The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1499505
38 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2023 2023 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY CHRIS BALAS I n an era of flux and uncertainty for college basketball recruiting — and Michigan in particular — there have been a few constants. One is that head coach Juwan How- ard and his staff are going to mine the portal for talent whenever necessary. Like most schools, Michigan has had its share of NBA defections and transfers. The former can be chalked up to great development — Franz Wagner and Kobe Bufkin are two that come to mind. But losing someone like Hunter Dickinson to Kansas is a blow, and they've spent a lot of time trying to replace him. Another is Christian Anderson Jr. While some kids have tested the wa- ters looking for "better offers" or "more love," the 5-foot-11, 155-pound point guard — the No. 137 overall player na- tionally in the On3 Industry Ranking — has essentially flown under the radar since his October 2021 pledge despite putting up huge numbers. He has gone about his business sport- ing his maize and blue wherever he's been, whether it's in Atlanta on the AAU circuit or even overseas playing with Germany's Youth National Team last year. As a result, he probably hasn't got- ten the attention he has deserved. Since his pledge, he became Atlanta Lovett School's all-time leading scorer with 1,572 points — in his junior year. An- derson then scored a season-high 40 (of his team's 48) points in a 68-48 loss to Pace, making 14 of 23 field goals. A month later, Anderson made 16 of 21 field goals — including 8 triples — while notching 46 points and 5 assists in a win over Stockbridge. He then led Lovett to a Class 4A Sweet 16 finish, averaging 26.1 points, 4.2 re- bounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 47.0 percent from the floor, 37.0 from three and 86.0 from the line. He also won Georgia 4A Player of the Year honors, but not before being named MVP of the FIBA under-16 European Championship after leading Germany to a gold medal in Bulgaria. Anderson averaged a team-high 16.5 points across the team's eight games, all victories, and put up 25 in a two-point win over Swe- den in the quarterfinals. And he's just getting started. Howard seemed to realize it the first time he saw him play. He was blown away by Anderson's shooting and of- fered shortly after. " H e to o k a c h a n c e o n a 5 - 6, 110-pound kid," said his father, Chris- tian Sr., a 6-foot-7 former international player who spent time in several coun- tries. And that's one of the reasons they re- main grateful and loyal. They get "Go Blue!" everywhere — even overseas — while proudly sporting their gear. They wear the Michigan clothing everywhere, and got love from the fans who recog- nized the younger Anderson at a foot- ball game on a campus visit. Anderson takes it all in stride. But even he marvels at the events that led him to Michigan. "We actually had no connection or relationship when [Howard] first saw me, which was during the summer right after my freshman season," he recalled. "There were a bunch of teams at the event with top-ranked guys, and all the college coaches were there. He came and watched my game because someone tapped him on the shoulder and said, 'Come look at this kid.' He looked. Ob- viously, I was playing well. He came and sat down." Ten other college coaches followed Howard, interested to see what all the fuss was about. When the smoke cleared, though, the Michigan coach was the one willing to take a chance. "He saw something unique in me when other college coaches weren't ready to recruit me" Anderson said. "He just out of nowhere came and watched me, liked what he saw, and we talked." Then Howard sent associate head coach Phil Martelli to one his games against one of the nation's top pros- pects. Again, Anderson lit it up. "Five months later he offered me, and we committed to him," Anderson re- called. Two years later, he's around 6-feet tall and still has the potential for more growth, per his doctors. His range is un- canny, and he continues to get stronger. He got off to a great start in spring AAU play in the New Balance league, and now he's headed to The Skill Fac- tory AAU to play on the Nike EYBL cir- cuit. There, he'll be tested by some of the nation's best. Next season, he'll then take his tal- ents to prestigious Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. "We just came off a great season at Lovett, my third season there," Ander- son said. "It wasn't really about want- ing to leave Lovett because it was a bad situation. I just felt like it was time to play against and practice against the top guys and focus on basketball pri- marily." It should only help his game and prep- aration for Michigan. The Wolverines will continue to recruit other guards — you can never have too many — but it's clear they like what they have in the kid who just continues to grow, both liter- ally and on the basketball court. ❏ Anderson — a 5-6, 110-pound point guard when he pledged to Michigan on Oct. 6, 2021 — now checks in at 5-11, 155 pounds and is listed as the No. 137 overall player nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking. PHOTO COURTESY CHRISTIAN ANDERSON 2024 Pledge Christian Anderson Jr. Is Getting Taller And Improving His Game