Standout Sword Stays On For Degree
In the world of competitive sports, “in the zone” has become the term to describe a player executing his skills seemingly in a robotic state. No other phrase fits Chaminade basketball standout De’Andre Haskins’ incredible performance against Texas last November at the EA Sports Maui Invitational in Lahaina. A national TV audience saw Haskins score 32 points in driving the Swords across the finish line in their 86-73 upset of the Longhorns.
“I’d had a couple of games (against Division II teams) before that where I did pretty well, so I knew I could play at that (DII) level,” said Haskins. “I left everything on the court that day. I just wanted to play my heart out.”
The Texas game set the tone for his stellar senior campaign, as he went on to earn 2012-13 PacWest Player of the Year honors. Haskins also was selected as a member of the league’s All-Conference First Team after he averaged 18.3 points per game – third-best in the conference. He also hauled in 7.3 rebounds per game, which placed him fifth overall in the league. Last week, the Long Beach, Calif., native also was named to the Bulletin Division II Honorable Mention All-American list.
While he acknowledged those accomplishments, Haskins is more excited to be closing in on earning his bachelor’s degree in broadcasting at CU. He’ll postpone any plans to play pro basketball until after next December when he graduates. “My main focus right now is to get my degree, which was why I was playing college basketball and attending school. I’ll be the first person in my family to get a college degree, so that’s important to me.”
Eventually, he plans to explore pro basketball here or overseas.
“The sky is the limit for me after the year I had. I’ve heard from a lot of agents,” he said, “so we’ll see what my options are here or overseas.”
Haskins doesn’t mind staying around one more semester at CU, although his college eligibility has run out. “I’ve enjoyed my time here – they have a great community of people at the school. Everyone is together here.”
Haskins said his spirituality helps him to reach his goals, academically and on the playing floor. “I worked hard in the off-season on my mental and spiritual growth, and God has given me the ability to do great things through the abilities he has given me.”
Haskins helped lead the Swords to the inaugural PacWest tournament championship game and a berth in the NCAA West Regional in Bellingham, Wash., this past season. Chaminade finished 19-11 overall this season.
