Reeths Puffer's Anderson commits to Toledo, remains a Rocket Man through and through

September 15, 2009 Comments { 0 }

by ryan vaughn

Anderson (back middle) pictured with 2009 All-Area teammates

Anderson (back center) pictured with 2009 All-Area teammates

In 2009, Muskegon Reeths Puffer forward Chris Anderson exploded onto the West Michigan AAU basketball scene with the Grand Rapids Storm. Exploded as in, beat his man on the baseline, pulled up six-feet away from the basket and exploded the ball through the basket and onto the head of some unsuspecting center caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. In what has to be considered an off-year for the traditionally dominant Storm, Anderson was at times head, shoulders and maybe waist above the other 9-players on the court. Literally. Given Anderson’s angry aerial acrobatics, it was only a matter of time before a Division-1 college coach caught wind and snatched him up.

Time’s up.

According to BankHoops, Anderson recently committed to play basketball for the Toledo Rockets, making him the first Division-1 product from Reeths Puffer since J.R. Wallace went to Central Michigan over 10-years ago.

Grand Rapids Storm head coach Jason Martin tells us that their 2010 class has its first commitment — 6-foot-5 Muskegon Reeths-Puffer senior Chris Anderson to Toledo. Anderson, a virtual unknown at this time a year ago, was one of the state’s breakout players this spring, thanks to his aggressive dunking, perimeter size and motor.

Toledo may be able to save some money on Anderson’s practice gear — both it and Reeths-Puffer share the Rockets nickname.

I saw him play last year for Reeths Puffer, and while I had heard rumblings about his athleticism, I came away totally unimpressed. Not only were there no explosions in the gym that night, there weren’t even any firecrackers thanks to the Rocket’s opponents blanketing Anderson with double- and triple-teams all night. No wonder nobody had offered him a scholarship to that point.

But that’s the big advantage of AAU basketball for prospective college players. While in playing for their schools they are usually the guy — the one who opponents gear their defensive game plan around stopping — in AAU they’re on a team full of the guys, freeing them up to just play ball. It’s no coincidence that college coaches attend AAU more than they do high school games by a margin of about 5-1; what good is it to watch a player get mobbed on every play? I guess then you know how he deals with mobs, but I’m not sure what you’d do with that information once acquired.

In any event, Anderson took advantage of his time on the Storm. He showed that he is not only the type of player to throw the ball down on someone’s head (which he most certainly is), but that he is also the type that never quits working. In all the time I watched the Storm this summer, I never saw Anderson slacking on the court. When he’s out there, he’s at full-bore. He may not be a game-breaking scorer (he’s not assertive enough on offense, an attribute which can surely be learned at the next level), but he’s an ideal high-flying role player at the Division-1 level. And he’s the type of player that will help Toledo win ball games.

For easy digestion, or for those who don’t like to read long-form, WMA has put together a list of what Toledo will be getting in Anderson. Argue/agree/petition away in the comments.

Pros: