Sports

Seeing Red? St. Anthony’s Anderson likes Johnnies

READING, Pa. – Kyle Anderson, a 6-foot-9 point guard from New Jersey that many of the nation’s elite programs have coveted at one time or another, separates himself from the pack with his unique skill set for a prospect his size.

He’s different in another way – the rising senior at St. Anthony in Jersey City doesn’t crave the spotlight. Instead of setting up a press conference or going on ESPN to announce what college he will choose, he plans to send text messages to the five coaches still involved with his decision Sept. 20, the day of his 18th birthday.

Steve Lavin may be the first such coach.

The second-year St. John’s head man, with the help of trusted lead recruiter Tony Chiles, has the Johnnies squarely in the mix for Scout.com’s ninth-best prospect in the country. The Red Storm is right there with Florida, Seton Hall, Georgetown and UCLA, the other finalists, Anderson said during Hoop Group Team Camp on Saturday.

“They’re doing a good job,” said Anderson, who plans to visit all five schools sometime in August and September. “I know they are interested and I’m interested, too.”

One of Lavin’s first orders of business when he took over last spring was to get involved with Anderson – Chiles spoke with his father, Kyle Anderson Sr., almost immediately after coming aboard.

“They’ve been steady but subtle,” Anderson Sr. said. “They keep in touch, but they didn’t bombard me with calls, texts and emails.”

It wasn’t necessarily subtle Saturday at Hoop Group – Chiles, Lavin and Rico Hines, another assistant, were front and center watching Anderson, as was Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard and Florida’s Billy Donovan. Anderson is used to the attention, though he doesn’t seek it, and went out and led St. Anthony to a pair of easy victories.

Anderson is particularly intrigued by the Red Storm’s highly ranked recruiting class – Scout.com has it No. 2 behind Kentucky – which includes seven top 100 players. He sees himself meshing well with wings like Maurice Harkless, Amir Garrett, De’Angelo Harrison, Jakarr Sampson and Sir’Dominic Pointer. The Red Storm would play Anderson at point guard, as Seton Hall, Georgetown and UCLA would as well.

“He likes the talent Lavin has brought in,” Anderson Sr. said. “Kyle is the ultimate Robin – he needs talent around him.”

Anderson said: “I like all the wings; they are all good players that can score, very versatile.”

That word – versatile – is one many have used to describe Anderson, who can score in and out, but is at his best as a distributor. After two stellar seasons at since-closed Paterson Catholic, he led St. Anthony to the USA Today mythical national championship and New Jersey Tournament of Champions crown, and has followed that up with a brilliant summer on the AAU circuit with the New Jersey Playaz Club.

“He sees the game like a 10-year NBA veteran, very Magic Johnson-like,” one Division I assistant coach familiar with Anderson said. “His basketball intellect is the best of any player we have evaluated in recent years. He processes the game at a higher level than any player in his class, which is a unique attribute for a player his size.”

St. John’s and its fans would be thrilled to see that unique skill set in Jamaica, Queens.

zbraziller@nypost.com