For the third straight week, Kansas will make an appearance on ESPN's Big Monday. The Jayhawks, coming off an impressive home victory over Colorado on Saturday, will look to erase the memory of last Monday's 16 point loss to Kansas State in the Little Apple against Oklahoma State with a national...[details]
2010 (Senior):HEADER JAMES ANDERSON Shooting Guard Oklahoma State University Cowboys #23 6:04.7-208 Junction City, Arkansas Junction City High School
OVERVIEW One of the premier shooters in college basketball, Anderson's ability to connect from the perimeter or drive to the basket for the tough field goal makes him one of the rising prospects in the 2010 NBA Draft pool. Even though he played just three seasons at Oklahoma State, the shooting guard ranks fourth in school history with 1,811 points to his credit, which placed him 13th on the Big 12 Conference career-record list.
That total included his 735 points as a junior, the second-best season total by a Cowboy in a season (seventh-best in league annals). His average of 22.3 points per game last season ranked sixth in the nation in 2009-10 and was good for third on the school annual record chart (seventh in the Big 12 season-record list).
Anderson's ability to draw contact saw him take 527 shots from the foul line during his career, making 420 of those attempts, the seventh-best total on the school's all-time record chart. His 209 successful free throws in 2009-10 was the third-best season total by an OSU player. His 229 field goals made as a junior is good for ninth on the Cowboys' season-record list, while his 84 successful three-pointers as a sophomore ranks sixth in school annals.
At Junction City High School, Anderson was a McDonald's and Parade All-American selection as a senior. He was ranked as the 24th-best high school prospect in the country according to Scout.com and was listed as the third-best off-guard in the nation by that recruiting service. The three-time Class 2A All-State selection was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Arkansas in 2007.
Anderson led his team to the Arkansas Class 2A state championship his senior season, where he was named the title game's Most Valuable Player after scoring 43 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the 68-35 victory over Jessieville. He was 16 of 28 from the floor, including 6 of 12 from beyond the three-point arc in the championship game. In his final season, he averaged 38 points and 11 rebounds per game, as the Dragons finished 32-3 and won their first basketball state championship in school history.
The shooting guard averaged 31 points and 12 rebounds per game his junior season. At the McDonald's All-American Game in 2007, he scored five points and grabbed three rebounds in 11 minutes as the West team beat the East squad, 114-112. Anderson also excelled in track, as he was a two-time state champion in the high jump.
Anderson chose Oklahoma State over Kansas, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana State, Oklahoma, Baylor and Louisiana Tech. In 2007-08, he turned in one of the top rookie seasons in OSU history. He scored 29 points in his collegiate debut, tying for the most points by a Cowboy freshman in a single game. That total was also the fourth-most points ever by a Cowboy in a season opener, regardless of class.
Anderson became just the second OSU rookie in school history to score 400 points in his freshman season, totaling 487. He established a school record for most three-pointers made (67) and attempted (177) by a freshman in school history. His 67 treys made is the 12th-most in a single season and he reached double figures, including eight consecutive to start the year, as he scored 20 points or more on six occasions.
As a sophomore, Anderson was named to the All-District VI team by the United States Basketball Writers Association. He received second-team All-District VII honors according to the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and was named All-Big 12 Conference second-team in 2008-09. The Academic All-Big 12 pick became the first sophomore in school history and the 33rd player overall to reach the 1,000-point mile-stone.
He also became just the 13th player in OSU annals to record 600 or more points (638) in a season and his total ranks 10th on the school season-record list. He was the first Cowboy in school history to record four 30-point games in his sophomore season. That point total was accomplished by hitting on 209 field goals, including 84 (sixth on the OSU season-record chart) from three-point territory.
Following his sophomore season, Anderson was selected to represent the United States in the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. Team USA won the Bronze medal under Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan.
Anderson garnered All-American and All-Big 12 honors as a junior. The league's Player of the Year finished sixth in the nation in scoring, averaging 22.3 points per game, the third-best average in school history, which also ranked seventh on the conference annual record list. His 209 free throws made were the third-highest season total by an OSU player, while his 226 field goals made rank ninth on the school annual record chart.
