Published: June 02, 2008 11:55 pm      

FSU signs Andrew Gunnoe

FAIRMONT — Bad weather never deterred Andrew Gunnoe from working on his game.

“I remember being a little kid and bundling up so I could go out in the snow and play basketball,” he said. “It’s always been a love of mine and I’ve always prided myself on working hard to get better.”

Perhaps more than anything it was Gunnoe’s drive and relentless work ethic, coupled with a wealth of basketball potential, which prompted Fairmont State head men’s basketball coach Tim Murphy to offer the 6-6, 195-pound Summers County standout forward a chance to play for the Falcons next season at the college level.

“Andrew is a high-IQ, hard-nosed basketball player who is athletic and plays extremely hard,” said Murphy. “When we had him here for a visit he really impressed me with the way he played. He hustled every single minute he was on the floor and I couldn’t get that out of my mind. You’ve got to love kids like that.

“He’s the type of player who is only going to continue to get better because of his work habits.”

Gunnoe, an intelligent, extremely polite and well-spoken young man, says he knew he had one chance to impress on his visit to Fairmont and wanted to make the most of it.

“I was there for a reason and I knew I’d have to work hard to impress coach,” said Gunnoe. “I went in saying to myself that whether I was the best player on the court or not I was going to try my hardest and play my hardest so no one could doubt me in that area.”

No one did and anyone who knows anything about Class AA basketball in the state of West Virginia knows Gunnoe has a wealth of potential in front of him at the NCAA Division II level.

Gunnoe averaged 23.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game this past season for Summers County which lost 70-68 to Bluefield in the Class AA Region VII title game and ended the season with a 19-6 record. Gunnoe finished with 25 points in that contest and wound up fourth in the state of West Virginia this season in scoring. He also turned in the highest single-game scoring performance in the state this season when he dropped 50 points on Liberty in a 113-47 Summers County victory.

Gunnoe was a first-team Class AA All-State selection this year and last season when he averaged 23.8 points per outing he was a second-team all-state pick. He finished his prep career with well over 1,000 points and will take part in the annual North-South All-Star Basketball Game as a member of the South All-Stars on Friday, June 20 at the South Charleston Community Center.

“I’m pretty athletic, but there’s definitely some things I really want to work on this summer to get ready for college ball,” said Gunnoe. “I plan on working hard to get stronger and I really want to improve my jump shot for college. A lot of my game is driving and creating things, but I can shoot from the outside. I just really want to be a true inside-outside threat in college.

“Fairmont plays that style of ball where they have a lot of shooters and I really like that. I saw them play a couple of times and like I said I really liked their style. I also met coach Murphy and some of the guys on the team and I immediately liked them. I’m also pretty impressed with the school and it’s close to Morgantown which is another big plus for me.”

Like most youngsters, Gunnoe had big dreams as a child. He’s a born and raised West Virginia University fan who had hopes of playing for the Mountaineers one day on the hardwood. He, however, says now FSU is not a bad second choice.

“Fairmont State is the closest school to WVU so that’s not bad,” he said with a laugh. “Seriously, though, it’s a great opportunity. To play college ball has always been my dream and I’m excited about coming to Fairmont and being part of a successful program there.”

Gunnoe has not yet decided upon a college major, but indicated that he is leaning toward something in the business field.