Hotly-Recruited Montrose Wing Justin Anderson Commits to Maryland
by Ben Broman on Mar 17, 2011 5:23 PM EDT
in Basketball Recruiting
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If Nick Faust's commitment was Faustival, can this be St. Anderson's Day? Yeah, Justin Anderson of Montrose Christian has just committed to Maryland. Anderson chose the Terps above North Carolina and Virginia, but he had offers from a bevy of other schools, including Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Georgetown, and a bunch of others (plus interest from Duke and Texas).
I probably shouldn't have to delineate why this a good thing, but in case you're new to recruiting, I will anyway. First off, Anderson's really good; he's a four-star prospect across all three major networks and is a consensus top-50 prospect. Scout has him as the nation's 32nd best player, which would make him Maryland's most highly-regarded commitment since...Mike Jones? (Of course, that's dependent on that ranking holding up).
Second, it's an early commitment by Maryland's standards. Terrell Stoglin, Maryland's first commitment for the 2011 class, committed in early April. Sterling Gibbs committed in late April last year. That's a bonus for recruiting: Maryland now gets an extra month of effort and/or scouting to put in on other high-level targets, like Shaquille Cleare or Amile Jefferson. Anderson has a big name on the circuit, too, thanks to his high early profile (he used to be a top 5 recruit for the class); having one good player on-board already should make Maryland a more enticing destination for other recruits.
Now, I do have to say a quick word of warning. Anderson, for as awesome as he is for a lot of reasons, isn't a great scorer. Statistically, he's not going to light it up. He's only averaging about 14ppg for Montrose, which is good but not outstanding. His shooting is a little lacking - he's good for an open spot-up three, but not much more - and as it stands right now, so is his game off the dribble. I say this not to put him (or you) down, but instead to temper your expectations for what he can do his freshman year.
So if he's not a big scorer, why all the hype? Well, what he does do well, he does really, really well. He has an NBA-ready body right now: he's only 6-5, which is a little on the short side for a 3, but his build (a solid 210) and incredible vert make up for that. He's an excellent defender who relishes taking on the other team's best scorer. And he's Maryland's best athlete since Chris Wilcox.
Quite simply, the easiest way to describe Anderson is "high octane." He's a human highlight reel; once he gets on campus, he'll probably be Maryland's best dunker since Steve Francis. Likewise, his passion and intensity are top-notch. He's ridiculously energetic and plays with a huge chip on his shoulder. Sometimes that means he plays out of control, but I'd rather it be that way than have a player with not enough passion.
Even better, he's generally lauded for possessing a great work ethic and being very coachable. Ideally, that means that those problems mentioned earlier with disappear with time. Even if they don't, Maryland doesn't particularly need another scorer, given that they have both Nick Faust and Terrell Stoglin to handle that. Anderson doesn't need to score, at least not yet, and he'll complement perfectly the games of the others who do.
I don't like comparing recruits to players because it's such a guessing game and is almost always wrong, but there's still no better way to give a basic idea of a player's game. Think of Anderson like a rich man's Byron Mouton, or maybe Sean Mosley with a Wilcox-level of athleticism. Anderson won't come in and drop 15 a game his freshman year. But by his junior year or senior year, he should be able to put up those types of numbers.
Not to get too positive here, but as long as you don't let your imagination run wild, get excited about this. I couldn't think of a better commitment to get. It's early. He's really good. He fits what Maryland needs: a run and jump athlete with great defense, some ridiculous hops, and a ton of passion. And he's local. I gotta say, today was a good day.
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Nice!
Positive Terp news in March is always a great thing!
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by the way
what happened to 5 PM? he couldn’t wait?
F-You UNC & UVA
We got JA and you just wasted hours of recruiting. I love being on the winning side.
by Charlotte NC Terp on Mar 17, 2011 3:27 PM EDT reply actions
Poof
There went my March Madness blues.
I love you, Bino.
I am so happy right now
I know football is a ways away but we just go JA and we have, I’d say, established a real foot hold in B-More with athletic guards who are good defenders and can shoot (mosley, faust, Dixon, JAAAAAA)!!!!!!!
