By Matt Browning
Offense has never been a problem for Andover’s Blake Rucker.
Last season, he was a double-digit scorer for the Trojans and then led the team in scoring in the 5A tournament, which Andover won.
This past offseason, offense was not the focus for Rucker, however.
“One area I want to improve on this season is my rebounding and defense intensity,” Rucker said. “During the off season to work on this, every opportunity I had to guard the best players, I tried consistently making myself get better in that aspect.”
An injury has slowed down Rucker’s offseason, but that has not stopped him from improving from a physical perspective.
“During the offseason I have been not just preparing on the court but in the weight room,” Rucker said. “I recently had a knee injury slowing down this off season for me but looking to get back to 100 percent soon.”
While Andover lost a significant amount of talent from last season’s title team, Rucker is still optimistic that the Trojans can be a factor in 5A.
“My team goals for this season are back-to-back state champs, league champs and to go undefeated—setting the bar high,” Rucker said. “What I am most excited for this season is to be a senior and to be a leader and prove even though we lost six seniors Andover is still one of the top teams in Kansas.”
