Since playing on Junior Varsity in his first season, to joining Varsity as a Lower, Boys Basketball Co-Capitain Oli Ogueri ’25 has been an integral part of each basketball team he’s been a part of at Andover. Since unexpectedly picking up the sport before high school, Ogueri has made strides to become a leader the team looks up to.
After living in Africa for many years during elementary and middle school, Ogueri came back to the United States to find many of his friends putting in hours on the court. Ogueri spoke about his discovery of basketball.
“I used to live in Africa for a period of time during elementary and middle school. I came back to the States in sixth grade and a lot of my childhood friends back home were playing basketball. My path to playing basketball really came down to the fact that all of my friends were focused on hooping. I was already a swimmer at the time, but I hated swimming so playing basketball became a cool way to hang out with my boys and it became something I did a lot,” said Ogueri.
Co-Captain Xavier Abreu ’25 spoke on his role alongside Ogueri. He mentioned how their connection has been able to push them to together foster the best community on the team possible.
“Oli and I have been boys since our [Junior] year. Being a captain alongside him is amazing because that’s my guy. We hang out a lot outside of basketball and we hold each other accountable. We have both been with this team for a while and are pushing each other to be the best we can be,” said Abreu.
Jeremy Woodley ’26 described Ogueri’s leadership as being very vocal and knowledgeable. Woodley highlighted his on-court intelligence and how he praises taking smart shots.
“Oli’s leadership involves communicating a lot, whether it’s on or off the court. He always makes sure that we’re talking to each other, even when he’s injured or can’t play. He encourages us to think strategically and to try and figure out what the other team’s weaknesses are and how we can exploit them. He is a really smart player and just encourages us to take the shots that we practice,” said Woodley.
Woodley continued, “Right before our first home game of this season, when we huddled before the game, Oli gave a little pre-game speech and encouraged us to ‘fight for our brothers and fight for our crowd, let everyone know why our team is here and give them a good game.’ That just shows how he is present being a leader on this team.”
Abreu elaborated on Ogueri’s leadership style, highlighting how he manages to help bridge the gap between the coach and players. Additionally, Ogueri has helped convey the values of the team on and off the court.
“He brings a different perspective to leadership, as I’m more focused on our team on the court. He’s more on the sideline, helping guys out and leading them where it really matters. He knows the values and what we pride ourselves on in this program. He definitely acts like a second coach for [Terrell Ivory ’00] TI, as a player, which brings a new perspective for other teammates. It is one thing to hear something from a coach, but when you hear it from a friend… it helps the team stay together,” said Abreu.
After years of playing together, Abreu highlighted his favorite moment alongside Ogueri being the team’s big win against Exeter. He pointed to a standout moment of Ogueri’s leadership during his Upper Year when he was unable to step on the court.
“There’s a picture after the end of the Exeter game and we’re both throwing up the ‘W’ signs with our hands. It was a great moment because being with the team for so long allowed us to see the struggles we had against Exeter. It was great to get over that hump, and especially since we did it together. So that was like a very meaningful picture and a great memory, I might look back on [it] 20 years from now and reflect on those good times,” said Abreu.
Over his time on the team, Ogueri reflected on his favorite moments spent with the team. He highlighted his time spent with the team last season after he battled adversity just to support the team as they made the playoffs.
Ogueri said, “My favorite moment has to be the postseason last year, even though I couldn’t play. Unfortunately, that term was filled with obstacles like concussions and injuries. I was considering just taking a term off and going home, which is what the school had recommended. However, I decided to stay to stick with the team watching every game they played. Staying and then being with the guys as we made a deep playoff run made my time spent with them feel very meaningful.”