On March 22, Anderson announced he would forgo his final collegiate season and declared for the 2010 NBA Draft. "This was a very difficult decision for me," Anderson said. "After discussing the pros and cons with my parents, my high school coach, and Coach (Travis) Ford, I believe now is the time for me to pursue my dream of playing in the NBA. I'm officially announcing my plans to enter the 2010 NBA Draft."
"This decision was particularly difficult for me because the past three years have been a great experience," said Anderson. "I have grown so much as a person and as a basketball player. We have won a number of big games and reached the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons since I have been a student-athlete here."
"This has been about James Anderson since day one," Ford said. "He could have left last year and been probably a mid-to-late first-round draft pick. He chose to stay because of this university. We talked about it a lot. He loves going to school here. He loves his teammates. He made a commitment. He made a sacrifice that few people probably would have made last year to come back and be a part of this University and this basketball family.
"What we've heard is very positive; all very, very good things. We laid it all out there and I said, `James, what do you want to do? Don't worry about the basketball team, don't worry about me. This is about you and what's best for you.' He said, `I think I'm going to go.' And I said, `that's the right decision, I'm glad you said it'. He needs to move on. He's done a lot for this university and he's done a lot for this basketball program, now it's time to go to the NBA."
GAME ANALYSIS Scored 30 points on 9 of 18 shooting from the floor and 10 of 11 from the charity stripe in an upset win over 10th-ranked Kansas State in Manhattan...Totaled 19 points and dished out a career-high seven assists while grabbing six rebounds in a win over Texas A&M. Six of his seven assists resulted in three-pointers, contributing an additional 20 points...Had 31 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a loss at Missouri...Tallied 31 points on 11 of 17 shooting from the floor, including 4 of 7 from long range, in a victory over Oklahoma. He scored 27 points before halftime vs. the Sooners...Followed with 31 points on 9 of 17 shooting, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, in a win over No. 22 Baylor. He also grabbed 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season, dished out four assists and had two blocked shots vs. the Bears.
2009-10 SEASON All-American first-team selection by The NBA Draft Report, The Sporting News and Yahoo! Sports, adding second-team honors from FoxSports.com...All-Big 12 Conference first-team choice and named the league's Player of the Year (first OSU player to be a unanimous choice and the sixth overall to win that award)...Also earned Academic All-Big 12 accolades...Named the District VI Player of the Year by the USBWA, becoming just the just the third Oklahoma State player (joining Byron Houston in 1991 and Lucas in 2004) to earn that honor...Started every game at off-guard, ranking sixth in the nation in scoring, averaging 22.3 points per game (735 total), the third-best average in a season by a Cowboy...His 735 points scored were the second-highest season total by a player in school history...That total gave him 1,811 points for his career, becoming just the fourth player in OSU history to score more than 1,800 points... Made 226 of 494 field goals (45.7%), 74 of 217 three-pointers (34.1%) and 209 of 258 free throws (81.0%)...His 209 free throws made rank third on the school season-record list... Grabbed 192 rebounds (5.8 rpg), as he had 20 blocked shots, 46 steals (1.4 spg) and 80 assists (2.4 apg)...Scored in double figures in all 33 games, as he had 22 20-point efforts (one short of the school season-record of 23 by Bryant Reeves) that included five 30-point performances...Posted three double-double games and had at least eight rebounds in eight contests.
2008-09 SEASON First-team All-Big 12 Conference selection by The Oklahoman, earning second-team honors from the league's coaches...Added Academic All-Big 12 honors...Named to the All-District VI team by the United States Basketball Writers Association....Received second-team All-District VIII honors according to the National Association of Basketball Coaches...Became the all-time leading sophomore scorer in school history, passing Byron Houston and finishing with 638 points, an average of 18.2 points per game...Became just the 13th player in school history to record 600 or more points in a season and finished with the 10th-most points in a single season...Is the first sophomore in school history and the 33rd player overall to reach the 1,000-point milestone...Became the first Cowboy in school history to record four 30-point games in his sophomore season...Finished the season ranked third in the conference in scoring and 56th nationally...Ranked fourth in the league in field-goal percentage (48.2), sixth in three-point percentage (40.8%, as his 84 treys made [206 attempts] rank sixth on the school season-record list) and fourth in free-throw accuracy (82.9%, third-highest ever by an OSU sophomore)...His career-high 37 points at Oklahoma tied for the second-most points in a single game by a Cowboy sophomore in school history...Just the third sophomore in school history to shoot 40 percent or better from three-point range...Pulled down 198 rebounds (5.7 rpg), as he blocked 24 shots, handed out 48 assists (1.4 apg) and totaled 40 steals (1.1 spg).
