Pirates player a perfect fit
For whatever reason, many of us get a little fidgety when performers in the public eye speak openly about their religious faith. But that doesn’t stop Rogers High School senior Andrew Durant, a three-sport Pirate star for the past four years, from talking about it. He’s not a one-trick pony, but he’s certainly not reluctant to say that faith is an important part of his life.
“The way I go about my day, everything I do, is because of that,” he said. “It means a lot to me no matter where I go and helps me to try to always do the right thing. It’s important to me to respect everyone I encounter, and that’s what I expect in return.”
Both his athletic and academic careers at Rogers have been remarkably successful. He’s a 3.9 student in the classroom, and by the time he’s done playing, he’ll have earned a total of 10 letters, including four in baseball.
He’s been a starter from, well, the beginning for Rogers baseball coach Jim Wasem Jr., who has never been reluctant to put a talented freshman on the diamond, and he immediately liked what he saw in Durant more than three years ago.
“Andrew’s one of the best kids I’ve ever coached in 30-some years,” Wasem said. “He’s not only a great player, but he’s got a great attitude and he’s the kind of all-around nice kid you like to have around.
“He’s gonna be missed here — it’ll be a sore spot when he leaves. He’s a quiet leader who leads by his actions. As a kid, he’s still the same solid young man he was as a freshman. As an athlete, he’s grown tremendously and worked hard to polish his techniques. He’s one of the top shortstops in the league, and I wouldn’t trade him for any of the others.”
Durant, who played quarterback in football and was a shooting guard for the Pirate basketball team, appreciates that he was able to get playing time right away at Rogers. Baseball’s his favorite sport, so although he was a backup at shortstop his freshman year, he wasn’t complaining as long as he was in the lineup.
This season, he’s looking for some big things from the Pirates, who’ve been young the past two years but are well-seasoned now, with veterans Chad Como, Jacob Partridge and Jacob Campbell joining Durant as Rogers headliners.
He clicked right away with Wasem, whose love for baseball is there for all to see.
“Was is so passionate about the game, and his players buy into it,” Durant said. “His philosophy is that whatever you do, you should work hard at it and leave everything better than you found it. He always says that practice is one thing, but perfect practice is another.
“It’s been a perfect fit for me, because I love to work hard, especially in baseball. There’s really no offseason, because I work at it all year round. Baseball’s a sport where you have the opportunity to improve individually just working by yourself. More than other sports, it’s possible to visualize how you want to do something, then do it.”
When Wasem starts listing Durant’s strengths, there’s nothing about his game that goes unmentioned.
“Andrew brings a full plate every day,” his coach said. “He’s like a second coach, the way he listens and is able to show the other kids how to do things the right way, both on and off the field. That helps because kids learn more easily when it’s from one of their own guys. Andrew’s the kind of kid you win with, no matter how good a coach you are.”
Durant is still weighing his possibilities for next year, which include Whitworth University and a couple of Pac-10 schools.
And wherever he finds himself, and as amazed as he is by how fast the last four years have gone by, he’s ready for new challenges, feeling prepared by his parents, teachers and coaches and, always, motivated by his faith.