Andre Wade Dawkins is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 college basketball

College basketball

College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

 player who currently plays for Duke Blue Devils men's basketball

Duke Blue Devils men's basketball

The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team is the college basketball program representing Duke University in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I...

 team as a shooting guard

Shooting guard

The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...

.

Early life

Dawkins was raised by his parents, Andre and Pamela Dawkins. He was born in Fairfax, Virginia, on September 19, 1991, to his biological mother, Tammy Hill.

High school

He started his high school basketball career at Deep Creek High School

Deep Creek High School

Deep Creek High School is a public secondary school in Chesapeake, Virginia. It is part of Chesapeake City Public Schools and is located on 2900 Margaret Booker Drive.-History:...

 in Chesapeake, Virginia

Chesapeake, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 199,184 people, 69,900 households, and 54,172 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.6 people per square mile . There were 72,672 housing units at an average density of 213.3 per square mile...

, before transferring to Atlantic Shores Christian School, where he reclassified as a freshman.

Dawkins was a three-time first team all-state, all-conference, and all-state tournament team selection. He was named conference player of the year as a sophomore, after averaging 22.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Duke

In June 2008 Dawkins committed to join Duke

Duke Blue Devils men's basketball

The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team is the college basketball program representing Duke University in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I...

 in 2010, but in July 2009 he announced he would graduate a year ahead of schedule to enroll at Duke University

Duke University

Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...

 in time for the 2009–10 season

2009–10 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team

The 2009–10 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils won the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, claiming the school's fourth national title.Duke led...

, following the transfer of guard, Elliot Williams

Elliot Williams

Elliot Jerell Williams is an American professional basketball player with the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association...

, to Memphis.

In December 2009 an automobile accident in West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

 killed Dawkins' sister, Lacey, and injured their mother, Tamara Hill. The two had been on their way from Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

, to see Dawkins play against St. John's

St. John's Red Storm men's basketball

The St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team represents the St. John's University in Queens, New York. The team participates in the Big East Conference. The men’s coach Norm Roberts was fired on March 19, 2010...

. He played in 38 games in the 2009–10 season, averaging 12.6 minutes and 4.4 points per game.

"Andre has guts," teammate Jon Scheyer

Jon Scheyer

Jonathan James "Jon" Scheyer is an American-Israeli professional basketball player. He plays shooting guard for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Super League in that competition, the Adriatic League, and the Euroleague...

 said in 2010. "He comes in games and he's confident, and it's a big lift."

As a freshman he was a back-up guard on Duke's 2010 national champion

2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The first and second round games were played at the following sites:*March 18 / 20*March 25 / 27*March 26 / 28Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held on April 3 and 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted by the Horizon League and Butler University, as per the NCAA's...

 team. In the NCAA tournament Elite Eight

Elite Eight

The term Elite Eight, or less commonly called "Great Eight", refers to the final eight teams in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship; and, thus, represents the national quarterfinals. In Division I, the Elite Eight consists of the...

 game (March 28, 2010) against Baylor Dawkins hit two crucial three-pointers in the first half to help Duke stay in the game.

External links

• Duke Blue Devils profile