m very happy that he got the record and is well deserving, but he’s become such a well rounded player and he’s worked so hard to do that. It’s been fun watching him develop over the past four years.”
The development will continue in the Patriot League when Pat begins his college basketball career playing for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. He chose to head to Pennsylvania over five other Division I offers including George Washington University in the higher profile Atlantic 10.
“I can tell it’s just a great team, they all love each other, a bunch of brothers just like CBA,” Andree said. “Just to get up there, I’m very excited, but first I want to win a Shore Conference championship and win a state title.”
The climb to the top of CBA immortality is an arduous one, which makes the fact that Andree’s wide open three to set the record is a little bit ironic. The good news for Colts basketball supporters is that Pat Andree isn’t done climbing. Perhaps the greatest part of his legacy is the fact that this humble and quiet superstar isn’t a “me” guy. The talk of records and accomplishments will most likely happen at CBA reunions and just like on the day he set the mark, it will be other people asking him the questions. In the halls of the Lincroft campus, the name Pat Andree will be talked about right alongside the all time greats from over six decades of championship.
