LVR Bomber grad Eric D'Andrea joins Mariner teammates at CCAA Nationals
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Former L.V. Rogers Bomber Eric D’Andrea is off with the Vancouver Island University Mariners to the CCAA National Men’s Basketball Championship held this week at Holland University in Prince Edward Island.
D’Andrea, in his fifth season with the Mariners, helped the Nanaimo-based squad capture the PACWEST crown for the third straight season with a 94-77 victory over the Capilano Blues recently in the conference championship game.
VIU meets George Brown of Toronto in the opening game of the tournament Thursday at 9 a.m. PDT.
The Mariners shot 49 percent from the field in the victory and were led by tournament MVP Usama Zaid.
Zaid collected a game high 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Bryson Cox was equally impressive scoring 19 points, had nine rebounds and seven assists and was named the player of the game.
D’Andrea, attending VIU on a Bacherlor of Arts degree, came off the bench to finish with five points in 13-plus minutes of playing time while shooting 2-4 from the field.
D’Andrea averaged 7.1 points per game during the season during 22.6 minutes per game.
VIU won the regular season PACWEST title with a 16-2 record.
D’Andrea was coached by Ross Naka at LVR during his high school career before heading off to attend Thompson Rivers University.
The 6’6” forward later transferred to Vancouver Island University and was part of the CCAA National Champion squad in 2013 and PACWEST silver medalist squad in 2014.
George Brown is a wild-card entry into the tournament after losing to Sheridan College in the Ontario College Athletic Association Championship.
