Matador Hall of Fame Spotlight: Andre Chevalier

By the time Andre Chevalier (1990-94) joined the Matadors, he had already heard the comments associated with his left hand. He was used to all of them.

"There would be games where people would say, 'force him left,' or 'he has no left,' trying to get under my skin," said Chevalier.

Born with three fingers on his left hand, Chevalier has also been partially blind in his right eye for most of his life. People doubted he could become a Division I basketball player. Famously, an assistant coach on his high school team said he could not play at the next level.

To Chevalier, it was motivation.

"I had dealt with my difference for 18 years by the time I got to CSUN," said Chevalier. "To me, what people would think would be a detriment to my life turned out to be one of the greatest assets of my life."

His drive to accomplish his basketball goals resulted in a Hall of Fame career at CSUN. Chevalier left the school as the all-time points (1,311), assists (481) and steals (252) leader in team history and is still in the top-10 in all three categories over 25 years later. He is just one of four players in school history to surpass 1,000 points and 300 assists in a career.

His will to succeed is still seen to this day as Chevalier has carved out a successful coaching career including a three-year run at Sierra Canyon School highlighted by two state championships.

A fixture in the Southern California basketball scene since the 1980s, Chevalier grew up in Landover, Md. before moving with his mother, Shirley, to North Hollywood, Calif. when he was 12 years old.

Before the move, Chevalier had never played organized basketball but a handful of years later he found himself on one of the top prep teams in the country at Cleveland High School of Reseda, a school that regularly produced Division I talent.

Chevalier played under former Matador head coach Bobby Braswell during his time with the Cavaliers and Marc Paez for his senior season. He honed his craft as both a point guard and shooting guard at Cleveland, becoming a defensive force and a consistent shooter.

"I shot the ball really well from 15 feet," said Chevalier. "I remember the first year they put the 3-point line in [at Cleveland High School]. I could already shoot from 15 feet and that range made me a legitimate scoring guard plus I was able to get to the basket."

Chevalier moved into a point guard role his senior season and excelled, becoming an All-City player where he helped lead Cleveland to 22 wins and a league championship

He was courted by Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton but chose CSUN, which had begun the transition into a Division I program in 1990. With the opportunity to play right away and to stay close to home to play in front of his mother, Chevalier jumped at the chance to play for the Matadors.

Playing under CSUN Hall of Fame coach Pete Cassidy, Chevalier quickly became a starting point guard less than 10 games into his freshman season. Chevalier ended up starting all but six games in his career, scoring in double figures in each of his last three seasons. However, it would be his ability to pass the ball that made him one of the top point guards in school history.

Those that knew about his right eye would consider it a weakness for a point guard, however, the disability proved to be a strength for Chevalier. As a result of the partial blindness, Chevalier's peripheral vision was not affected, which enhanced his ability to see passing lanes and potential open teammates.

"My vision is great and I was able to see the court very well and when somebody was open, I knew how to get the ball to them," said Chevalier.

Anthony Moten Buzzer Beater — Chevalier earned the assist
on Anthony Moten's buzzer
beater to beat Long Beach
State in 1993

The ball-handling also became a point of emphasis for Chevalier.

"In the summers, when people were shooting, I literally would be in the CSUN gym, just practicing my dribbling and handling of the ball," said Chevalier. "Everything about me is a point guard, I just happen to have a difference with my hand and I had to work a bit harder to be able to accomplish my goals."

A combination of great ball-handling, quickness and an effective shot from the perimeter made Chevalier a well-rounded point guard. He also developed his game further under the tutelage of Cassidy. Those teachings are still a part of his coaching today.

"Coach was always about the team and achieving life lessons through the game," said Chevalier. "I had to think a little bit more to be able to run the system. Today, if you watch me coach, you'll see the Cleveland days on the defensive side and the pressing but you'll also see the coach Cassidy side with the execution and preparation at a high level."

It would be Chevalier's ability to execute and find an open teammate that resulted in the Matadors' win over Long Beach State on Feb. 26, 1993. In what was arguably the program's best D-1 win to date, CSUN won 81-78 in overtime on a game-winning 3-pointer from Anthony Moten. The assist man on the play would be Chevalier, who earlier forced the game into overtime on a last-second 3-pointer.

"That was a huge game because they had beaten [top-ranked] Kansas," said Chevalier. "I penetrated on the baseline, kicked it to Tony on the opposite side and he knocked down that three. That's the picture posted around CSUN where's he shooting that shot with the crowd in the background – they were leaving the game before overtime and they ended up staying."

When thinking back on his Matador days, Chevalier points to his final game as the biggest moment of his career. Heading into the game at San Diego State, Chevalier needed 29 points to break Jim Malkin's all-time school scoring record, which had stood since 1962.

