How Cameron Rattler's bond with Andrews basketball coach Matt Maennle has boosted his development

CHEROKEE – Andrews coach Matt Maennle gets emotional when he thinks about senior forward Cameron Rattler’s last game as a Wildcat.

Rattler is, at this point, an honorary Maennle. After pregame introductions, when Andrews players go into the stands to greet their families, Rattler goes to his first before going to hug Maennle’s wife.

“I think of Matt as a second father to me,” Rattler said. “We spend a lot of time together, even in the offseason. I think of his kids like younger siblings to me. It’s a pretty special relationship.”

Rattler is averaging a double-double for the Wildcats with 17.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, all while continuing to help the program rise. Defense, he said, is his favorite part of the game, so grabbing rebounds to get possession back for his team is what he does best. The scoring just comes naturally.

“It’s going to be hard losing him,” Maennle said. “At a small school like this, when you lose a kid that’s done what he’s done at our program. … He’s made my life a lot easier in the last three years.”

This season has already produced the most wins in Maennle’s three-year tenure. Andrews has nearly matched the 19 wins it earned in 2018-19 under Maennle’s father, Frank, the most wins it has had since at least 2005-06.

The source of the success, of course, hasn’t been a secret. Rattler’s progression from his junior season has provided a massive boost to Andrews’ game plan. From last season, Rattler is averaging six more points, one more rebound and almost two more steals per game, all while spending five more minutes on the court.

Rattler is the catalyst for Andrews. He leads the team in nearly every statistical category and provides the motor for the offense, whether by scoring or dishing out assists.

“When we’re having trouble, I know that I have to go,” Rattler said. “It clicks in my head that I have to take over as a captain and keep my team involved at the same time.”

Rattler has developed into a star for Andrews, largely because of development in his footwork. Rattler’s size and physicality have been disadvantages at times in his high school career – while using his body to work through defenders, he’ll often get called for offensive fouls. Many of the smaller players Rattler faces can’t match up against him, so using his physicality can backfire.

Now, instead of going through defenders, Rattler has learned to go underneath and around them. His growth with his feet has allowed him to open up space – legally – that wasn’t there before.

“We’ve worked that so hard with him this summer and we still do drills weekly with that,” Maennle said. “Now he’s worked on that footwork where he hits once and now, he can go either way because he’s talented enough with both hands.”

At Rattler’s size – 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds – he’s much better suited to play in the post in the Smoky Mountain Conference. Maennle, however, thinks Rattler projects better as a wing than a forward as he moves to the college level.

“I’ve got to get to the next level,” Rattler said. “I’m 6-foot-4, that’s a point guard basically in college, so I’ve got to have quick feet.”

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Rattler has looked at colleges at Division II and Division III but playing in Division I is his goal. He holds an offer from Radford and has talked with coaches at Indiana State.

Before taking the step forward with his skills, Rattler brought the attitude of a leader, Maennle said. His work ethic is high enough that Maennle has to tell him to stop going to the gym so often.

“He’s been special, and it’s not like it showed up overnight,” Maennle said. “He’s put the work in.”

Evan Gerike is the high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanGerike. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Why Andrews basketball's Cameron Rattler calls coach 'second father'