Andrew Vose knows
how to make a point

By Joe Mason
For the Times

When Andrew Vose was an eighth-grader at the Austin Meehan Middle School, he wasn’t much of a basketball player. In fact, Vose, who was tall for his age, did shoot around at the playground but he never seriously considered playing for an organized team.
That was until he wound up at Father Judge High School. He went out for the basketball team and became a pretty good player during his freshman and sophomore years.
As a 6-foot-3 freshman, Vose was a natural for the Crusaders’ freshman team.
Now, as a 6-foot-6 senior, he’s just a natural team leader.
“I’ve come a long way because of the coaches here,” Vose said. “When I got here, I really didn’t know much at all about basketball. They taught me everything and they helped me come along, slowly.
“Last year I became a starter, but I was just out there to do the little things,” Vose continued. “I was more of a rebounder and a defensive player because we had all those good seniors. They were the leaders, the scorers, and I was just out there to add help.”
But as players like Kevin Lynch and Ryan Walker graduated, it was up to players like Bob Zanneo, Tom Ryan and Vose to score more.
No problem.
Vose has been Mr. Consistency for the Crusaders, scoring double-digit point totals in 11 of the team’s 15 games in Catholic League Northern Division play.
In Judge’s final game of the regular season on Sunday, Vose poured in a team-high 16 points to help the Crusaders down Archbishop Wood, 63-50, and in the process clinch a preplayoff berth. Judge will now take on La Salle on Wednesday night at Cardinal Dougherty. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The winner will meet top-seeded North Catholic in the first round of the Catholic League playoffs at Archbishop Ryan, a game scheduled for Feb. 16 at 4 p.m.
The Crusaders are still alive in the playoff hunt because of Vose’s ability to put up points. But he hasn’t forgotten what got him on the floor to begin with.
“Scoring is fun, and when you score, you get people talking about you and that’s always nice,” Vose said with a smile. “But I know I’m the rebound and defense guy. That’s why I got out there, so I still try to do that.
“I had seventeen rebounds (on Friday night, a 67-54 win over Cardinal Dougherty) and I didn’t score a lot, but that was fine,” Vose continued. “I like scoring, everyone likes scoring, but sometimes you have to do the other things to win. We all do that to help the team.”
Which makes Father Judge coach Frank Cahill very happy.
“Andrew is vital to our success,” Cahill said. “When he‘s not on the floor, we lose something. He just goes out and grabs every rebound, and he’s developed into a great player.
“Plus, he’s an A-student, and he works hard in school and at practice. He’s tough, but if there‘s a case of a kid being too nice, it’s Andrew. I can’t say enough about him.”
Vose admits he has plenty of support.
His brother, Robert, is a huge fan.
His grandmother, Alma Bernstein, also is a huge supporter.
“My mom was real sick when I was a freshman,” he said, explaining that a liver disease subsequently claimed her life. “The rest of my family has been really good to me. I’ve lived with my grandmother since then. She lived right around the corner from me and she’s been really great.
“Plus my brother actually helped me get into Judge. He didn’t want me going to Lincoln or anything like that, so he called around and he found Judge. I’m pretty lucky because I’ve had a lot of help.”
And next year, he hopes to give back.
When his mother was sick, Vose fondly recalls, nurses did their best to ease her pain.
Next year, he hopes to continue his basketball career while studying nursing. Maybe some day he can return the favor.
“Being a nurse would be pretty cool because you can actually make someone who is feeling bad feel a little better,” Vose said. “I visited a few nursing schools and it’s really something I could see myself doing.”
Of course, that will come after his days as a Crusader are over.
Hopefully that will include four more games.
“We’ve been on a roll lately,” Vose said. “La Salle is tough, and that’s the first thing we have to worry about, but if we play the way we can, we could do pretty well. Hopefully we’ll win a few games and have a little fun.” ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com