The Record: Hard Working Player Rewarded With MVP Award

By: Mark Bryson, Record staff

Retrieved From: The Waterloo Region Record

His mother was tired of him sitting around after school and not doing much of anything.

So Lucy Mwangi encouraged her son to get off the couch and give basketball a try.

Four years later, Andrew Mwangi is the most valuable player in the District 8 senior boys basketball league. The Resurrection student was honoured Wednesday night as the District 8 all-stars faced their District 10 counterparts at the University of Guelph.

The MVP nod caps a remarkable season for Mwangi, whose game improved dramatically throughout the course of the year as he made the transition from post player to wing. The Grade 11 student played a leading role for a Phoenix squad that won the District 8 title and fell just shy of reaching the Central Western Ontario championship game.

“I was actually kind of surprised. I didn’t think it would be me because I thought there were a lot of other guys who stepped up,” said the six-foot-four Mwangi. “I really hadn’t given it any thought because I figured it would go to someone in Grade 12 or someone leaving school.”

“It means a lot though. It’s like a culmination of all the hard work and practice.”

Hard work is nothing new for Mwangi, whose family came to Canada from Kenya just five years ago. He’s an articulate youngster who speaks with no hint of an accent, a dedicated student and someone who gives everything he has on the basketball court.

He’s also quick to spread the love around, saying his Rez teammates played a huge role in his MVP award. He singled out coaches Matt Kras and Patrick Buchholtz as people who helped him take his game to a higher level.

“He’s a good worker in school and works very hard on the court, too,” said Kras. “He played out of position to start the season but he developed into a good outside shooter and he was starting to put the ball on the floor and taking it to the hoop.”

Mwangi was also a leader on the Phoenix junior squad that won CWOSSA one year earlier. All in all, it’s a rather impressive stretch for someone who only started shooting hoops while in Grade 7 at St. John’s Catholic School. Until then, his only athletic achievements had been on the soccer pitch.

Mwangi looks back on the D8 title game victory over St. Mary’s as the team highlight of the year and his rim-rocking dunk against Guelph Centennial at CWOSSA as his favourite moment.

Mwangi continues to work on his skills with the K-W Vipers and will be counted on to play an even larger role next season when the Phoenix will be one of the teams to beat in Waterloo Region. With a significant chunk of the team returning, Mwangi figures the Phoenix will be capable of winning CWOSSA in 2011.

As for repeating as MVP as a Grade 12 player, Mwangi knows he’ll have to continue improving.

“I think everyone will come back next year bigger and better, so you have to put in all the work and expect anything. Nothing is handed to you,” he said. “Just because I got it this year doesn’t mean I’ll win it next year unless I’m going to put in all the work and effort I did this year.”

Mwangi also has another goal heading into next season, one that is beyond his control.

“I’m actually crossing my fingers. I’d like to be six-six or six-seven by next season and then I can retire,” he laughed.