2007-08 SEASON Freshman All-American third-team selection by The NBA Draft Report...Honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference choice by the league's coaches...Also named to the Big 12 All-Rookie team and chosen the league's Rookie of the Week on both Dec. 3 and Nov. 12...Named to the Big 12's all-freshman squad by the sports writers who regularly cover the league...Ranked sixth in the league in three-point percentage (37.9 percent) and seventh in three-pointers made per game (2.03)...Became just the second OSU rookie in school history to score 400 points (487) in his freshman season...Also established a school record for most three-pointers made (67) and attempted (177) by a freshman in school history...His 67 treys made is the 12th-most in a single season...Also reached double figures 23 times during the season, including eight consecutive to start the year, as he scored 20 points or more on six occasions...Became just the fifth underclassman (freshman or sophomore) to ever play 1,000 or more minutes (1,176) and is the only freshman in that group...Scored 29 points in his first collegiate game, tying for the most points by a Cowboy freshman in a single game...That total was also the fourth-most points ever by a Cowboy in a season opener, regardless of class.
CAREER NOTES Anderson started all but two of the 101 games he played in at Oklahoma State...His 1,811 points scored rank fourth in school history, topped by only 2,379 Byron Houston (2,379 points; 1988-92), Bryant Reeves (2,367; 1991-95) and Adrian Peterson (1,866; 1995-99)...His 735 points scored in 2009-10 rank seventh on the Big 12 Conference season-record list and finished second only to Reeves (797, 1994-95) on the school season-record chart...His 638 points scored as a sophomore is good for 10th on the OSU annual list...Averaged 17.9 points as a Cowboy, surpassed by Houston (18.7 ppg, 1988-92) on the Cowboys' career-record chart...His average of 22.3 points per game in 2009-10 is the third-best average in school history and rank seventh on the Big 12 annual record list (only seven players in OSU history have averaged 20 points or more in a single season, the last being Reeves in 1994-95.)...His 420 free throws made rank seventh in school annals, including 209 made in 2009-10, third-best on the OSU season-record list...Made 583 field goals during his career, eighth-best in school history...His 226 successful field goals as a junior was good for ninth on the OSU's annual record chart... Scored at least 30 points in a game nine times during his career, as only Houston (13, from 1988-92) and Reeves (10, from 1991-95) had more 30-point performances for the Cowboys...He scored at least 10 points in all 32 games as a junior, the fifth-best season total in OSU annals...Reached double figures in 47 straight games. That string is the second-longest streak in school history. Only Reeves (50) had more consecutive double-figure scoring games.
HIGH SCHOOL Attended Junction City (Ark.) High School, where he was a McDonald's and Parade All-American selection as a senior...Ranked as the 24th-best high school prospect in the country according to Scout.com and was listed as the third-best off-guard in the nation by that recruiting service...The three-time Class 2A All-State selection was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Arkansas in 2007...Led his team to the Arkansas Class 2A state championship his senior season, where he was named the title game's Most Valuable Player after scoring 43 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the 68-35 victory over Jessieville...Was 16 of 28 from the floor, including 6 of 12 from beyond the three-point arc, in the championship game...In his final season, he averaged 38 points and 11 rebounds per game, as the Dragons finished 32-3 and won their first basketball state championship in school history...The shooting guard averaged 31 points and 12 rebounds per game his junior season...At the McDonald's All-American Game in 2007, he scored five points and grabbed three rebounds in 11 minutes as the West team beat the East squad, 114-112...Also excelled in track, as he was a two-time state champion in the high jump.
OTHER TOURNAMENTS/TEAMS 2009 SUMMER LEAGUE: One of 12 players selected to represent the United States at the World University Games...Team USA won the bronze medal with a 91-80 victory over Israel, as the Americans were 5-0 before falling to Russia, 69-68, in the semifinals...Averaged 7.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in just under 12 minutes per game...Also shot 52.6% from the floor, going 20-for-38...He started twice, including vs. South Korea, when he scored a game-high 14 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out two assists and had three steals...Also recorded double-figure scoring games vs. Greece (10) and Bulgaria (12).