Great defense and work ethic?
Sounds like a freshman who could see lots of minutes.
ahahahahahahahahahahaha
so pleased.
…sososososososososo pleased
terpsterpsterps
by ThizzinInAHalfshell on Mar 17, 2011 3:31 PM EDT reply actions
Best news in a long time
I can already see the Neo posters
by T Free on Mar 17, 2011 3:32 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
He had occasionally been listed as high as 6-7
But MC lists his official height as 6-5, as do most databases.
he describes himself as 6-7
in the washington post video he says that he is 6-7
Justin Anderson
Is a legit 6’7, he guards a the best skilled big man on the opposing team ( which he can do yo his of the chart athletic ability and 83 inch wing span (6’9), which could have change due to the fact that was recorded two years ago. If you want more proof of his height just look his group photo at Montrose Christian, he is clearly the tallest (maybe a 1/2 inch shorter then listed 6’9, Kevin Larsen( to his left). Plus he towers over 6’6 listed player like Michael Carrera (left of Kevin).
by UnoIMaMess on Mar 17, 2011 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Sorrry for the typos
here is a vid of Justin Anderson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvBjsuy9Tms
And
I’m sure that he asked to be listed smaller due to the fact he wants to play small forward. With the lack of a constant jumper and his willingness to bang inside, most coaches would use him in a power forward spot.
With him a faust
We’ll at least have the best looking team, no ugly mugs like Singler or Schyerface
I like Turtles!
LEEEHGOOOOOO!
SO PUMPED! but i thought he was committing to maryland on tv at 5? I would of like to see that. But I shouldnt complain. YESSS!!! MARYLAND!!!
man o man
did we need this recruit…i know i have been hard on you for this season but good job gary and company
Excellent
Welcome! Sounds like a quality young man who will learn a great deal at MD. A great decision!
For those who bashed Gary's recruiting...
…as I said, there are other factors at play effecting recruiting and one of the biggest is now looking for a new head coach @ NC State. Don’t think that’s not a factor in why we all the sudden can land bigger recruits in the coming years.
True
NC & Duke seem to get the Terps first choices. Our real comp is NC State, Ga Tech, UVA, etc
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add
gtown, nova, pitt, and even the college of charleston too that list. unc and duke can have their players honestly. theres a ton of kids that can play. We just got to make sure we never have players like bowie, tucker, and dino ever get scholarships again. We can do better than that
yea we just got to make sure
all our underclassmen arent freshmen when we have an avg senior class
by MurlandTerps on Mar 18, 2011 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
Im a little more excited
than a man should be about a 16 year old kid
by terps3030 on Mar 17, 2011 3:47 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Gary has now got the top player in the state of MD 2 years in a row
Justin is the type of player Maryland has been missing the past couple of years. I think we’re pretty set as far as scoring goes the next few years with Jordan, Stogs, Faust, and the other guards/wings we have coming in. Justin gives us a freak athlete, defensive stopper, and basically a perfect 3 man for Gary’s system.
He’s got the potential to rise in the rankings as well, I think. His mid-range game has been improving every year, and he is a very hard worker.
In Bino we trust
I don’t know exactly how much of a role Bino played in JA’s recruitment, but he definitely played a big role in getting Faust. After getting the top MD player 2 years in a row, Gary’s hire of Bino is starting to look really good.
I know its really early to be talking about this and probably the wrong time
but would Bino be the guy to take over after gary?
I agree
I think Bino’s here not as a possible replacement, but as a step up in his coaching career that will hopefully let him land a HC job at a mid-major. As I’ve said many times, I really worry about who replaces Gary. They’ll have huge expectations on whoever they hire and while Edsall’s hire could make or break Kevin Anderson’s career at Maryland, if he hires the next basketball coach that will definitely define his tenure here. But as Ben B. said, head coaches in basketball are a crap shoot. Prime example is Coach K at Duke. No one had heard of the guy. Sometimes you just have to get lucky.
