Steven R. April 21, 2019
Nikola "sleepy" Andrews is no longer a member of the San Francisco Shock.
The team announced on its Twitter account that it is parting ways with the support player, with Sleepy being transferred to the Washington Justice.
“It's always tough saying goodbye to a family member, but ultimately we know that Sleepy deserves a spot on the Overwatch League stage,” the team said on Twitter. “Thank you for everything you have brought to our team and good luck with Washington.”
Sleepy teased the news in a tweet of his own, though he did not make any statement on social media about the trade until after his first appearance with the new team.
Though Sleepy is a talent that would be a starter on most Overwatch League teams, he has found himself as the odd man out of the Shock’s starting lineup in recent weeks. Despite being one of the few remaining members of the team’s original roster, he was on the sidelines with Minki "Viol2t" Park getting more and more of the team’s support reps.
After San Francisco made its way to the finals of the stage one playoffs, this is the second major roster move for the team in stage two. The departure of Sleepy comes less than two weeks after Andrej "babybay" Francisty left the team to join the Atlanta Reign. With the departures of Sleepy and Babybay, Jay "sinatraa" Won and Matthew "super" DeLisi are the only remaining members of the Shock’s original roster.
Though Sleepy leaves one of the top OWL teams this season for a team that faces an uphill battle, odds are he will see a lot more playing time with the move to Washington. Just hours after the transfer was announced, he notched his first start for the team in a game against the Los Angeles Valiant. Washington lost 3-1.
Sleepy discussed the new beginning on Twitter shortly after.
"I was really nervous for today because I haven't scrimmed in about 2 months, but I’m proud of us and I think given some time we will look a lot better,” Sleepy said. “Thank you for supporting me on my new team I will make you all proud.”
The game may have ended with a loss, but Sleepy and Washington have some time to practice before their next outing. Washington returns on May 3 for a showdown with the Shanghai Dragons and follows that up with a match against the Boston Uprising on May 5.