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Standing 6-5 and gifted with athletic agility, 14-year-old Justin Anderson is considered one of the top five players in his age group nationwide.
Justin Anderson's father knew his son had hoops potential when he saw Justin's elbows rise above the rim on a dunk. |
By TAFT COGHILL JR.
As a 6-foot-2 center for Caroline High School's 1978-79 basketball team, Edward Anderson's claim to fame was winning the game-opening jump ball over Harrisonburg's 7-foot-4 Ralph Sampson in the Region II playoffs.
Sampson went on to star at the University of Virginia and in the NBA before injuries derailed his career, while Anderson's playing days ended in Caroline.
"I stepped on his foot and stole the tip," Anderson recalled with a laugh. "But everybody was like, 'That kid can really get up.'"
Anderson's son, Justin, doesn't need such luck to impress.
The Spotsylvania Middle School eighth-grader, who starred for Courtland High School's junior varsity basketball team this past winter, is considered one of the nation's top five players in his age group.
The 14-year-old stands 6-foot-5, is freakishly athletic and has drawn attention from avid basketball followers across the country for his play on the AAU circuit.
"I would say right now, he's a little unusual for his age," said Justin's AAU coach, Robbie Williams, who has tutored Allen Iverson, Joe Smith and Alonzo Mourning, among others, in the Hampton-based Boo Williams program. "Physically, he's so gifted. He may be one of the most gifted young players I've seen in the last 10 years."
'Sky's the limit'
It was just last year when Edward Anderson realized his son had the potential to be a special player.
When the family lived in Westmoreland County before moving to Spotsylvania, he coached Justin in Parks & Recreation leagues and in AAU, but had no idea the type of prospect he would become.
That was until he watched Justin one day at a local gym.
He said Justin was messing around when he threw down a two-handed dunk and his elbows peeked over the rim.
"When I saw him do that in the seventh grade, I said, 'You know what? I think my coaching has peaked for him. I'm going to have to put him into another program where he can learn and develop," Edward Anderson said.
Justin joined the Richmond Squires AAU team and was later the only eighth-grader in the nation invited to a freshman All-American camp in Chantilly.
This past high school season, his parents had to petition the Spotsylvania County Public Schools administration so he could bypass middle school basketball and play junior varsity.
He had Courtland fans arriving early to the varsity games to catch the high-flying action.
"I try to dunk every chance I get," Justin said. "It's something to get the crowd, my team and everybody involved."
That type of play has also been apparent on Justin's 15-and-under Boo Williams Summer League team.
Anderson joined Boo Williams earlier this spring, ending his brief stint with the Squires. He's the only eighth-grader on the team, and he often plays in tournaments against elite sophomores across the country.
"He's a big-time, Division I player. There's no doubt about it," Robbie Williams said. "I'm talking Big East, ACC--wherever he wants to go. The sky's the limit as long as he continues to develop, which I think he will because we're going to make sure that happens."
Staying grounded
It's not easy for an eighth-grader who has sat on the front row as an invited guest to college basketball games at Virginia and Villanova to remain humble.
But Justin's family said he has done just that.
"If I was 14 and [among the] top-five [best players] in the nation, my head would be huge," said his brother, E.J. Anderson, a former Courtland standout who just wrapped up a playing career with the University of Mary Washington. "But he handles it pretty well. I think he's using [the attention] as a driving force to hopefully get better."
The attention hasn't come just from college coaches looking for their next key player.
In a recent blog in the New York Daily News, renowned basketball writer Dick "Hoops" Weiss compared Justin to Atlanta Hawks star forward Josh Smith after watching him in an AAU tournament in Hampton.
Smith is one of Justin's favorite players, but Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash is his top choice.
"Of course, you're going to be happy when you see that," Justin said of the comparison to Smith. "I bragged to my brother about it. I bragged to my family, but I never took it outside my household because it can be taken away from you just like that. So I use it as a little boost to work harder and get better."
Justin's AAU team also helps him stay grounded. He said it doesn't focus solely on basketball. He said coaches also prep the players on how to conduct themselves publicly.
He can also count on first cousin Jermon Bushrod, a King George County native and New Orleans Saints offensive lineman, for advice in that area.
"We talk with him all the time about his mannerisms, handling the interviews and things of that nature," Edward Anderson said. "It's been a lot for him because he started getting looked at in the seventh grade. It's been rough, but I think he does a good job with it."
A tough decision
Those fans who were impressed with Justin last season at Courtland may have caught their last glimpse of him in a Cougars uniform.
He's considering transferring to one of several private schools, which his father believes may better prepare him for a college career.
"His parents are smart enough to make the right choice for their son," Courtland head coach J.T. Nino said. "I'm going to leave it up to their wisdom to do what they think is best for him."
Bishop O'Connell (Alexandria), the Miller School (Charlottesville), Montrose Christian Academy (Rockville, Md.) and Benedictine (Richmond) are all interested in Anderson, but Courtland is still a possibility.
Edward Anderson said a decision will be made sometime this month.
"It's a need-to-know basis for everybody involved," Edward Anderson said. "Once we get him settled, we can say, 'He's there.' And all these people will start to move away from him."
Edward Anderson said he's looking for a school that will play Justin at point guard instead of shooting guard and small forward, which he plays for his AAU team.
He said the private schools are attractive because coaches have laid out a plan detailing how they will use him and develop his individual skills. It also doesn't hurt that each of those schools can point to current college or NBA players as alumni.
E.J. Anderson is a Courtland alum, but hasn't encouraged his brother to go there.
"I'm kind of neutral with that," E.J. Anderson said. "I graduated from Courtland, but at this point everyone has to realize he wants to be a big-time basketball player. So he needs to be put in the right direction to be a big-time basketball player."
There's another big-time player at Courtland in 6-foot-8 sophomore forward Josh Hairston, who has scholarship offers from five major Division I schools.
However, Hairston's presence won't strongly influence the Anderson family's decision.
Robbie Williams said he tries to stay away from such major decisions with his players, but advised Justin's family to consider the social, academic and athletic pros and cons to public and private schools.
Edward Anderson said his son is mature enough to live away from home and attend a private school, but if necessary, he'll drive him to school every day for the first year.
Justin said the decision "will be based on where [the school] will put me in the long run."
"It's a hard decision," Justin said. "You have to think about academics, and you have to think about the school itself. You can't just think from the basketball side of it."
Wherever Justin ends up, it likely will be just the beginning of a promising career.
"If he develops the way we think he is, he'll not only be Division I, but he'll be at the next level after that," Robbie Williams said. "He's that talented."
Taft Coghill Jr.: 540/374-5526
Email: tcoghill@freelancestar.com
