55 Jim Andrews

Jim Andrews was born September 1, 1951. Originally from West Virginia, he spent his sophomore and junior high school seasons in Centerville, Michigan, before his family returned to Lima, Ohio. At Bath High School, the 6-foot-11 center developed into one of the area’s dominant players, averaging 33.4 points and 18 rebounds as a senior. He set school single-game records with 50 points and 27 rebounds and averaged 26 points and 20 rebounds over his three-year prep career.

Kentucky assistant Joe B. Hall discovered Andrews almost by accident. Hall had stopped in Lima while traveling to scout another player when a gas station worker told him about a local big man putting up extraordinary numbers. After watching Andrews play, Hall invited him to see Kentucky face Tennessee. Andrews had considered playing for the Volunteers, but he preferred Kentucky’s faster, more open style and signed with the Wildcats in March 1969.

Andrews immediately showed his potential by leading Kentucky’s freshman team with averages of 28.4 points and 13.8 rebounds while shooting 55 percent from the field. His varsity career began slowly, but he announced his arrival as a sophomore by scoring 19 points in an 84-78 victory over previously unbeaten Oregon State. He finished that season averaging 6.5 points and five rebounds and played especially well during the NCAA Mideast Regional.

With Tom Payne leaving for the professional ranks, Andrews took over as Kentucky’s starting center in 1971-72. He opened his junior season with one of the finest performances of his career, scoring 37 points on 14-of-18 shooting in a 94-85 victory over Northwestern. Andrews went on to lead the Wildcats with 21.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, breaking Dan Issel’s Kentucky single-season field-goal percentage record by shooting 57.7 percent. He earned first-team All-SEC and All-NCAA Mideast Regional honors during Adolph Rupp’s final season as head coach.

Andrews remained the centerpiece of the program during Joe B. Hall’s first season. As a senior, he averaged 20.1 points and 12.4 rebounds while again receiving first-team All-SEC and All-Regional recognition. In the 1973 NCAA Tournament, he produced 30 points and 14 rebounds against Austin Peay before recording 23 points and 10 rebounds in the regional final against Indiana. At season’s end, he was presented with Kentucky’s most valuable player and outstanding senior awards.

In three varsity seasons, Andrews helped Kentucky compile a 63-21 record, win three SEC championships and make three NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the Elite Eight. He finished with 1,320 points, 783 rebounds and 43 double-doubles. Andrews averaged a double-double in each of his final two seasons and became the last Kentucky player to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive years.

The Seattle SuperSonics selected Andrews in the seventh round of the 1973 NBA draft, but he instead played professionally in Italy. He later returned to Kentucky as a paraprofessional on Hall’s staff and helped develop a generation of Wildcat post players that included Rick Robey, James Lee, Sam Bowie and Melvin Turpin. Long remembered as one of the most productive yet underrated centers in Kentucky history, Andrews was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.