Andy Herr's passion for basketball is like few others'.

Growing up, Herr was a gym rat. Now an adult, he's a hoops junkie, a basketball fanatic.

A 2008 graduate of Warwick High School, Herr spends much of his free time during the winter months watching local boys' scholastic basketball. If there's a game going on anywhere across Lancaster County, there's a good chance you'll find Herr there.

"I'm always hungry for it," said Herr. "I grew up in this league (Lancaster-Lebanon). If I didn't live here, I wouldn't care about it as much. In a corny way, maybe it's me never growing up, or maybe me relating my adult life to my childhood."

For the last nine years, Herr has been the head writer for the local online outlet LLHoops.com, a hub for boys' basketball locally. After matriculating to the University of Nebraska, Herr initially majored in journalism before graduating with a degree in history.

But everything he does for LLHoops.com is free, so he doesn't get paid. He does it for the love of the game, to provide media coverage for the county student-athletes who share his passion.

"It's basically a hobby," said Herr, who lives in Denver. "It's my way to get my passion to the masses. It's a fun outlet for me when my 9-to-5 day ends. As long as gyms are open and games are being played, I'm going to try and get there."

"I think every one of these kids needs a voice," continued Herr. "When I was growing up, the media coverage wasn't what it is today. For me, it was such a kick when I saw my name in a box score (in the newspaper)."

From even before games start in early December to when the season ends with the final playoff in March, Herr typically attends and watches more than 80 Lancaster-Lebanon boys' basketball games each year. Over the last eight seasons, he has seen all 25 teams in the local circuit play at least once.

"I'm here in October and I'll be at (Hershey's) Giant Center for the 6A (state) final in March," said Herr. "This is my passion. I'm a basketball junkie or a degenerate or whatever you want to call me. Some of the story lines are the same, but I don't think it'll ever be monotonous to me. It's fun to see (teams and players) steadily build and develop."

When he was in high school, Herr was a member of the Warwick boys' basketball program, a third-generation Lititz/Warwick basketball player. He said he wasn't very good but he rarely missed team activities.

"I was a shooter, whenever I got in," said Herr. "Defense wasn't exactly my cup of tea. Whenever I got the ball, it was going to go up. 'Gym rat' is a perfect description of me. When I hear people use that term to refer to me in my playing days, it means a lot to me. I appreciate it."

By day, Herr is the North American Transportation Coordinator for Godiva Chocolate. As an unpaid freelancer, he also writes for the online publication Eastern PA Football, covering the Lancaster-Lebanon League.