Action News 5 - Memphis, TennesseeGermantown basketball player has both fans and opponents cheering

Germantown basketball player has both fans and opponents cheering

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MEMPHIS, TN -

(WMC-TV) - When the season ended for the Germantown High School boys basketball team, the record did not matter.  A first time player, who happens to have Down syndrome, brought a new spirit to the team.

David Andrews' place on the freshman basketball team did not come about in the usual way.

Andrews' mother asked the coach if her son could dress out with the team.  He would go to practice, and soon, he was participating in the drills.

Andrews was so impressive at practice, the team wanted him to have his shot during an actual game.

"He goes in," said Germantown freshman boys basketball coach Wes Crump.  "First play, he catches the ball, deep corner bucket.  Gym went crazy."

This only happened after the team was leading by enough points to bring Andrews in, which only made his teammates want to play harder.

For Andrews, this season has given him a chance to be one of the guys right next to his brother, Drews Andrews, who is also on the team.

"He's been an inspiration to me, an inspiration to my team," said Drews Andrews.  "Knowing I get to get in the game and work hard during the game to get up where I can get him in the game and watch him score."

Soon, even teams on the opposite side of the court were standing and cheering for David Andrews.

"It made me realize there is more to life than winning or losing a basketball game, and how much he means to other people he is around," said Crump.

When he scores, David Andrews runs across the court, flexing his muscle for his fans.  His parents said they sit back and enjoy.

"Knowing he really is a part of something and that he is valuable, that he is valued, has really made him step up and do all he can do," said his mother, Maureen Andrews.

David Andrews' coaches said as long as he is in school at Germantown, he will have a place on the team, along with his dog.  David Andrews has diabetes, so his assistance dog also sits with the players.

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