Tampa men’s lacrosse got a diamond in the rough in the winter of 2015. Coach Rory Whipple had watched a strong lefty out of Hill Academy (Ontario) play in the Autumn Gold Showcase in the fall of that year and reached out to coach Merrick Thomson.

That lefty with a knack for finishing? Andrew Kew, a senior that blossomed late in his high school years after transferring to Hill from St. Thomas Aquinas in Oakville, Ontario. He just happened to be looking for a school that fit Tampa’s profile.

“My goal was to play down South, but I really wanted to play in Florida,” Kew, the 6-foot-3 attackman, said. “When I told the coaches at the Hill that I wanted to do that, I was in touch with a few Florida coaches right away.”

Tampa hosted Kew weeks later — where he reunited with Oakville native Mike Morris and the rest of the team — and it was a perfect match. He accepted an offer from Whipple, who could see Kew was comfortable right away.

“Obviously, I wanted to get out of the cold,” Kew said of his decision.

“He likes Florida and the lifestyle,” Whipple said of Kew. "No question about it.”

Kew was an unheralded recruit out of Canada, but now he's the Warrior/US Lacrosse Magazine NCAA Division II Preseason Player of the Year. He had just a couple years of field experience. But he made an impact as soon as he stepped onto the field at Tampa, leading the team with 62 goals in his freshman year.

He followed that performance with 86 goals in the 2017 season — the Division II single-season record — playing alongside coach’s son and fellow attackman Conor Whipple. He still has the majority of two seasons left with the Spartans, but he’s already second on the career points list, behind Whipple and ahead of Morris.

“He’s got to be one of the best,” Whipple said when asked where Kew stacks up with the top finishers he’s coached. “I’ve been around a long time and seen some good finishers, but all my best finishers have been lefties. He’s right up there, he’s probably the top of the list. We’re real fortunate to have him, because he’s a good size kid that I think could play Division I.”

“When you start thinking about it, and you get it on your head about accolades and points, then you tend to become selfish or you tighten up,” Kew said of the acclaim stemming from his historic season. “I had a great season. but I don’t like to dwell on that too much. It’s just a personal accolade at the end of the day.”

He may shy away from his achievements, but Whipple said Kew has been a “lacrosse junkie” since joining is the program, helping to lift his teammates up. It may not have been intentional, but Kew has had on influence on many during his rise in the lacrosse world.

His father, Darin, who had no background in the game, enrolled him in the rec lacrosse program in Oakville when he was 4. Kew played lacrosse and hockey throughout his childhood and his father began to love lacrosse just as much — a game in which he now coaches multiple teams.

Kew continued to play both sports until high school at St. Thomas Aquinas (Oakville). Hockey became too much of a commitment to balance both sports, so he chose lacrosse, where he had progressed more than hockey.

Then came to move to Hill Academy, where he joined Thomson and brothers Brodie and Patrick Merrill. He also played defense for a year on Oakville’s Junior B team before transitioning to offense by his senior year. Despite his extensive box experience, Kew began to blossom as a field player at Hill.

“They grew my game exponentially,” Kew said of his coaches. “Not only did I get better at box, but I hadn’t played a ton of field before I got there, and that year really grew my game.”

So when he joined a Tampa program his freshman year, the learning curve for the college field game was not difficult. With a dodger like Conor Whipple on the Spartans offense, Kew could focus on catching and shooting. 

Whipple and his staff knew pretty quickly that Kew had the potential to be a special player.

“He came in and was immediately a starter, which is hard to do because we usually do pretty well,” Whipple said. “He’s just a real natural finisher, just from box lacrosse. He can shoot the [heck] out of the ball. Right away, we knew this guy was going to be pretty good.”

Kew scored 154 goals in two seasons alongside Conor Whipple, an unprecedented run in Tampa men’s lacrosse history. Coach Whipple said that Kew has continued to soak up as much information as he can, spending hours in the offices with his coaches. 

He’s gotten his fellow teammates more excited for the day-to-day duties during the season. Now, with Conor Whipple gone, he’ll have to help lift the offense, as well.

Instead of the catch-and-shoot strategy, Kew will be looked to dodge and facilitate more often this season. With talents like sophomore Bryan Wright in the fold, the Spartans offense should continue to play at a high level.

It’s a role the Kew is willing to take on, with the hope that his team can compete for a national title.

“It’s a hard transition,” Kew said. “I’m trying to learn how to quarterback the offense now. It’s a challenge for me. but I like it. I know I’m playing with a ton of my best friends. I know that they want to get it done as much as I do. We’re going to make a run.”

Whipple knows that his team has a real shot to win a Division II national title. He just hopes it happens before Kew leaves.

“We’ve been to the final four three times, and now we have to make that leap,” he said. “Hopefully we’d like to do it while Kew is here, this year or next. To watch him play is priceless.”