Jimmy Patsos
and lets go to Bentleys...
by johnnyrobs13 on Mar 17, 2011 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
That would be cool because of the heritage alone
but I don’t really know anything about him as a coach. Plus it doesn’t seem like he was very effective as a recruiter during his time here.
Doubt, indulged and cherished, is in danger of becoming denial; but if honest, and bent on thorough investigation, it may soon lead to full establishment of the truth.
-Ambrose Bierce
He got Mychal Parker
MP’s youtube clip. he talks about how great Coach Driesell is, so I dont think he is that bad as a recruiter.
by word2bigbird on Mar 17, 2011 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions
No role by Bino for JA
I like what Bino is doing but this one was GW wanting this kid bad. He has watched this kid for 2 years. The kid has been to many games in the last 2 years. If we want to credit someone outside of the staff then kudos to Greivis. He was working the kid and was someone JA looks up to. He is listed at 6"5" but when I saw him at the Va game he looked about 6"7". Seems he may have hit a growth spurt. I disagree with Ben about his offense. It has improved tremendously within the last year.
I need a little Morehead in my life
and lets go to Bentleys...
by johnnyrobs13 on Mar 17, 2011 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions
A few years ago i was headed down to morehead, NC
And me and the guys wanted to stop before we got there and ask a chick “how do we get to morehead?” … college humor, what can i say.
Very, Very Happy to hear this. It just made my day! Let's go MD!
I hope he knows how much our fans appreciate players of his caliber.
Dear Passionate fan, I know you are passionate, but please reply with a logical answer or I will ignore you.
An awesome signing!
As others have noted, the Terps shouldn’t be lacking scorers when Anderson joins in 2012, so his limited offensive skills aren’t really a big deal. With another year to work before he dons a Terps’ uniform, he has time to improve his shot and handle—as he suspect he will once he’s at Maryland too. The Terps haven’t had an imposingly athletic guy for a while. I’m excited.
I’m interested to see how the PG, SG, and SF positions shake out over the next couple of seasons. Next year the options are (in no particular order)
PG – Stoglin, Howard, Gibbs
SG – Faust, Stoglin, Howard
SF – Mosley, Parker, Faust, Paulsson
by Jason Middlekauff on Mar 17, 2011 4:11 PM EDT reply actions
"I'd rather it be that way than have a player with not enough passion."
aka, Bowie & Tucker…
Go Terps!!!
hey i was proud of us
we win. we riot.
we lose. we riot.
the women’s bball team win….we riot.
its a tuesday….we riot.
by word2bigbird on Mar 17, 2011 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
hold up hold up....... you all jumped the gun on me
what happened to the 5 o’clock announcement??
clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!
smoke'em if ya got'em!
by Daniel Hamilton on Mar 17, 2011 4:27 PM EDT reply actions
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has anyone here ever seen him in a game
“His limited offensive game” is the comment of a blogger not someone who has seen Montrose play. He has averaged more as a junior than Greveis. They have 5 guys who can really play on the floor at all times and they run Vetter’s offense——not up and down trying to see how many points they can score.This kid is a great player and is about 6-7 and is obviously still growing. Most importantly he has learned to sacrifice the highlights for the good of the team already and he will be able to do anything needed on the court including scoring.
That's fair
But the same goes for his AAU team. And every single scouting report on him. It goes farther than not scoring. His handles nor his shot are fully developed.
Again, I don’t do it as a criticism. I could’ve come in and not said anything bad at all about his game, but it wouldn’t be true. Just being honest and relaying what I’ve read.
Anyone Local.....
can go watch him live at Georgetown Prep, March 28- April 1 at the ESPN NHSI Tourny. Teams havent been announced yet but Montrose has been in it the first two years and are Top 10 in the Nation this year so im 99% sure they’ll get an invite.
