Trae Anderson: Making his move

i always enjoy watching young players who emerge from the shadows of others and begin to make a name for themselves. A young man who is doing just that is guard Trae Anderson , a junior at Hazelwood Central.

 In a junior class loaded with highly touted players such as Bradley Beal, Ben McLemore, Roosevelt Jones and B.J. Young, the 6'3" Anderson is beginning to emerge as a player to watch in the St. Louis area. In just a few short months, Anderson has transformed from a solid high school role player to one who is starting to gain interest from such NCAA Division I schools as Bradley.

 If you haven't heard of Trae Anderson, don't worry too much. Not many people outside of Hazelwood Central and North County have not either. However, that is beginning to change because the young man has been playing up a storm this spring.

 I had a chance to catch Anderson in action this weekend at the David Lee & Larry Hughes Midwest Slam Jam at Saint Louis University. Anderson plays for the Team Swish 17U team for Willie Sales. I have been impressed with what I've seen from Anderson, who has become an explosive scorer and team leader for the Swish.

 "Once this kid realized all he can do, he has really taken off," Sales said. "He sees that he has the ability to play at a high level. He is such a hard-working kid. He is the first kid to show up for practice and the last one to leave."

 Although his team did not make it out of pool play, Team Swish did win two games and Anderson was one of the most impressive individual players in the tournament as he put up some big numbers throughout the tournament. He enjoyed one of the weekend's top individual performances on Saturday night when he scored 32 points to lead his team to a 70-67 upset victory over the Illinois Titans, a talented team made up of many players from Brehm Prep Academy in Carbondale. Anderson scored from everywhere as he sparked the upset. He scored on drives, medium range jumpers and offensive rebounds. Had he coverted a few more free throws, he would have easily topped the 40-point mark.

 Last weekend's performances were typical of the type of spring that Anderson has been enjoying. As a junior at Hazelwood Central, Anderson was a solid role player for the Hawks who provided consistent bursts of energy and athleticism. He averaged 6.5 points and 2.2 rebounds a game on a very talented team that won 21 games. Once the spring season began and Anderson joined Sales newly-formed Swish 17U team, Anderson has taken his game to another level.

 "When we started, I told him that this was his chance to make a name for himself," Sales said. "I said, 'you are a diamond in the rough and you just have to step up and show that you are an elite basketball player."

 Anderson was one of the top players at the Rameybasketball.com Midwest Classic as he  led the Swish to a berth in the 17U semifinals. He continued to get better at last week's prestigous Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kan. when he averaged 22 points a game, including a 28-point performance against the Tulsa Hurricane.

 Here's to contiued success to Trae Anderson, a young man who is really getting it done.