With Shabazz Muhammad on board, Kyle Anderson eyes calendar

Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad, both of whom played in the Jordan Brand Classic, are headed to UCLA. (Albert Dickson/SN)


With Shabazz Muhammad on board, Kyle Anderson eyes calendar


By Ryan Fagan
Sporting News
PUBLISHED 4 hours and 37 minutes ago
LAST UPDATED 3 hours and 45 minutes ago



CHARLOTTE—Kyle Anderson has the important dates memorized.

One of those came and went last week, when top recruit Shabazz Muhammad made his college choice live on ESPNU on April 11. That was a decision Anderson, the 6-foot-8 do-everything player from New Jersey who committed to UCLA last September, was watching very closely.

Anderson and Muhammad first played together two years ago at the adidas Nations camp, and they clicked from the very start of this mutually beneficial relationship.

Anderson is maybe the best playmaker in the class of 2012, and Muhammad just might be the best finisher of the group. “He made me look good there,” Anderson said, with a touch more humility than probably was required.

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Anderson was in studio for Muhammad’s announcement last Wednesday, along with the rest of the elite players in Charlotte for the Jordan Brand Classic event. When the 6-foot-6 wing, who’s the No. 1 overall prospect as rated by Rivals.com, revealed that he would be heading to UCLA, Anderson—the No. 3 overall prospect by the website—had to excuse himself for a brief moment or two.

“I was right behind the cameras,” Anderson said. “Once I heard, I had to step outside the room because I was so excited. If I would have yelled where I was sitting, everybody on TV would have heard me, so I had to step outside.”

 

Anderson’s recruiting pitches worked. Or, to put it more accurately, his recruiting passes worked. “That’s the main reason why I came to UCLA, to play with him,” Muhammad said. “He’s just so cerebral, so smart. The guy knows what he’s doing. I’m just happy to have a player like that on my team. I know he’s going to make me look good next year.”

So, Muhammad feels that Anderson makes him look good, and Anderson feels Muhammad makes him look good. It’s easy to see why UCLA fans feel good about their chances to rebound from an utterly forgettable 2011-12 campaign.

The next important date on Anderson’s calendar, May 11, is about looking good, too, but in a completely different way. That’s when he’s finally trimming his hair, which is usually close-cropped but is rather unkempt at the moment. “I’m letting it go until prom,” he said with a laugh. “Then, I’ll have to cut it. I’m just enjoying the long hair now.”

That’s probably right around the time he’ll dive back into basketball, too. The Jordan Brand Classic is the last stop of a hectic run for the elite high school hoopsters, after the McDonald’s All-American game and the Nike Hoops Summit.

For Anderson, that means it’s time to finally rest a nagging injury to his left thumb. “My dad’s making me stop for a few weeks because my thumb is really messed up,” Anderson said. “When it gets better, I’ll get back in the gym. I hurt it during the high school season, and it just keeps getting bumped. It’s cool, though.”

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In the actual JBC game, the two future Bruins teammates turned in outstanding performances. Anderson had 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two turnovers for the East team, while Muhammad was named MVP of the West squad after scoring 20 points in 22 minutes. “This was the last time we’ll go against each other,”

Anderson said. “From now on we’ll work with each other, so we’ve got everything out of the way now.”

Which leads Anderson to the next big date on his calendar: June 23. That’s when he’ll arrive on the UCLA campus to begin his new life in Southern California, and work toward becoming the facilitator of a revamped basketball program.

“I’m excited to play with the guys there,” Anderson said. “I think they’re really going to help us freshmen coming in. I think we’re going to add the spark to them, and they’re going to help us with the maturing. I think it’s going to work out really well together.”