Andy Kostecka

{{Short description|American basketball player}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Andy Kostecka

| image = Andy Kostecka 1947.jpg

| image_size = 140px

| caption = Kostecka, circa 1947

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 3

| weight_lb = 203

| birth_date = {{birth date|1921|2|10}}

| birth_place = Newark, New Jersey, US

| death_date = {{death date and age|2007|1|17|1921|2|10}}

| death_place = Bethesda, Maryland, US

| nationality = American

| high_school = Bloomfield
(Bloomfield, New Jersey)

| college = {{nowrap|Georgetown (1941–1943, 1946–1948)}}

| draft_year = 1948

| draft_league = BAA

| draft_round = –

| draft_pick = –

| draft_team = Indianapolis Jets

| career_start = 1948

| career_end = 1949

| career_number = 70

| career_position = Forward

| years1 = 1948–1949

| team1 = Indianapolis Jets

| highlights =

| stats_league = BAA

| stat1label = Points

| stat1value = 135 (6.4 ppg)

| stat2label = Assists

| stat2value = 14 (0.7 apg)

| bbr = kostean01

| historical_profile =

}}

Andrew Edward Kostecka (February 10, 1921 – January 17, 2007) was an American professional basketball player.[https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kostean01.html Andy Kostecka]. basketball-reference.com. Accessed January 26, 2013. Kostecka was selected in the 1948 BAA draft by the Indianapolis Jets after a collegiate career at Georgetown. He played for the Jets for one season before retiring from basketball.

In his post-basketball career, Kostecka worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Department of Commerce. Kostecka was also in the United States Army, and during World War II he "served as General Douglas MacArthur's Russian interpreter and was among the first group of Americans to enter Nagasaki after the explosion of the atomic bomb over the city." He became a 1st Lieutenant.

He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/Cghrb3N0ZWNrYQ--/ Burial Detail: Kostecka, Andrew] – ANC Explorer His grandson Andrew Kostecka III played for Loyola (Maryland) and currently in Israel.{{cite news |last1=Pfeifer |first1=Ben |title=For Andrew Kostecka, there's always something to prove to his doubters |url=https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/2020/08/25/andrew-kostecka-loyola-maryland-interview-nba-draft/ |accessdate=November 18, 2020 |work=Rookie Wire |date=August 25, 2020}}