Dec. 12, 2003
The Nova Notebook returns to its Friday format after three installments from Maui. This week director of media relations Mike Sheridan visits with senior forward Andreas Bloch.
That Andreas Bloch's arrival at Villanova came in the year 2000 seems wholly appropriate in retrospect. For in a new century in which the ability to adapt quickly to an ever-changing business and cultural landscape is considered vital, Bloch has proven quite skillful in adjusting to new realities.
Indeed, at critical points in his basketball life, the 6-8 senior from Germany has dealt with change.
It began at age 15 when he left his hometown to pursue a dream of a basketball career. It was there again two years later when he moved to Fresno, Cal., in an effort to land a college scholarship in America. The next year it was on to Villanova, 3,000 miles to the East. Next came a transition to a new Wildcat coaching staff in 2001.
Heck, Bloch even changed his college major for good measure.
"I'm kind of independent," states Bloch. "I like being on my own and I've learned that you have to be ready to deal with change."
His willingness to accept what is new has served Bloch well. Next week he will complete fall exams in his penultimate semester at Villanova. He is on target to graduate with a degree in Business Management next spring. And he has also provided a helping hand on the court in the early going for the Wildcats.
Bloch's most complete basketball moment at Villanova took place on Dec. 6 at the Palestra. In his return to action after serving a suspension for his role in the misuse of a university telephone access code, Bloch gave the 'Cats a huge lift against La Salle coming off the bench. He contributed 12 points and a career-high nine rebounds in 30 minutes (the minutes were also a career-best).
"That's the best game he's played here," said head coach Jay Wright.
"It was a great feeling to be able to contribute like that," stated Bloch.
Bloch has evolved as both a player and person over the course of his four years on the Main Line. If the ride hasn't been devoid of bumps, it has helped Bloch grow in all facets of his personality.
"I didn't have much of an idea of what to expect," said Bloch.
Given that he had spent less than a year in the United States when he first visited Villanova, that's understandable. Bloch was signed in the spring of 2000 after a strong year at Fresno Central High School. His 3-point shooting acumen was his trademark and it was hoped he could provide a long-range scoring option to help alleviate the loss of Brian Lynch and T.J. Caouette.
When he began practice that fall, Bloch found himself trapped in a log-jam on the wing. His opportunities in games were few and far between. In fact, he played just 46 minutes in the first 21 games that season before stepping into the limelight one Saturday afternoon at what is now known as the Wachovia Center. With two Villanova starters, All-American Mike Bradley and guard Jermaine Medley battling injury, the call went out to Bloch in the second half. He proceeded to drain four 3-point field goals and one free throw in 11 minutes that changed the game. Villanova defeated Connecticut and the student section had itself a new cult hero.
Though Bloch's minutes rose significantly after that performance, he never found a consistent rhythm. At season's end, there was a coaching change with Wright stepping in at the helm.
As an athlete who had spent most of his basketball career focused on offense, Wright's emphasis on defense and rebounding was a new twist. It forced Bloch to address the areas of his game that were the weakest and removed him from the comfort zone that he had found on the perimeter.
"Honestly, it was kind of tough on me," he said. "Coach Wright puts a lot of emphasis on defense and that was an area I really had to work on. It took me almost a year before I was really comfortable."
As a sophomore in 2001-02, Bloch saw limited action at forward as injuries plagued him and he tried to acclimate himself to the philosophies Wright and his staff believed in. Although he did start one game, Bloch's minutes actually shrank from his rookie campaign.
"It was very hard," he said.
Yet the struggles on the floor did have one benefit.
"I saw that I needed to pick it up academically," Bloch said. "I started to think about what I wanted to do after basketball and knew that I had to do a good job in class. That's when I started thinking about switching to a Business major.
"Liberal arts classes never came that easily to me. But the Business stuff just clicked for me."
Although it wasn't always noticeable to the public, the Bloch of 2002-03 was a more mature player than the one seen previously. While his game minutes remained similar to what they had been a year earlier, Bloch spent long hours after practice honing his skill. By February Bloch's work ethic and effectiveness caught the coaching staff's eye and he began seeing regular minutes in the latter portion of the season. But on March 9, Bloch saw his season end with news of the telephone access code incident (he would ultimately serve eight games, spread over two seasons, of suspension time.)
In the off-season, Bloch returned to his native Germany and represented his country in international competition in South Korea. It offered further room for growth and demonstrate that he is a more complete player than he was earlier in his career.
"I think I'm a lot better defender on the perimeter than I was before," Bloch stated.
He also understands his role is different too. He and Derrick Snowden are the only two fourth year scholarship players on a squad with 10 underclassmen.
"You just kind of look around at practice one day and it dawns on you how young we are," Bloch said. "These young guys are all really talented. We just want to try to make sure everybody is doing the right thing, more so even off the court than on it.
"This team has the best chemistry of any of the teams I've been on here. We get along really well and I think that does help you out on the court."
As for the future, Bloch plans to leave Villanova with a degree in hand. He then hopes to extend his career somewhere in Europe.
"I'm hopeful I can continue to play and make some money," he stated. "A lot of the guys I have played with in Germany are doing that now and that's something I'd like to try."
For now, the focus is on 2003-04.
"I want to do whatever I can to help us win."
No matter how his on-court role evolves in his final season at Villanova, you get the sense that Bloch will handle it well. If he's learned nothing else here, it's how to roll with the tide.
'CAT SCRATCHES
The "Villanova Sports Page with Jay Wright" returns to Gullifty's Restaurant in Rosemont, Pa., on Monday, Dec. 15 at 7:00 p.m. Scheduled guests include WPVI-TV sports anchor Phil Andrews and former Wildcat standout Jonathan Haynes. The program airs locally on WZZD (990 AM) and can be heard via the internet at villanova.com.
