Andre Myers has been named the ITG Next 2022 Northeast Florida Male Basketball Player of the Year, presented by Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Baptist Health, and the Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute.
Myers is a 6-foot-3, 175-pound small forward who plays at Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville, Florida. He played in 74 games over three seasons, scoring 323 points while on the varsity Tigers team. Myers has committed to play collegiately at Edward Waters University in Jacksonville.
“They was recruiting me since I came here (Andrew Jackson) and all my coaches and family were like, ‘You can go JUCO (junior college), but it will be like a gamble,’” said Myers.
Myers is also focused on his academics and believes Edward Waters will help him develop as a student as well as an athlete.
“Just to be able to work on my academics and basketball at a good, you know, at the next level in college is very exciting,” said Myers.
While Myers has had a standout career at Andrew Jackson, playing basketball has not always been his dream. Football was.
“I’m technically a football player; I played football for like half of my life,” said Myers.
But, after getting cut at basketball tryouts, Myers decided to give it one more try his eighth-grade year. He made the eighth-grade team and fell in love with the sport of basketball.
“I made the eighth-grade team, and then everything since then I was like, ‘I love this game,’” said Myers.
Under head coach James Collins, Andrew Jackson has progressed in the playoffs every season Myers has played. In 2020 the team made the Elite Eight, and in 2021 the team made the Final Four in Class 3A.
The Tigers finished the 2021-22 season with a 29-3 overall record and played for the Florida Class 4A state championship. They ended up losing to Calvary Christian Academy by a score of 74-58.
“We had a lot of ups and downs towards the beginning of the season, but we kind of got focused towards where everything counts,” said Myers. “It just took a lot of work to get where we was, even though we came short at the end.”
Coach Collins played in the NBA for 10 years, so he knows all about pressure and is able to help the team come together when it is needed.
Aside from Myers, senior Stephon Payne is also committed to play at the next level and attend the University of the Incarnate Word in Texas. The Tigers will graduate six athletes this year, but they have a group of 11 juniors returning next season to look forward to.
Written by: Kennedie Weems
