Recruiting Report: Andre Bottoms (2020)
Starting since your freshman year of high school is impressive enough, but starting as a freshman point guard on one of the most talented teams in Hampton Roads is another story. That’s exactly what Oscar Smith junior guard Andre Bottoms did three seasons ago when he entered Smith, and he hasn’t looked back from that day.
Since then, Bottoms has helped lead Oscar Smith to a record of 63-10 over the past three years, and the Tigers currently sit at 21-1 with the #1 seed in the Class 6 Region A playoffs. While he’s played on some talented teams and this one may be the best one he’s been on, the role for Bottoms has changed over time, and this year he feels like their success hinges on how he leads the team and closes out games.
“For me, this year it’s been on me late in the games, make sure I have the ball at the end of the game to close it out the right way,” Bottoms said. “Over the years it has kind of been the same but this year it’s been a bigger role for me. We have more guards that can do some things like me but we just want to make sure we keep pushing the whole way and we should be good.”
Since his freshman year, Bottoms has showed great instincts on the basketball and on the defensive end. He’s a floor general who can get you into your sets, and he sets the tone on both ends of the floor for his team. However, he has recently improved his perimeter jump shot, making him more of a threat every time he crosses half court and making him more difficult to guard.
It’s been a long time coming, and it wasn’t without hard work that he got to where he is.
“Every day after practice I’ve been getting up shots, every day since my freshman year,” he said. “Doing it every single day and it’s starting to come out and I just do what I got to do during the game and at the end of the game, just keep playing my hardest.”
The improvement hasn’t gone unnoticed either by college coaches who have been swarming the gym since the fall to see Bottoms and other talented Smith guys. He received early offers from Norfolk State and Hampton a few years ago, and now he says he’s been in regular contact with schools such as Radford, ECU, Elon, JMU and Longwood, among others.
While his recruitment is picking up steam, it’s the time of the year where all of that is put aside. He’s not worrying about his recruitment or what AAU team he’s playing for, he’s focused on helping his team win because he feels like this group is the one who should be able to get it done in March.
“We have to keep closing out games the right way and stop being so sloppy down the stretch,” he said. “If we keep working hard in practice and playing as hard as we can in the games we should come out with the win every time.”
With all of that being said, when asked why college coaches should continue to recruit him he gave me a bevy reasons.
“I feel like I’m a really good point guard and floor general. I get my guys involved, I can score when I have to, I play on both ends of the floor and play hard on defense. I’ve been working on my rebounding too and think I have the total package on both ends of the floor.
With his frame, instincts and great work ethic, Bottoms is definitely climbing up rankings and recruiting boards with his play. Another thing that always looks good on a point guard’s resume is a state championship, and the Tigers have the opportunity to get it done this year if he’s able to lead them.