KAUKAUNA — Across from the Kaukauna basketball court, you'll find a case with trophies, plaques and pictures of the greats who have come through the Ghosts boys basketball program.
Soon enough, senior big man Andrew Jensen will be among them, and on Thursday he put pen to paper to play NCAA Division I ball at DePaul.
“Last night was our last open gym, and I kind of looked at him and said, ‘Hey! It’s go time now,’ and he looked at me and goes, ‘Oh, it’s go time.’ So he's excited. We're excited, and we can't wait to get started Monday,” said Ghosts head coach Ryan Bowers.
Stung by an early playoff exit last year, Jensen is excited to get back and be the leader of the Ghosts this year, but he says it’s not just him—the team is only as good as its weakest link.
“Obviously, it helps to have me, but without the rest of the guys, the seven or eight that play in a game, I’m nothing without ’em,” said Jensen.
After averaging a double-double (17 points and 10 rebounds) last year, this season the Ghosts’ big man should reach 1,000 points for his career and break the school’s all-time record in rebounds, which is held by his former teammate.
“The guy that had it before me, I believe, was John O’Neill. That’s the guy—I looked up to him a lot,” Jensen said. “As a freshman and a sophomore, I looked at him to try to do things the right way.”
As for why he chose DePaul, he likes their vision for him and believes it will be a place where he can flourish.
“The idea of growth and being able to play on a really big stage in a year or two—that’s what I like,” Jensen said. “It’s also the culture.”
Now, before Jensen suits up for the Blue Demons, he first wants to help his team win back-to-back FVA titles and, of course, aim to make a deep run in the playoffs. They tip off their season December 4 against conference foe Appleton West.
