Ignited by a passion for basketball from an early age, Ethan Andrew has been committed to being involved across various aspects of sport as a player and as a referee and using his experience and expertise to help young student-athletes get recruited to top-tier universities.
Andrew, who was born and raised in Brantford, was always involved in sports including basketball, soccer, and football.
“Sports was my life growing up… I played for the Brantford Briars and Branford CYO basketball programs. So, I was part of the Branford Briar circuit…. playing house league when I was four and then got into the rep system when I was eight. I was also heavily involved with soccer growing up…I was part of the Branford City Soccer Club system….playing until I was close to 13 and then making the move to play in Flamborough. I also played a few years of football with the Brantford Bisons when I was younger,” he said. “I had something going on every season…which kept me active. And obviously the Brantford community was incredibly supportive…having different avenues and multiple clubs for kids to play in…and trying to keep talented kids within local sports as long as possible. My experience in Brantford was great and helped me develop into a good athlete.”
However, despite playing an array of sports Andrew was focused on basketball as he entered high school.
“Basketball has always been my passion [and] by grade ten I made the decision that it was my pathway. But I learned growing up that you can learn skills that transition to other sports, but also just in life in general….being able to compete [and] working with other teammates…and how do you can kind of continue to grow as a competitor,” said Andrew. “As I got older…getting into raGde ten I made the decision that…basketball was going to be a pathway for me, and I was able to ride that out and up into university and a little bit beyond. And it’s been a great journey so far.”
While playing, Andrew became intrigued by other capacities including refereeing.
“Near the end of high school, Mark Baxter and the Brantford Norfolk Basketball Officials’ Association were looking for referees [and] reached out to me…as I was one of the higher-level players in the city and had a strong understanding of the game. I ended up doing a little bit of refereeing in high school, just at the CYO tournament I was doing the U9, and U10 and kid’s games,” he explained. “I’ve been doing that for a few years now….refereeing in Woodstock [and] being heavily involved in the high school circuit in both Hamilton and Brantford. I also a referee in the senior boy’s city final this year, and then I also do some soccer refereeing in the summer as well. I would get connected with Andrew Pilkington and Anthony Punturiero as they were looking for referees to do games all summer.”
Nevertheless, Andrew excelled during his time at North Park Collegiate in Brantford, being a key part of the senior boys’ basketball program.
“I spent Grade nine on the junior team with coach Andrea Hawkins. And then in Grade ten, I made the jump to the senior level with my dad coaching the team. I played for the senior team for four years [and] overall had a highly successful high school career…and during that time, we didn’t lose a game…I think it ended up being 50 in a row across all our Brantford games. It was an exciting time, and a very historic one too,” explained Andrew.
Andrew would then continue his athletic and academic career with the Warriors men’s basketball program at the University of Waterloo.
“I ended up playing there for five years [and] I was a four-time captain for the Warriors. I had a unique experience being a varsity student athlete and playing at a high-level [while] doing my studies. I would go on to graduate with my BA in sport business and event management which has helped me transition nicely into my current career as a [athletic] recruiter,” recalled Andrew. “Being a varsity athlete is something that not everyone gets to do [and] getting a chance to represent Brantford, which is not a massive basketball hub by any means, is special while contributing to the basketball program at Waterloo.”
Nevertheless Andrew, who is looking to move back to Brantford in the summer of 2025, after living in Hamilton during the last few years, has utilized his sports management degree and experience as an athlete to become an athletic recruiter.
“I’m an athletic recruiter at a company called Next Level U Sports It’s a full-service athletic recruiting company originally based out of Kitchener. I did one of my co-op placements during my time at Waterloo and ended up working for them. Essentially, my job is to help Canadian student-athletes, and their families navigate the recruiting process…helping with areas like academic eligibility and communicating with coaches from different programs…and it’s great to able to help other kids that are coming from a similar spot I was in and helping them to live their dream,” he said.
One of the biggest appeals to being a recruiter is helping student athletes; however, one particular story sticks out in his mind.
“We worked with a track and field athlete from in Saskatchewan. She was from a small town out there. The family was content for her to attend either the University of Saskatchewan or the University of Regina, as both were local….we ended up working with her and her family for the better part of two and a half years…and, this past year, she just finished her first year at Kent State University on a full ride Division One scholarship,” he recalle. “It’s a great feeling to be collaborating with these athletes and their families and helping them look at ways to realize the talent that’s there and play at the highest level whether its here in Canada or in the United States. It’s also special when we get a phone call or an email from these families [expressing] their gratitude…where we were able to help guide them through that recruitment process and open doors that they might not have been able to do on their own.”
Whether it’s playing, refereeing or athletic recruitment, Andrew looks forward to continuing to give back.
“The biggest thing for me is being able to just continue to impact sport [and] giving back to the community, trying to teach kids basketball and how any sport in general transitions into life. I’m still relatively young [and] I got a lot of learning and a lot of growing to do myself, but I think the more I continue to put myself in these spots to learn from other people in the sporting world as well as teach when I can, is something I want to do,” concluded Andrew.
