HIGH-SCHOOL

Riley's Anderson poised to take next step

Al Lesar
South Bend Tribune

Technically, in the world of college basketball recruiting, Damezi Anderson doesn’t exist.

Over the course of the next few months, though, that’s likely to change.

Spring is when flowers bloom and phenoms blossom.

Riley High’s 6-foot-5, 190-pound sophomore bundle of potential is poised to plant his flag on the landscape of Indiana’s top young talent.

Even though he has scored 903 points in his first two seasons with the Wildcats, Anderson is still a secret to most of the basketball world.

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You ain’t nobody until a recruiting analyst says you’re somebody.

“I don’t think Damezi is off the radar,” said Eric Bossi, national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. “His name’s been floating around. It’s hard to see guys that young. He’s one of those guys that we’ll see this spring. He has a great reputation in Indiana.”

That reputation will be enhanced real soon when word gets out that Indiana, Purdue and Michigan State are already courting him. College coaches and recruiting gurus will flock around the Indy Hoosiers (based in Indianapolis), Anderson’s AAU team.

“Damezi does have a chance to become a special player,” said Riley coach Mark Johnson. “He has to stay humble, stay hungry, and continue to have a desire to improve.

“His skill level could be a step above good.”

Don’t take that praise lightly. After 33 years on the sidelines, Johnson just doesn’t lavish accolades willy-nilly.

Now’s the time for Anderson – who said his GPA is near 3.0 – to make himself a better player, long before he can make Riley a better team. Playing with a national-caliber team on the AAU circuit, Anderson will test himself on a big stage.

“I’ll be playing against the top players in the world,” Anderson said. “I can see how my game compares. It just makes me work harder.

“AAU is so much different than high school ball. You run and gun a lot. In high school, it’s a team effort.”

Anderson is suited for both. His game can sometimes be sensational, while other times be erratic. When an athletic, 6-5 leaper sets up three feet beyond the arc and lets it fly, it could cause heads to scratch.

Just another day at the office for Anderson.

He’s as comfortable shooting the 3 as he is going to the rack.

“Whenever you play good competition on a big stage, that can help you grow,” said Johnson. “Playing AAU can be a great opportunity.”

This is Anderson’s time to find a way out of Romeo Langford’s shadow. Langford, like Anderson, is a sophomore. Langford, like Anderson, is a high-level 6-5 shooting guard. Langford, unlike Anderson, has already led his New Albany High School team to a Class 4-A state title.

“Everyone has seen Romeo,” said Bossi. “He had a couple ludicrous (high school) games and suddenly everyone had to see him right away. We have him as a five-star (out of five), in our top 12 nationally.”

“I know Romeo pretty well,” Anderson said. “He’s a great player and a good guy. I would have loved to have gone against him (in the state finals).”

Riley, however, suffered a double-overtime loss to Warsaw in the regional.

“I have friends in New Albany who have sent me (newspaper) clippings on Romeo,” Johnson said. “They’re very similar players. They’re both special.”

Johnson is just hoping that attention from Tom Crean, Tom Izzo, Matt Painter, and the other big-time coaches who will fawn over Anderson in the coming months, won’t spoil what’s there now.

“I worry every day that when everyone tells you how good you are, you become entitled,” Johnson said. “Enjoy it for one-third of a second, then move on. When you’re criticized, worry about it for one-third of a second, then move on.

“Trust your coaches. Trust your teammates. Trust your talent. That’s how you become a better player.”

And it won’t take a rating service for you to know you exist.

Penn’s Matt Trewella (23) guards Riley’s Damezi Anderson (21) during the first half of the McDonald’s All-Star game Tuesday at Bethel College in Mishawaka. Photo/BECKY MALEWITZ
Riley’s Damezi Anderson shoots from the top of the key March 1 during the LaPorte-Riley boys Class 4-A sectional basketball game at Plymouth High School. Tribune Photo/GREG SWIERCZ