Ive seen JA live
multiple times as a freshman and a couple as a soph. Havent seen him this year but definitely will be attending the NHSI at G’Town Prep. The second I saw him as a freshman i couldnt believe his athletic ability or that he was only in 9th grade. He instantly reminded of Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks….he has equally the same athletic abilty as Josh, is a lefty and has a sweet looking stroke. His offensive game is still lacking in that he doesnt really create his own shot nor is a a spot up shooter. He is a great slasher and gets many many put back dunks. When he learns to create for himself, the sky is the limit because his shot will come around, is form is too good for it not to. His intensity and passion remindsme of Greivis….he will get everyone around him pumped up as well as the crowd. I tried to talk his sister into him becoming a Terp when he was a freshy but didnt think we ever would get him…..what a great day in college bball!!!!
is he a great shot blocker like smith too?
by tmoneyttime1 on Mar 17, 2011 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions
ive seen some pin blocks off face breaks
i mean i wouldn’t be surprised if he gets realllyyy REALLYYY good at shot blocking, considering his insane athletic ability and he is a great defender.
Great news
This certainly takes a bit of the sting away from not watching the Terps play at this time of year. Sounds like a great kid with a great attitude and work ethic. WELCOME!
So where are all the Gary haters now? Even Charlotte had something positive to say!
From JA, for those who still wanna bitch about Gary not recruiting
"Maryland started recruiting me since my first year on the AAU circuit, which was sixth grade," Anderson said. "Ever since then, I’ve known about them, not to say they were always my favorite."
We could have some serious size in 2 years
Nick and Justin, at 6-5/6-6 and 6-7, will be as tall if not taller then pretty much everyone they match up with.
I already can't wait for next season
the wait for JA is excruciating
well your gonna have to wait until 2012 to see JA.
But i cant wait to sea Stoglin, Williams, Faust, and co. next year.
Wow, this is a great get.
Maryland is going to have a hell of a team in a couple years, GW is great at developing raw athletes into players. Can you imagine Stogs and Pe’ throwing no-look alley-oops to J/A? OMG.
Let's hope we can finish off
a great recruiting class. This one was certainly important to start the momentum. Now it’s time to take it to the next level. We need a true center and power forward to go with the 1,2 and 3 that we already have. Let’s hope JW stays for both his junior and senior years. Good addition. Congratulations Gary. Now bring it on home.
Yes, as greedy as it is
I want more… this could really be Gary’s last stand and a chance for something pretty special.
It is a good day!!!.....dreaming about the future.....
PG- Stoglin, Gibbs, Peshon
SG- Faust, Stoglin
SF- Hawk /Justin Anderson
PF- Breunig, Weiss (Desmond or Wally Judge? )
Center- Jordan Williams, Padgett, (Shaq?)
This is a team that is getting ridiculously formidible that can play with anybody…it will finally be nice to go into a Duke or UNC game knowing that we are every bit as good as and infact there’s a good chance we can dominate instead of we’ve got a slim chance as long as all these factors go our way. The future of Maryland basketball is looking very good right now. It will be awesome if Gary can go out with some more National Championships and have the best years and teams come right at the end of his career.
I can’t wait for next year and 2012! This is awesome!!!
SG
Faust, Parker
Parker played the SG position during the UVA game.
by word2bigbird on Mar 17, 2011 7:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes...Sounds Good!...here we go!
PG- Stoglin, Gibbs, Peshon
SG- Faust, Parker
SF- Hawk/Justin Anderson
PF- Breunig, Weiss (Desmond or Wally Judge and or possibly Amile Jefferson?)
Center- Jordan Williams, Padgett, (Shaq- that name sounds awesome!)
Good luck getting Anderson to play with Weijs,
Cuz weijs is gone after next year.
I think Jordan will want to stay if...
We have a legitimate shot to win the National Championship. If next seaon is like this season he will declare. Hopefully next season with the additon of Faust, Gibbs, and Breunig and the experience gained by Stoglin, Howard, and Hawk we have a team that has more seasoned fire power from the perimeter. I think next year will be awesome to watch and if Jordan stays one more year I think we would have great potential to get all the way.
