Huskers land surprise commit from 2020 C Eduardo Andre
Nebraska had one remaining scholarship for its 2020 class, and out of the blue Fred Hoiberg and Co. found someone to fill it.
The Huskers landed a commitment from 2020 Chandler (AZ) Compass Prep center Eduardo Andre on Tuesday.
Andre chose the Huskers over other offers from Illinois, Auburn, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Boston College, Houston, San Diego State, South Florida, and more.
With his addition, Nebraska is now full on scholarships for the 2020-21 season.
Andre told Rivals that one of the main reasons he picked NU was because of how honest and direct Hoiberg was in the recruiting process. In many ways, Andre liked Hoiberg’s constructive criticism just as much, if not more, than any praise about his game.
“He was saying some stuff about my shooting and the fact that he wanted to work with me on it,” Andre said. “I felt like if he wants to work with me in that way, he's being sincere. A lot of coaches don't say that. They just want to gas you up so they can get you."
Andre is a skilled 6-foot-10 lefty originally from Angola who moved to London when he was four years old. He didn’t start playing organized basketball until he was 15, but he quickly developed and came to the United States as a freshman in high school.
He spent his first three seasons at Dallas (Texas) Woodrow Wilson High School and then transferred to Compass in Arizona for his senior year.
A breakout summer on the AAU circuit in 2019 with the Dallas Mustangs program vaulted Andre into the 2020 Rivals150, but he dropped out this past winter just because he didn't get evaluated enough.
When the final 2020 rankings come out later this summer, though, it sounds like there’s a chance he’ll make his way back onto the list.
As for how he hopes to contribute in Nebraska’s veteran-heavy rotation next season, Andre said he’s willing to do anything he can to make an impact, especially on the defensive end.
“I like playing defense, and I like that even more than scoring sometimes,” Andre said. “I'm just ready to come in and do anything I can to help."
Rivals national basketball analyst Eric Bossi has kept tabs on Andre since first seeing him at the Pangos All-American Camp last year. While he thinks Andre still has work to do, Bossi sees plenty of potential.
“I remember being there on opening night (of the 2019 Pangos camp) and I just kept looking at my roster to see who No. 86 was because I liked the way he ran the floor for a guy his size and that he kept playing hard even when he didn’t get the ball,” Bossi said. “He showed some bounce on the interior, looked to have decent hands and some touch as well, so we threw him into the Rivals150 after watching and researching him more.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get a good look at him the rest of the summer and when we saw Compass play during the winter, he wasn’t yet active on the roster, so we didn’t feel we could fairly rank him.
“Given that he’s still new to the game and that neither myself or anybody on our staff has been able to scout him as much as we have others, I want to be conservative in an evaluation. But he’s no reach, and he’s got some legitimate ability and upside as he continues to get more experience.”
Andre knows he’ll have to earn his minutes this season as the lone true freshman on Nebraska’s roster, but as a player who prides himself on excelling at the little things, he’s got a good idea of how to make his mark.
"I'm going to compete every day and I want to win,” Andre said. “That's really my goal."