Chevalier had the performance of his career, scoring 26 of his career-high 38 points in the second half to will the Matadors to a 73-68 victory and the scoring record.

"That will stay with me for a lifetime," said Chevalier. "I think it was a big deal. To be in the Hall of Fame too and on the wall is a great thing because that's going to be permanent and my grandkids and great-grandkids will be able to come to CSUN and see that I made a major contribution to the basketball program."

Andre Chevalier Shooting — Chevalier scored a career-
high 38 points in his final
game of his career

A marvel on the basketball court, Chevalier also believes his time at the school was the start of his self-discovery through education.

A Pan-African Studies major, Chevalier earned a bachelor's and master's degree at CSUN, becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. He later earned a second master's degree in educational administration.

"Education was the thing that not only elevated me as a person but it elevated my mind and my ability to think critically," said Chevalier. "Especially with the times that we're in now with Black Lives Matter, one of the things we need to focus on and change is educating ourselves and educating each other."

Chevalier would soon find an avenue to educate others when an opportunity arose to return to his high school. After working in the music industry, Chevalier was working in a bank when he was encouraged to interview for the head basketball job at Cleveland High School.

"My bank manager saw the head coach job opening in the newspaper with Cleveland," said Chevalier. "I didn't want to apply because I was interested in going into business but he said I should just do it for the interview experience. When I got there for the interview, I saw the people that had taught me and coached me and it felt so right."

Chevalier would land the coaching job at Cleveland at just 24 years old and quickly gravitated toward the position.

"As soon as I stepped onto the floor for the first practice, I knew that it was natural for me and I connected to the players easily because I was so young," said Chevalier.

He would complete two stints at Cleveland High School where he helped lead the Cavaliers to the city section semifinals three times over six years.

The winning continued to follow Chevalier throughout his coaching career. In 1998, he returned to CSUN as an assistant coach and helped the Matadors post two-straight winning seasons. He also had a memorable run at Oaks Christian School beginning in 2007 where he went on to win CIF Southern Section titles as the head coach of the girls' and boys' varsity teams.

Andre Chevalier Sierra Canyon — Chevalier began coaching at
age 24

The victories on the court were special but he also relished his role as a mentor to young adults.

"Basketball allows us to teach life lessons because so many things come up through basketball," said Chevalier. "You learn discipline, time management and organization. One of the things we talk about in our program [at Sierra Canyon] is the ability to have tough conversations and to not run away from your problems."

Chevalier worked as an administrator at Cleveland and Oaks Christian, serving as the dean of students for several years before taking on a coaching role at Sierra Canyon in 2015. Two years after working as an assistant, Chevalier was given the head coaching role where he would lead the program back to prominence.

"Sierra Canyon has been wonderful for me and my staff," said Chevalier. "We've been able to build towards being the top basketball program in the country. We have been blessed with very elite, high-level basketball players coming to our school and we've been blessed that they've loved each other, respected each other and allowed to be pushed and challenged to do great things."

In his first season, Chevalier guided the program to the state Open Division championship. The team repeated a year later, winning 32 of 35 games. While COVID-19 ended Sierra Canyon's hopes of a third-straight state title, the team ended the 2020 season with a Southern Section championship.

Coaching one of the top high school programs in the nation, Chevalier points to a variety of factors that have been critical to his success over the last three seasons.

"Sierra Canyon is the perfect combination of athletics, a wonderful culture and academics, and those three things along with our leadership at the school allow us to be a great basketball program," said Chevalier. "Every coach will say you need all of those things, but if you want to have a winning program, it is paramount having great players and we've been blessed to have great players."

An advocate for education and mentorship, Chevalier has come to love coaching even though it was not his initial career path after college. The position has helped him give back and communicate in a way that helps students in their transition into adulthood.

"Everything I wanted to do in my life, coach, mentor young men, teach, business, I was able to do it through basketball," said Chevalier. "It has been a great thing for me and been a pillar in my life."

A consummate student-athlete at CSUN, Chevalier continues to preach the importance of education to his players but especially to his children.

He has a special challenge for them – strive to achieve what he has accomplished in the classroom.

"Education was something that was imperative and something my mother instilled in me from day one that I needed to accomplish because of the legacy of my family," said Chevalier. "My kids will be challenged to get a master's degree. I have two master's degrees but if they get one, I'll be satisfied."

To follow Andre Chevalier on Instagram, visit @coachdrethementor

Sierra Canyon photos courtesy of Jose Montanez and Cameron Look/Good Looks.

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Matador Hall of Fame Spotlight: Andre Chevalier

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