Andrew Ogilvy


Andrew James "A. J." Ogilvy is an Australian-Irish professional basketball player who last played for Iraklis of the Greek Basket League. He played three seasons of college basketball for Vanderbilt before playing in Europe for the first three years of his professional career. After a season in his hometown with the Sydney Kings, he returned to Spain for a second stint. In 2015, he joined the Illawarra Hawks and helped lead them to a grand final appearance in 2017.

Early life

Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Ogilvy attended Oakhill College in the Sydney suburb of Castle Hill. He grew up playing basketball for the Hills Hornets in Sydney's northwest. Between 2005 and 2007, Ogilvy attended the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra and played for the program's SEABL team.

College career

In 2007, Ogilvy moved to the United States to play college basketball for Vanderbilt University. In his collegiate debut against Austin Peay on 10 November, Ogilvy had 18 points and nine rebounds, recording the best start for a VU freshman since Phil Cox scored 30 points to open the season in the 1981–82 campaign. He was named to South Padre Invitational All-Tournament team after averaging 16.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He scored a career-high 27 points and made a career-high 12 field goals in Vanderbilt's SEC Tournament win over Auburn on 13 March. He played in 34 games and started 33, scoring in double digits in 32 games and surpassing the 20-point barrier 11 times. He also had four double-doubles on the season and finished with averages of 17.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 blocks in 26.4 minutes per game. He set a new Vanderbilt freshman scoring record with 578 points and led all freshman in the SEC in scoring at 17.0 points per game. His 49 blocks on the season is the fourth most in a season in Vanderbilt history and the most in a season since Chris Woods blocked 50 shots in the 1994–95 season. He was subsequently named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and earned second-team All-SEC.
As a sophomore in 2008–09, Ogilvy played in 29 games and started 28, averaging 15.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.7 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game. He posted the team's highest rebound average since 2006, when Julian Terrell had 7.2 rebounds per game. He was named the Cancun Challenge MVP after averaging 19 points and five rebounds in the final two games of tournament, including a 25-point performance against VCU on 30 November. He scored a then career-high 28 points in win over South Carolina on 28 February. He set a new career high with 33 points in win over LSU on 4 March, becoming the first VU sophomore to reach the 1,000-point plateau. At the season's end, he was a second-team All-SEC selection by the league's coaches and an honorable mention pick by the league's media as a sophomore.
As a junior in 2009–10, Ogilvy averaged 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks in 33 games, with 28 starts. He subsequently earned second-team All-SEC selection for the third straight year and was named to the NABC All-District Second Team. During the season, he became only the second player in Commodore history to record 1,000 points and 100 blocks in his career.
In April 2010, Ogilvy declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility. He finished his career at Vanderbilt as the Commodores' all-time leader in free throws made and blocks per game.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2010 NBA draft, Ogilvy played for the Chicago Bulls at the 2010 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Ogilvy went on to forge a career in Europe, spending the 2010–11 season in Turkey with Beşiktaş, the 2011–12 season in Spain with Valencia, and the 2012–13 season in Germany with Brose Baskets.
On 16 April 2013, Ogilvy signed with his hometown team the Sydney Kings for the 2013–14 NBL season. He led the league in rebounds and blocks, and scored 13.1 points per game to earn his selection to the All-NBL First Team.
After a foot injury cut his 2014–15 season short in Spain with Manresa, Ogilvy returned to Australia for the 2015–16 season, signing with the Illawarra Hawks on 29 June 2015. Following the NBL season, Ogilvy moved to Puerto Rico to play for Atenienses de Manatí.
On 8 April 2016, Ogilvy re-signed with the Hawks on a three-year deal. After helping the Hawks reach the NBL Grand Final in 2017, Ogilvy moved to Iran to play for Azad University Tehran during the off-season.
On 12 April 2018, Ogilvy picked up his player option to return to the Hawks for the 2018–19 season.
On 29 March 2019, Ogilvy re-signed with the Hawks for the 2019–20 season with the option for a second season. After a one-game stint with the Hills Hornets in the Waratah League in April 2019, he joined the Rockhampton Rockets of the Queensland Basketball League.
On 26 February 2020, Ogilvy signed with Iraklis for the rest of the 2019–20 Greek League season.

Personal life

Ogilvy is a dual citizen of Australia and Ireland, having obtained an Irish passport in 2011.