Spartan men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo has asked a lot of things from his freshman this season - more than ever before.
But in addition to big minutes, freshman swingman Alan Anderson has been asked to be a little bit of everything for MSU (15-10 overall, 6-6 Big Ten).
“The kid’s going to be a better player for it in the next three years, but I’m not sure we’ve asked more of a freshman,” Izzo said. “As far as playing as many minutes, I know we haven’t asked that. Playing as many different positions - I know we haven’t asked that, and having to be such an integral part of the team - that’s a lot to ask.”
Injuries have forced Anderson, a 6-foot-6 Minneapolis native, to give the Spartans time at four separate positions - point guard, shooting guard, small forward and power forward.
“There’s lots of pressure,” Anderson said. “(The freshmen) are playing lots of minutes that freshmen in the Big Ten and at Michigan State just don’t come in and play.”
In addition to being able to run the plays for the Spartan offense from a variety of spots on the court, Anderson also has had to guard players at each position.
“That’s the problem with Alan Anderson,” Izzo said. “He has to do a bunch of different things on both ends of the court.”
And the returns on asking so much of the freshman might not be seen soon.
“It’s great in the long run, it’s not good in the short run,” Izzo said. “Versatility has been the key to our success over the years.”
In Big Ten games, Anderson averages 6.9 points per game and 4.3 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game. Other than solid numbers, he has proven to be dangerous on the baseline and foul line, where he hits 81.1 percent of the time.
In the Spartans first six conference games, Anderson reached double-digit points once. But in MSU’s last six, he’s reached double-digits four times.
Anderson said it hasn’t been easy to learn all the different positions when he’s still feeling out his role on the team.
“Right now I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable with the offense and knowing how my teammates play, knowing when to score and when not to score,” Anderson said. “I’m just starting to get the feel of the game.”
Versatility always has been an area where Anderson has excelled. In his senior season at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis, Anderson averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists a game.
Going along with the gaudy stat line were a slew of highlights, Anderson said.
“In high school it was something serious,” he said. “I’d just stay above the rim, highlight after highlight. I was used to just driving and dunking.
“Now, I got to drive and pull-up because there’s a 6-foot-11 or a 7-foot guy in there waiting to block my shot. It’s a big difference.”
Associate head coach Brian Gregory has seen flashes of the player Anderson was in high school, and said he expects to see more.
“One of the things I don’t think people have seen, and maybe they saw a glimpse of it, was with that tip dunk he had against (Michigan),” Gregory said. “He’s a little better athlete than maybe he’s played.
“He’s not a Jason Richardson- or Morris Peterson-type athlete, but he’s one notch below that and maybe hasn’t played like it yet.”
Anderson said it’s only a matter of time until he starts consistently being the player the Spartan coaches said he could be.
“If they see something in me, you’ll see it coming up,” Anderson said. “I don’t know when, but it’s coming.”
