Armed with an accountancy degree from the University of Otago, the 42-year-old headed to London in 2000 and returned to Dunedin in 2008 just before the global financial crisis really hit.
He had been working for Credit Suisse and overnight the company axed a thousand employees.
Back in Dunedin, things were bleak for basketball fans. BBO pulled the Otago Nuggets out of the league in 2009, citing a lack of resources.
The community rallied around to resurrect the team and Andrews was seconded to the board.
''I had some friends involved ... and they were desperate for people at the time, as we often are on the board.
So I said, 'Yep, sure' and I guess my accounting background [helped],'' he said.
Andrews, who was elected BBO chairman last month, is married to Sarah and the couple have two sons, Will (11) and Luke (8).
He grew up in Dunedin and went to King's High School.
It is his second stint on the board. He served from 2009 but resigned in October 2013.
''It was just the direction it looked like it was going in wasn't tenable at the time,'' he said.
He felt former general manager Markham Brown was the wrong person to be leading the organisation and it influenced his decision.
''I guess there was just a disconnect in the office. There was a lot of committed people doing different things but without that oversight of what was happening in each area.
''We had strong competitions, strong development and a functioning admin but it was all kind of disjointed.''
Shortly after Andrews resigned the Nuggets pulled out of the league again, and in October last year BBO ceased trading.
Andrews returned to help the organisation get a clear picture of its finances. BBO had accumulated a debt of just under $179,000 but avoided liquidation thanks, in part, to Andrews' efforts.
He was part of the Keep Basketball in Otago group which raised enough funds to help BBO put an offer of 30c in the dollar to its creditors.
An agreement was reached in May and BBO resumed the reins in July.
''We have a good foundation to build from now,'' Andrews said.
Basketball New Zealand covered operational costs until the end of June and Sport Otago put in a lot of work to help get the organisation back into a healthy position.
''We are now in a position, I think, where we can look forward to next year really positively. We've got six months, in terms of an off season, to really plan.''
BBO is working on a strategic plan which is expected to be completed towards the end of November.
The board will advertise for a general manager ''reasonably shortly and after that look at the structure of the office.
''For us, the key position is to get the general manager [appointment] right and get support around Kath Richards [administration] and Greg Brockbank [competitions manager] because they have been fantastic.''
The Nuggets are also back on the agenda. A group led by BBO board member Craig Hickford is looking into the feasibility of the Otago Nuggets returning to the National Basketball League next season.
''That group is working really hard and will definitely have some plan to go to the NBL with. Whether it is for this year or next year, at this stage we can't say.
''I think [the Nuggets] are an important part in terms of promoting the game in that we can get our best players out to the schools. It is good for the game to have the Nuggets here and working with kids.''
But BBO's priority remains grassroots basketball. Andrews' hope for the future is people will continue to have opportunities to play the sport in the region.
