Indiana Underclassmen To Watch: Damezi Anderson
Mark Johnson knows a great player when he sees one.
The South Bend (Ind.) Riley head man is entering his 34th year overall as a coach and his 14th season at Riley.
Over that span he’s coached numerous high profile players, including 1978’s Indiana Mr. Basketball in David Magley, Don Gandy - who played for Oklahoma in the early 80’s - and former Purdue standout Brandon McKnight (early 2000’s) among others.
Damezi Anderson is his next player with a chance to break into that pack.
“Damezi’s in the picture of all the really good ones,” Johnson said. “He fits in with all those from a standpoint of being unbelievably competitive, he can really shoot the ball and score the ball, and he has a big desire to improve.
“That’s what all those guys had. Damezi’s as good as any kid I’ve ever coached.”
Anderson is only entering his junior season, but he’s already played a role in helping Johnson and Riley win at a high level. They’ve captured the sectional title the last two seasons, and fell just 79-74 to Warsaw in double overtime in last season’s regional semi-finals before Warsaw advanced to the semi-state championships.
“He’s long - he’s a legit 6-5 or 6-6 offguard,” Johnson said. “He’s a very good shooter with very good range.
“He’s improved where he can put it on the floor now. He’s a very good offensive rebounder. From an offensive standpoint, when you can do three things like that - shoot, attack the basket and hit the glass - that makes you a very good scorer.
“He can get easy baskets at the free throw line and in transition.”
According to the Rivals.com national rankings in the class of 2018, Anderson checks in fourth in the state of Indiana for the junior class, rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 93 overall player nationally.
For him to move up that list, he’ll need to continue to work on his one-on-one defense while learning how to sustain a high level of day-to-day effort.
“The biggest thing with Damezi is consistency, and that’s the hardest part for anyone I think,” Johnson said. “It’s not just consistency in play, but consistency in effort.
“That’s the biggest thing that I think a lot of people have to improve on. You don’t want to just play really hard or well against the top competition, you want to play really well whoever you’re against – whether that’s a pickup game, or practice.
“Before you can be consistent in your play, you must be consistent in your effort, and that’s one of the biggest things I think not only Damezi but a lot of players have to understand.”
The Indiana Basketball Coaches Association named Anderson underclassmen honorable mention all-state last year after he averaged over 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game for 22-6 overall Riley.
To catch Anderson and Riley in-action this season, a handful of games jump off the page when looking at the schedule. Highlight matchups include versus Southport High in a tournament at Southport in December and a Feb. 11 matchup at Fort Wayne North Side, among others.
For their full schedule for the 2016-17 season, click here (link).
Other Indiana Underclassmen To Watch:
· New Albany High five-star guard Romeo Langford – LINK
· Indianapolis Lawrence North three-star forward Kevin Easley Jr. – LINK