Kyle Anderson has handled his recruitment much the way he goes about playing basketball – slow, steady and to the point.
The St. Anthony of Jersey City 6-foot-8 point guard cut his list to five – St. John’s, Georgetown, Seton Hall, UCLA and Florida – in June and has seen the first four a final time in the last few weeks. Wednesday was St. John’s turn and coach Steve Lavin pulled out all the stops, having former player and NBA veteran Baron Davis on campus to speak with the unique talent.
“It made a big impact,” said Anderson who saw the Big East school with his mother, Suzanne, and two brothers, Duanne and Jamar. “It shows he gets guys NBA ready. Baron talked about Coach Lav, how he helped him get to where he is today.”
In a brief interview, Anderson didn’t let on his future plans – as has been the norm for him – other than to say he still plans to commit Sept. 20, the day of his 18th birthday. He’s enjoyed visits to all four schools and said the only reason he’s been to UCLA multiple times in the last month is because he was out west for the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Classic in the first place.
Anderson’s stock has skyrocketed in the last year, starting with his decision to attend St. Anthony when Paterson Catholic closed. He led the Friars to a record seventh New Jersey Tournament of Champions title and mythical USA Today national championship. With the New Jersey Playaz Club, he guided them to titles at the End of Summer Classic, Desert Duel, Nike Baltimore Elite Invitational and Rumble in the Bronx, won MVP honors at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Classic and Battle of the Boroughs and is currently ranked fourth in his class by Scout.com.
“From the neck on up, he’s the best high school basketball player in America,” talent evaluator Tom Konchalski said. “He’s just a winner. He won at Paterson Catholic, he won a national title at St. Anthony’s and he’s gonna win at the next level wherever he goes.”
As for Wednesday’s visit, he spent two hours in a meeting with the entire coaching staff, met the school’s president, Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., hung out with the team and toured the campus.
“It went well,” said Anderson, who lives with Suzanne in Harlem during the summer. “I met a lot of good people.”
After his official visit to Florida, Anderson plans to meet with his parents and those close to him, go over the positives and negatives of each school.
“He’s very informed when it comes to the college basketball world,” his father, Kyle Anderson Sr., said. “He’s gonna make the best decision for him and it will be the best decision long term.”
At this point, however, Anderson has no idea where he will end up.
“I have a lot of thinking to do,” he said.