Basketball fraternity remembers former national player ‘Fat’ Wayne Andries

Oct 02, 2018 Sports

Bottom centre shows ‘Fat’ Wayne Andries with other players after a workout in New York. Immediately behind him stooping is former National basketball captain James Brusche.

‘Fat’ Wayne Andries

News of the death of former shooting guard Wayne Andries also known as ‘Fat Wayne and Bouncer’ hit these shores after a battle with cancer last Saturday morning, basketball aficionados have poured in on his passing knowing his impact as a player from the Linden.
He leaves to mourn his wife Suzette and son Christopher aged 17 and daughter Christine aged 21 who was the last person to have spoken to her father at the Wycliffe Hospital in New York before he died last Tuesday morning.
Andries, who first started out as a player with 76ers in the Linden area, then later Wismar Pistons, was known for his aggressive style.
Leading the outpouring of condolences was President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation Nigel Hinds who said of the 53 year old stalwart, “His passing is an unwelcome surprise to the Basketball community. He was an exceptional basketball player for Linden and Guyana and the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation on behalf of all Guyanese wishes to express their condolences to the family and friends of Wayne.”
Hinds further stated: “Wayne Andries as a player was capable of scoring 40 plus points in any game against the best of opponents; and this he did on multiple occasions. We will miss Wayne and his exploits on and off the basketball court. He was a friend to basketball in words and deeds, a special friend indeed.”
The first president of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association, Al McDonald Chapman, remembered the first encounter he had with young Andries was when he spotted the aspiring talented lad in 1982 on the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court where he enquired of him and others around to show how to bounce ball.
Another pioneer of the game in Linden, Frank Fraser being the first Secretary of LABA, recalls the outstanding player that Andries was and wondered about his shooting prowess as he expressed condolences to the wife and family of the former national player.
Secretary of the LABA, Joe Chapman, said the LABA has expressed deep regrets on his passing ‘even though we knew he was terminally ill.”
Back in the early 80s Andries first drew attention to himself as a player with the 76ers and by 1989 joined his best friends Lloyd Ross and Robert Byass to form the Wismar Pistons.
That same year he got his first national call up to face Barbados at home here. Two years later he was selected along with Robert Byass, Abdulla Hamid and Tappin to the Caribbean basketball championships in Jamaica.
There he got his highest score for the national team with a game high 23 against in a loss to Barbados.
Among those who visited Andries during the last days were former national captains James Brusche, and Auric Tappin, former National coach John Davidson, Lloyd Ross, Robert Byass, Linden Alphonso, Raymond Padmore and Gary Stephens among others.
Former national Women’s Coach Linden Alphonso acknowledged the daring player that Andries was.
This was brought to the fore when a German semi professional side visited Guyana and Andries was among the couple of standout players in that series.
He said: “Andries was, arguably, the best local player on show against the German semi pro team. Subject to correction, he had scores of 18 and 19.”
This was against the backdrop, Alphonso noted, that it was “when almost everybody else, with the exception of Dane Kendall who was the other exception, seemed intimidated by the 7 footers.”
Cecil Chin, the former standout FIBA Referee and national player said, “Wayne was one of a string of players (guard) who possessed the skills and attitude of an intelligent basketball player, he played at every level with a passion that gave selectors no choice but to be elevated to wear the National Uniform which, I must say, with a quality degree of pride.”