Lacrosse yields to Anderson's hoop dreams
Eric Anderson offered a quick response when someone mentioned that the best sports program at Haverford School is lacrosse.
"Maybe in the country," he said.
However, when the Fords' laxers draw their ever-high amount of oohs and aahs this spring, Anderson will be among those giving, not causing, them.
The 6-6, 205-pound Anderson is now a junior and last year he filled a substitute's role as a midfielder/defender. Would he have started this year? We'll never know
Right after last season ended, he approached coach John Nostrant and said his sporting life from that point forward would include only basketball.
And Nostrant's response was . . .
"I honestly don't remember," Anderson said, smiling.
On a rainy Friday night, the Inter-Ac League schedule called for Anderson and the Fords to visit Penn Charter. A win was collected, by a score of 54-49, and the effective swingman was prominent, totaling 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Anderson said nixing lacrosse "was a tough call, but I knew basketball was for me, that it was where I belonged. I wanted to specialize."
Just then, hoops coach Henry "Doug" Fairfax walked up and said to someone standing near Anderson, "Tell him to shoot more."
Eric laughed and noted, "He's always saying that."
Though Anderson went only 4-for-11 from the floor, three of his makes were three-pointers and the last one qualified as a biggie.
In the first part of the quarter, sophomore guard Levan "Shawn" Alston scored the Fords' first six points on a field goal, three free throws after he got bumped beyond the arc, and one of two more foul shots, providing a 44-42 lead.
Next, camped out toward the right corner, Anderson drained a trey on a feed from Alston. Though that bucket hardly assured victory, it did place the Fords in sittin'-pretty territory.
"Coach Fairfax called that play. Shawn was going to come off a high ball screen, then kick it to me," Anderson said. "Shawn told me, 'It's coming to you.' It means a lot to have a play set for you. You want to come through. Shawn and I have a lot of trust in each other."
Often, Anderson gives an aura that makes you think HE thinks he's the only guy in the gym. He just appears to know his shots are going to find cotton (or whatever fabric is used these days to make nets).
"Shooter's mentality," he said, simply. "If you miss five in a row, you expect the next six to go in."
Wow, that'd be legendary. Has it ever happened for Anderson?
"Not yet, but I'm doing my best."
Alston, the son of former Simon Gratz/Temple star Levan Alston, finished with 24 points and four assists. Sema'j Reed added 10 points and seven boards.
With 25.8 seconds remaining, Anderson converted a one-and-one to give the Fords a 52-47 pad. Sean O'Brien canned a drive for PC, then James Tarte made sure there'd be no last-second craziness by catching an inbound pass and nailing both ends of a double-bonus with six-tenths showing.
O'Brien and football star Mike McGlinchey halved 22 points for the Quakers. Dave Huber claimed 10 rebounds, Demetrius Isaac dished five assists and McGlinchey, coming off a national all-star football game in California (and a brief bout with sickness) notched three rejections.
Meanwhile, Anderson's career has received help from bloodlines. His mom and dad, Vali (track and field) and Gary (football), played sports at West Chester University and the town of WC is where they now live.
"It's a pretty good ride to Haverford," Eric noted.
Making it home from Penn Charter would take much longer. Not that he noticed. One of the joys of victory.