UD recruiting 'unknown' Spring Valley guard

Despite playing at a non-OHSAA sanctioned school, recruiting prospects for Hoover, a junior, haven’t been hurt.

The University of Dayton became the first NCAA Division I school to offer Spring Valley Academy guard Andrea Hoover a scholarship, but she’s also drawing interest from North Carolina, Maryland, Purdue, Iowa, Minnesota and several Mid-American Conference schools.

Contributed photo by Frank Beaver The University of Dayton became the first NCAA Division I school to offer Spring Valley Academy guard Andrea Hoover a scholarship, but she’s also drawing interest from North Carolina, Maryland, Purdue, Iowa, Minnesota and several Mid-American Conference schools.

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Big-time talent, small stage

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By Chick Ludwig, Staff Writer Updated 3:56 AM Thursday, July 9, 2009

She’s arguably the Miami Valley’s finest girls basketball player in the Class of 2011, and easily one the best athletes you’ve probably never heard of.

But major college women’s basketball coaches sure know all about Andrea Hoover.

The 5-foot-8 junior-to-be toils in small-school obscurity at Spring Valley Academy near Centerville, where she averaged 17.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.5 steals, 4.0 assists and 2.4 blocked shots for the 19-2 Lady Stallions during the 2008-09 season.

Now she’s the highest profile player on a deep, loaded and balanced summer AAU team — the Ohio Attack, which competes in the 15-and-under age division national tournament at Little Rock, Ark., starting July 22.

“It’s really flattering,” Hoover said of the increased exposure, “but it’s also kind of scary because you’re thinking about college when you’re a junior and I’m not even a senior yet. You need to think about what you want to do with your life. But you also want to work harder so you can go as far as you can.”

The University of Dayton became the first NCAA Division I school to offer Hoover a scholarship, but she’s also drawing interest from North Carolina, Maryland, Purdue, Iowa, Minnesota and several Mid-American Conference schools.

“I’ve always loved North Carolina,” she said. “It’s been my goal.”

But she hasn’t ruled out UD.

“Again, it’s really flattering,” Hoover said, “and it encourages me to work harder and get better so if I do end up going there, I can help them a lot.”

Hoover, who sank 20-of-49 shots (40.8 percent) beyond the 3-point arc, is a natural shooting guard who is working to expand and refine her skills as a point guard and small forward.

“I want to be an overall player,” she added. “If (opponents) are trying to stop me, I just don’t want them to stop me from shooting. I want to be able to drive and pass and play defense.”

Jim Dabbelt, whose Web site is dedicated to girls basketball, calls Hoover the best junior in the greater Dayton area.

“She’s a big-time Division I player and a great kid who not many around here know about because her school is not OHSAA sanctioned,” Dabbelt said. “She has pretty much come out of nowhere.

“Playing for a non-OHSAA sanctioned school is always tough because people question the level of competition a school like that plays, but she would start at any school in the Dayton area and immediately become a leader. She will be a major impact player on the Division I college level.”

Spring Valley Academy is a Christian-based school (K-12) with fewer than 300 students, including 90 in grades nine through 12.

“It’s always been really important to me to go to a Seventh-day Adventist school where I can learn values,” Hoover said. “I moved here from Florida when I was 3, and both my older brothers went to Spring Valley.

Contact this reporter at  (937) 225-2253 or cludwig @DaytonDailyNews.com.

The Andrea Hoover file

Position: Shooting guard

Height/Year: 5-8/Junior

High School: Spring Valley Academy

AAU Team: Ohio Attack

Statistics: Averaged 17.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.5 steals, 4.0 assists and 2.4 blocked shots for the 19-2 Lady Stallions during 2008-09 season

Quote: “Keep this name in your memory — Andrea Hoover. She is seriously big-time.” — Jim Dabbelt, executive director of The Dabbelt Report, an Ohio girls basketball Web site

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