Post by John on Feb 13, 2007 14:06:16 GMT -4
From the San Jose Mercury News...
By almost any standard, Ryan Anderson was well below the radar when he came to Cal in the fall. After two-thirds of his freshman season, the forward finds himself in clear view -- of the NBA.
Anderson has gone from a high school player who couldn't crack scout.com's top 100 to a legitimate pro prospect. His numbers this season have opened the eyes of NBA scouts, and Anderson has turned into the type of player who might not even spend four years in college.
"He came out of the blue,'' one scout said. "He wasn't on any NBA team's radar when he got to Cal. If he continues being consistent and works on his lateral quickness, he will likely be a late first-round pick.''
Anderson, from El Dorado Hills, outside Sacramento, is the front-runner to be the Pacific-10 freshman of the year. He's the only player in the conference ranked in the top five in scoring (16.8 points per game) and rebounding (8.4 a game).
In Thursday's loss at Washington, Anderson held his own against Spencer Hawes, considered a potential top-five pick in the June NBA draft. And when Cal beat the Huskies earlier in the season, Anderson thoroughly outplayed him.
"Ryan has a chance to play at the next level,'' said USC Coach Tim Floyd, a former NBA coach with the Chicago Bulls who recruited Anderson to join the Trojans. "He has a special skill package. He was under the radar. When he came to our camp down here, I didn't know who he was.''
Floyd said there were more than 60 Division I prospects at USC's camp, and Anderson was the only one to whom he extended a scholarship offer.
Anderson's strengths are obvious. At 6-foot-10 he's an efficient post player, but he also has good shooting range. Most NBA scouts believe he needs to improve his quickness before entering the draft.
"It would be advisable for him to stay in school and work on his quickness and just keep putting up numbers,'' a scout said. "He will be on an NBA roster someday. The time isn't this year. He needs another year and he works his way into the first round with being consistent. The league will be watching him next year.''
ESPN.com lists Anderson as the 49th-best NBA prospect for the 2007 draft, but he said he has no designs on leaving Cal any time soon. Anderson acknowledges the improvements in his game that are necessary before he moves on, and looks forward to next season's team, which could have the depth and personnel to contend for a Pac-10 title.
"I try to keep that out of my head right now,'' Anderson said. "I'm just trying to focus on getting better because I do have a lot of things I need to improve on to get to that level. That's my dream, to go play in the NBA. Hopefully, one day I can.''
As well as Anderson has played, he may have an even better chance to showcase his skills next season. Because of injuries to DeVon Hardin and Jordan Wilkes, Anderson has had to play out of position, at center, for much of the season. The Bears lack a complementary post threat to take some of the attention away from him.
If Hardin, considered an NBA first-round prospect, returns for his senior season, the Bears will have excellent depth up front with Anderson, Hardin, Wilkes and Duke transfer Jamal Boykin. That could give Anderson a chance to flourish.
"I really want to help this team go far in the (NCAA) tournament and win a lot of games,'' Anderson said. "We're going to be a great team in the future.''
Although Anderson thought he might play in the NBA someday, he said he didn't expect to garner such attention so soon. The idea of leaving school early didn't seem realistic before he set foot on Cal's campus. Now it's a legitimate consideration.
"I really didn't think there would be any thoughts of me going to the NBA this year,'' he said. "I thought it would be a long process. It still could be a long process. I could stay here a while and improve my game.
"It's really hard to say. If I feel completely comfortable where I'm at in college and I improve everything, I could leave early.''
By almost any standard, Ryan Anderson was well below the radar when he came to Cal in the fall. After two-thirds of his freshman season, the forward finds himself in clear view -- of the NBA.
Anderson has gone from a high school player who couldn't crack scout.com's top 100 to a legitimate pro prospect. His numbers this season have opened the eyes of NBA scouts, and Anderson has turned into the type of player who might not even spend four years in college.
"He came out of the blue,'' one scout said. "He wasn't on any NBA team's radar when he got to Cal. If he continues being consistent and works on his lateral quickness, he will likely be a late first-round pick.''
Anderson, from El Dorado Hills, outside Sacramento, is the front-runner to be the Pacific-10 freshman of the year. He's the only player in the conference ranked in the top five in scoring (16.8 points per game) and rebounding (8.4 a game).
In Thursday's loss at Washington, Anderson held his own against Spencer Hawes, considered a potential top-five pick in the June NBA draft. And when Cal beat the Huskies earlier in the season, Anderson thoroughly outplayed him.
"Ryan has a chance to play at the next level,'' said USC Coach Tim Floyd, a former NBA coach with the Chicago Bulls who recruited Anderson to join the Trojans. "He has a special skill package. He was under the radar. When he came to our camp down here, I didn't know who he was.''
Floyd said there were more than 60 Division I prospects at USC's camp, and Anderson was the only one to whom he extended a scholarship offer.
Anderson's strengths are obvious. At 6-foot-10 he's an efficient post player, but he also has good shooting range. Most NBA scouts believe he needs to improve his quickness before entering the draft.
"It would be advisable for him to stay in school and work on his quickness and just keep putting up numbers,'' a scout said. "He will be on an NBA roster someday. The time isn't this year. He needs another year and he works his way into the first round with being consistent. The league will be watching him next year.''
ESPN.com lists Anderson as the 49th-best NBA prospect for the 2007 draft, but he said he has no designs on leaving Cal any time soon. Anderson acknowledges the improvements in his game that are necessary before he moves on, and looks forward to next season's team, which could have the depth and personnel to contend for a Pac-10 title.
"I try to keep that out of my head right now,'' Anderson said. "I'm just trying to focus on getting better because I do have a lot of things I need to improve on to get to that level. That's my dream, to go play in the NBA. Hopefully, one day I can.''
As well as Anderson has played, he may have an even better chance to showcase his skills next season. Because of injuries to DeVon Hardin and Jordan Wilkes, Anderson has had to play out of position, at center, for much of the season. The Bears lack a complementary post threat to take some of the attention away from him.
If Hardin, considered an NBA first-round prospect, returns for his senior season, the Bears will have excellent depth up front with Anderson, Hardin, Wilkes and Duke transfer Jamal Boykin. That could give Anderson a chance to flourish.
"I really want to help this team go far in the (NCAA) tournament and win a lot of games,'' Anderson said. "We're going to be a great team in the future.''
Although Anderson thought he might play in the NBA someday, he said he didn't expect to garner such attention so soon. The idea of leaving school early didn't seem realistic before he set foot on Cal's campus. Now it's a legitimate consideration.
"I really didn't think there would be any thoughts of me going to the NBA this year,'' he said. "I thought it would be a long process. It still could be a long process. I could stay here a while and improve my game.
"It's really hard to say. If I feel completely comfortable where I'm at in college and I improve everything, I could leave early.''