Huskies star Andrew Andrews on his late-game heroics, moving back to point guard

If there’s one player most identifiable with Washington’s rise back into the Pac-12 basketball title picture, Andrew Andrews is it.

The senior point guard is the Huskies’ leading scorer, has twice been named Pac-12 player of the week this season, and has established himself as Washington’s first option when the game is on the line, like in Thursday’s thrilling 86-84 win at UCLA.

“The drive to win always puts me in the right place at the right time,” Andrews said Friday on 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Danny, Dave and Moore” about his penchant for late-game heroics.

It hasn’t just been late in games where Andrews has found opportunities to succeed. He’s made a career out of it with the Huskies, whether it’s been sticking with UW when several teammates chose to transfer after last season, or being open to switching to a different position.

That latter has actually happened twice for Andrews, who moved from point guard to shooting guard when he first arrived, eventually settling into a talented backcourt with Nigel Williams-Goss, only to then move back to the point for this season to replace Williams-Goss after he transferred to Gonzaga.

“The process with me has been kinda crazy. I came here recruited as a point guard, and then when I got here we got Abdul Gaddy, so I kinda played the off-guard a little bit,” Andrews said. “I think the biggest transition with me was just moving back to the point guard spot and showing people I could play point guard. I think that’s where I flourished in high school and was really able to showcase my talents, and now I’m getting a chance to do the same thing this year.”

He’s certainly making the most of it, leading the conference at 21.3 points per game, a full four points ahead of second-place Josh Scott of Colorado, and dishing out a team-high 4.9 assists per game. Perhaps most surprising, though, is that the 6-foot-2 Portland native is also averaging 6.1 rebounds, landing him inside the top 20 of the conference.

That rebounding ability has been a huge plus for the 14-7 Dawgs, who are tied for second in the Pac-12 at 6-3 despite being one of the smaller teams in the conference.

“I think one thing I’m proud of is my rebounding,” Andrews said. “Our coaches have made it a point for the guards to come back and rebound. We know, especially with us being an undersized team, a lot of time our bigs have to be able to box out a lot … It’s on our part as guards to come back and rebound and give ourselves a chance to be in a position and get an extra possession.”