To those who called for Gary's job for his lack of recruiting
Jordan Williams, Terrell Stoglin, PeShon Howard, Mychal Parker, Nick Faust, Sterling Gibbs, Justin Anderson
Here’s to you bitches. I think it’s time to go under a rock and shut the hell up for a while.
by beavs on Mar 17, 2011 9:03 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
granted
his seniors on display we bowie, tucker, and dino. all atlantic-ten talent. he gave them scholarships, that cannot happen again…
Dino
You can’t lump him in with Bowie and Tucker. He played really well most of the year and without him the Terps would have been even worse. Also, he played a big role in the upset of Cal with a team that featured Dave Neal at center and last year he helped the Terps win the regular season ACC crown.
PS
Tucker was a 4 star recruit. Also, remember Travis Garrison, McDonald’s All American? Mike Jones, second best shooting guard behind LeBron James when he was coming out. All these rankings are pretty useless until we see these kids play.
Agreed that recruiting is often a crapshoot
but I would have killed to have Mike Jones on this team this year
He was a 4 star
However, his only other offer was UTEP; not exactly a steal. We know a kid is worth a Maryland scholarship with the other type of schools that recruit him. Also Cliff Tucker was a 4 star on Rivals and Not Ranked on ESPNU. Conflicting Reports are often a RED FLAG. Bowie had no other offers when he committed as a junior. Dino blossomed into a success this year but quite frankly he sucks and is not ACC talent. I know everyone loves dino but this years team was bad so he stood out as a success.
Smart recruiting
This is another “Gary” type player. Want proof of Gary’s wisdom? Remember how everyone screamed over “born ready” Lance Stepenson? Where is he now? According to espn, “Stepenson’s four-game run In the rotation appears to be over for now, after reports surfaced that he was being a pain in the rear of veterans on the team.”. Again, sometimes it is better to avoid some of those 5-star talents.
Unrelated
Anyone else feel somewhat satisfied seeing Michigan State getting handled?
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
Awesomeness defined!!!!
Having hope is better than any drug.
Back to the beginnings of the Gary era
Incoming class of Gibbs, Faust and Breunig reminds me of Gary’s 1st important class of Duane Simpkins, Jonny Rhodes, and Exree Hipp. he then followed that up by landing Keith Booth (big time local) and Joe Smith, which will hopefully correlate with Justin Anderson (big time local) and ???
I love seeing on ESPN's recruiting Board ..... TERPS LAND SUPER 60
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/school/_/id/120/page/onthetrail/class/2011
I love it. Good job landing this guy. Lets 2 more top 100 players and call it a wrap. FAB3
by Charlotte NC Terp on Mar 18, 2011 10:01 AM EDT reply actions
Amile Jefferson
Is he off the board or are we still going to be recruiting him? He seems like a PF.
How sick would it be to get JA, AJ, and Shaq? 3 potential McD’s AA!
haha
I just tweeted that to JA. Said he needed to be our Juwan Howard and start the Fab3# and get Shaq and Jefferson. Jefferson is listed as a SF by some sites and a PF on others. Seems to be a tweener that could be a more offensive version of John Henson. Never seem him play though so I have no idea. I could be totally wrong.
I would be thrilled if we landed Shaq and the dematha PG …. (think his name is Robinson) as well. Hopefully JA starts recruiting other big names to come and join him.
by Charlotte NC Terp on Mar 18, 2011 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Idk
If robinson would come here with 3 other pg ahead of him…
by MurlandTerps on Mar 18, 2011 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions
I was thinking that to
He wouldnt get my pt his first year or so but come his junior and senior year it would just be him and Gibbs. 2013 class is probably a better time to bring in a new PG. Who knows though.
by Charlotte NC Terp on Mar 18, 2011 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
elite athletes
With Parker, Faust and Anderson, we have elite athletic talent at the wing position. It would seem as though a big would love to come here and play with these guys, not to mention Stoglin, Howard and Gibbs. Gary, go get some bigs and we are set for a while. Should be a lot of fun
More good news
Looks like Pearl is going to get canned…….losing by about 20
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