PERSONAL Education major, earning Academic All-Big 12 Conference honors in each of his last two seasons...Son of Ira Williams and Robert Anderson...Born 3/25/89...Resides in Junction City, Ark.
SCOUTING REPORT Positives: Well-built athlete with minimal body fat (7.9%), a good standing reach (8'8"), impressive leaping ability (35.5-inch vertical jump), excellent court quickness (3.19 sprint) and above average strength (14 reps at the 185-pound bench press) for an angular player at his position...Has great range, a quick release and uncanny ability to either slash to the basket or fade back and execute his jumper from the perimeter...Has the long arms and good elevation to make it difficult for smaller defenders to get up high enough to alter his shot...Has that low center of gravity and explosive burst to slash to the basket and his 258 chances at the foul line last year give a strong indication that he knows how to draw contact...Has that quick release, along with setting his feet properly, to be a consistent shooter from three-point range (third in school annals with 225 treys made)...Needs to show more alertness and desire on the defensive side, but is an effective rebounder for an off-guard, showing the slipperiness and concept for angling to get past bigger defenders for put-backs around the offensive glass...Has good size for his position and despite a lean frame, he shows good leg drive and power driving to the basket...Could also gain a few minutes at small forward...Has the explosive quickness needed to lead an up-tempo attack and does a very good job of pushing the ball...Best in half-court action, where his slashing style to the basket helps him draw contact and a trip to the free throw line...Good long-range shooter who keeps his body upright when firing from the perimeter...Hurts an opponent as a scorer, but is a bit one-dimensional, as he lacks ball handling ability...Has the ability to drive or pull up, doing a nice job of creating his shot off the dribble...Shows good agility and balance coming out to defend along the perimeter (will get fooled by pump fakes and hesitation moves though) and likes to have the ball in clutch situations... Best when breaking down defenders with crossover activity...Clutch long-range shooter whose three-point ability forces the defense to put a man out on him, leaving a teammate open down low...Good ball hawk with the quickness and reach to make the steal...Gets good elevation shooting behind the arc...With his tall frame, he is most effective firing jumpers over the smaller defenders and shows nice body lean vs. these types of opponents when attempting to drive to the basket (draws more fouls vs. guards than he does vs. the forwards)... Loves to run the fast break, as he has the ability to convert from mid-range...Very good free throw shooter with a smooth release and nice rotation on his attempts...Has good arm flexibility to whip the ball around and keep it away from a pressing defender...Sometimes looks like Detroit's Ben Gordon at times due to his ability to fly down the court...Has improved the range on his jump shot and when he gets good elevation, he can sink the ball from 20-25 feet out...Shows very good quickness on his drives into the paint...Likes to hit the spot-up jumpers and his running style gives his team good success in attempts to stretch the defense...Can simply take his opponents out of their sneakers with his hesitation moves and head and pump fakes...Known more as a spot-up shooter, he showed marked improvement shooting off the dribble and creating his own shot last year.
Negatives: Lacks passing and ball handling skills, limiting him strictly to off-guard duties...Showed some improvement as a perimeter defender, but seems disinterested when he had to face up or press a shooter...Has very good court speed and can slash to the basket, but is not a great ball facilitator to be entrusted with bringing the ball up... When he is entrusted with the ball, he fails to locate other scoring outlets and is just starting to develop comfort with creating his own shot...Dangerous scorer, but is becoming a bit predictable, as moves of his drives are to the left side...Moves much better on the floor without the ball in his hands (has a loose handle, resulting in 78 turnovers last season)...Has good strength, but needs to bulk up and get more aggressive when working around the basket, as he will quickly back away when pressured, becoming too enamored with his outside shot.
Compares To: MICHAEL REDD, Milwaukee -- Like Redd (when Redd is healthy), Anderson is a lights out perimeter shooter who also has very good ability slashing to the rim, drawing contact and getting to the charity stripe. Unfortunately, like Redd, he can't handle the ball, distribute it, protect it or play defense. He is a great change of pace type, like Jamal Crawford, as he can come off the bench and score in bunches. However, if a team stresses defensive presence, Anderson isn't a fit. Still, he brings instant offense the second he steps on the court.
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