Hard work and determination in the offseason often pave the road to progress during the regular season, and Andrew Crayton has more than taken that to heart as he drives the floor and takes it to the hole for the Haddam-Killingworth boys’ basketball team.

The sophomore small forward grew up playing sports his whole life, which also included baseball and a little bit of golf. Andrew began to focus more on hoops after taking on travel and AAU basketball as he grew older.

This season for the Cougars, Andrew is sporting sound scoring numbers of 15 points a game in helping H-K stay in contention for a state tournament berth at 5-11.

“I love basketball and how it’s played; it is so fast with not a lot of breaks, and you are always doing something unless you are on the bench,” says Andrew. “I have been more focused this year on attacking and being more aggressive at the rim. Playing so many games with AAU ball, where you are playing two or three games a weekend, also helped me. I worked on my shot and trained all of the offseason to be my best during the season.”

While being smack dab in the middle of the Cougars’ floor alignment, Andrew notes that he enjoys the freedom to attack the basket in a bevy of ways. Yet he adds that many additional tasks are expected of him.

“As a forward, you do have to grab some rebounds in each game,” Andrew says. “As a small forward, there is a lot you can do out there; you are not a guard, but you are not a big. You can dribble and cut through. You are free to do different things. There are a lot of aspects to the position; you can dribble and bring the ball down, but you also have to post up.”

In a 68-51 victory over Westbrook at home on Jan. 13, Andrew put in a signature scoring showing, dropping 25 points on the Knights. He recollects that it was a sharp shooting touch that parlayed the way to success.

“I was able to score that night because of my shooting,” says Andrew, who finished a perfect 6-for-6 from three-point land that evening. “I made three, three-point shots in the first half, and it just clocked from there on. After halftime, I kept shooting and got to the rim. My shot just felt good that night.”

The essential skills on the floor have proven crucial for Andrew’s marked improvement from year No. 1 to No. 2. He has also realized that he has been more focused under the bright lights and on the sidelines and honed in on what he needs to do to excel and help his squad prevail.

“From last year to now, I have worked hard on the little fundamentals to improve my game this season,” says Andrew. “I worked on my shooting and dribbling. The offseason training has helped, but there is more work to be done. Last year, I was not as focused during games. But now, I have blocked out all distractions and focused on what we need to do to win.”

Cougars’ Head Coach Brett Cavalieri says that while Andrew lights up the stat sheet on a nightly basis, he additionally illuminates the team with his passionate and prideful demeanor.

“Andrew plays with an enthusiasm that is infectious,” says Cavalieri. “He plays with more pure joy than any player I have ever coached. He is a wonderful teammate and has incredible character. We are lucky to have Andrew at H-K.”

Andrew and the Cougars have had some ups and downs this regular season campaign, as is typical within the ranks of an always deep Shoreline Conference. Still, Andrew and H-K maintain that they will continue to work on synergy and their strengths on and off the court, with the hopes of nailing down a playoff bid.

“Our mindset for this team is all business,” Andrew says. “We want to get back into the swing of things with some wins. We need to try and get all of our offense and defense down, along with our team chemistry. We have to try and win more games.”

No matter what the road ahead brings for Andrew, he wants to continue the fast break, though he knows that means he must hit the books as hard as he hits the hoop.

“I want to try and play basketball in college,” says Andrew. “So in order to do that, I need to be on top of my grades, so that is something I will try to do well with.”