Ande'a Cherisier: College Basketball Player, University of Delaware

The Ballers Magazine
17 hours ago
6 min read

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Ande'a Cherisier knew she wanted to play basketball at the highest level from a young age. Despite participating in a variety of sports growing up—including swimming, soccer, softball and volleyball—, there was something unique about the game of basketball that quickly captivated her. "I really enjoyed the aggressiveness. I loved the energy. I just loved everything about the game," Ande'a highlights. This was just the start. As she immersed herself in the sport, rebounding became her superpower. A superpower that not only earned her the nickname 'Shaq' over time, but also

Order Your Print Copies Here

opened the doors for her to inch closer to her dreams of playing basketball at the Division I (D-I) level. It was up from there. After starting her high school career at St. Timothy’s, Ande'a transferred to Saint Frances Academy (St. Frances) to elevate her game further and inch closer to her goals of playing D-I basketball. Sure enough, she did just that. Upon graduating from St. Frances, Ande'a embarked on her collegiate career at the University of Delaware. She hasn't looked back since. Currently in her junior year, Ande'a has remained rooted in her love for the game and fueled by her commitment to being the best version of herself both on and off the court. As she looks to the future, she is excited to continue strengthening her skills on the court, expanding her basketball IQ, and working towards an opportunity to play basketball at the professional level.

As you embarked on your collegiate career and made that transition from high school to college, how do you think your game elevated?

I feel like I developed a better IQ in basketball. I was just playing in high school. We don't really watch film in high school. They don't really go back and tell you what was wrong with the game. You know, we were always winning so it wasn’t a problem. I feel like in college, we focused on the IQ of the game—where I should be passing the ball, where I should be finishing, (etc). I think I also developed a leadership role here. Coming from St. Frances, I was a captain there. When I came in as a freshman, I was a leader when I came in. Although I didn't start my freshman year in the beginning, I worked for my spot. I knew I wanted to start, I knew I needed to make that happen, and that's what I did.

That’s awesome! Let’s dive more into taking that next step and embarking on your collegiate career at the University of Delaware. How did you know you wanted to call Delaware home for your college career?

When I came on my visit, I knew it was home. From the coaches to the players, I found my best friends. Even though the people that were here when I took my visit are not here anymore, I feel like they really are my sisters. Even the freshman class that came after me, they are my sisters. We're really cool. I can tell them anything and they can tell me anything. You know, we can fall apart and still figure out a way to be sisters. With my coaches…Coach Breezy was really one of the main reasons that I wanted to come to Delaware. She recruited me since she was at GW (George Washington University) and she went to St. Frances as well. I instantly connected with Breezy. Knowing that she's from St. Frances and we had this connection with basketball and winning…St. Frances is just a different place and it's not meant for everybody. You know, when I came in as a freshman, I was aggressive. I was talking my smack—that's what we do at St. Frances (*laughs*). I had to realize coming here that I couldn't do the same things I was doing at St. Frances because people get offended. People think it's disrespectful. It's never that, it’s just that that's how I was raised being at St. Frances. You know, we getting into the grill. We are trying to make each other better. We could talk all the smack in the world, but at the end of the day, it's out of love. That was something that me and Breezy both knew about each other, and that's how we connected. Even Coach Sarah (Jenkins), she's the most loving and caring person I know. She actually cares about your well-being. I've never met a coaching staff that actually cares and holds me accountable to be a better person. They’ve really helped me. They really care about the person I am and the person I am becoming.

Take us back to that transition from high school to college. What were some challenges that you faced early on?

One thing I would say was time management. When you go to class, do homework, and are also at the gym the majority of your time, time management is a big thing. On the court, I would say the biggest thing was fighting through pain. At my school, we run a lot. We run more than a lot of schools. All we do is run (*laughs*). I was not used to that coming from St. Frances, but I feel like my big jump from freshman year to now (stemmed) from that. I feel like I'm more prepared. I remember my freshman year summer, I died. It was bad. Being on the track, that wasn't for me. Now, they don't even recognize me from my freshman summer to now because I really worked at it. I was not trying to come back and be the same freshman I was when I came in. I knew that I had to push myself and push through the pain. I knew that if I could do it, anyone else could do it. You know, my coach always tells me: “Do what you don't like doing. You gotta learn to love what you don't love.”