FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Wednesday, January 4, 2017 Anderson finding stride in final stretch of career with ‘Jackets
From hitting shots in his father’s shop as a kid to overcoming a season-ending knee injury last year, senior Jace Anderson is back in action for MSUB’s men’s basketball team in his final season with the ‘Jackets. MSUB SPORTS – Jamie Stevens walked into the locker room in Bellingham, Wash., on New Year’s Eve 2016 in a manner unprecedented in his coaching career at Montana State University Billings. The Yellowjackets had just knocked off No. 19 Western Washington University 100-93, claiming their first-ever road victory against the Vikings. As his gaze carried around the room he met eyes with senior Marc Matthews, whose game-high 28 points carried the team. There was Preston Beverly, the sophomore forward with as much talent as any player in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Next to him was Sven Jeuschede, who has shown more improvement between his freshman and sophomore campaigns than many players show in a four-year career.
There was Kendall Denham, from small-town Malta, Mont., who “makes it all tick,” to steal a quote from Stevens. Then there was one player Stevens couldn’t help but fixate on. Almost exactly 365 days after the most devastating moment of his athletic career, senior guard Jace Anderson quietly unbuckled the brace corralling his right knee. It wasn’t until Stevens pointed out to the group that Anderson’s torn ACL had come in the dying seconds of a 77-75 win over the Vikings on Jan. 2 last season that the magnitude of his 18 points scored – in each of the two games - began to set in. A year ago Anderson had been helpless, hobbling off of the east baseline at Alterowitz Gym with an injury that spells the end of a career for many athletes. But calling it quits wouldn’t have fit the mantra his father Brent and grandfather Francis Anderson instilled in the family culture through their ranch in Whitewater. Anderson cites the team’s most recent performance as one of his fondest memories as a Yellowjacket, but not because of the significance it marked in his return from injury. “When it came down to it, all I was thinking about was beating Western,” said Anderson, downplaying the notion that the game fell a year after he was sidelined. “We had never beat them there before, so I was more worried about that. When coach came in and said something about it, I thought a little more about it and I guess it was pretty special. But I was just happier about the win.” A competitor is all the 5-foot-10 guard has ever been, his winning spirit and unmatched work ethic making up for his lack of size as a Division II basketball player. It’s a drive that was fostered 250 miles north of Billings, where his father began building basketball into the mind of the youngest generation in the Anderson family. THE SHOP Brent Anderson’s shop has played host to more different jobs than are countable, with everything from welding to tractor repair consuming the building connected to F. Anderson Ranch. Though there aren’t painted lines on the floor – rather woodchips and other debris – the full-size backboard and hoop on the wall suggest it doubles as a basketball court. “The floor was always dirty after I had been working on something, so we would have to get it swept out before we played,” said Brent. “We played games in there quite a few times.” Brent, who played at Whitewater High School in the graduating class of 1980, would join with Jace to take on his oldest son Jett and his daughter Jenna in spirited matchups that often times couldn’t help but become intense family affairs. Some days, Jace would sweep out the shop on his own before spending hours working on his shot despite battling low ceilings. “It isn’t very high so you could only get back to about where the free-throw line was,” said
Anderson. “I remember a lot of nights out in the shop with my dad working on shooting with my brother and sister. I was pretty young at first and I would just tag along. I wanted to be like them.” Brent stressed the importance of using the backboard, and taught his youngest son the art of making close shots as well as a strong dribbling technique. “I told him that he could always improve his shooting percentage by using the backboard well,” Brent said. “I made sure all my kids could dribble with their left hand as well.” Brent’s commitment to his son’s shooting development has paid off within Anderson’s career numbers at MSUB. As of Jan. 4, Jace is a 44.7 percent shooter from the floor, and is one of just 43 players in GNAC history to shoot 40 percent or better at 40.6 percent from 3-point range (minimum 175 attempts). He is also an excellent 77.1 percent shooter from the foul line.
Among the approximately 1,300 players to have competed in the GNAC, Anderson is in the top 3.3 percent of players in career 3-point field-goal percentage at 40.6.
“I credit my dad a lot because he helped me with my form growing up,” Anderson replied when asked about his development into a premier shooter. “Not being able to shoot threes for a long time in the shop also helped, because I had to work closer in towards the hoop. Shooting has always been a big part of my game even when I was younger.” The stellar career shooting numbers are no doubt the results of Anderson’s tireless work in his dad’s shop, where a sheet of paper attached to the wall beckoned the three siblings to track their progress
from different spots around the floor. When Anderson reached the third grade, he was allowed to sit on the bench during junior high games as he began to internalize basketball with every waking moment of his life. Before long, he was playing up a level with the older kids and was starting on the junior high team by fifth grade. “He never missed a practice, and when he started playing with the older kids I knew he had a chance to be a special player,” Brent said. FIVE YEARS A YELLOWJACKET “At the time we felt like he was a kid we would love to have in our program, but we looked at his size and questioned whether or not he could be a good player here. Obviously, we were wrong, because Jace is one of the best things to happen to this program since I have been here.” – MSUB Head Coach Jamie Stevens on recruiting senior Jace Anderson. Anderson visited several colleges in Montana upon his senior year at Whitewater High, but the challenge of playing at an NCAA Division II school in MSUB is what ultimately drew him to Billings. Having just finished his first season as head coach of the ‘Jackets, Stevens and his staff watched Anderson at the Senior Classic in Billings and liked what they saw. Stevens extended Anderson the chance to walk on to the team, and it was mutually agreed that spending his first year as a redshirt during the 2012-13 season would be most beneficial for Anderson’s growth as a player. Though he never suited up to play in his first year at MSUB, the way Anderson approached his assignment of running scout team in practice was Stevens’ first indication of the freshman’s potential. Upon the team’s preparation for taking
on Western Washington, Anderson was tasked with playing the role of the Vikings’ John Allen, one of the greatest guards to ever play in the GNAC. “Jace was Allen in practice, and he did some things during that scout team that really opened our eyes,” Stevens recalled with a smile. “He actually gave us a really good look of what Allen and Western could do.” Anderson maximized his chance to grow during his redshirt year, and cited working with the team’s talented, veteran guards as being paramount to elevating his game enough to play in the GNAC. Kalob Hatcher, David Arnold, and Omar McDade were among the former MSUB stars that Anderson looked up to, as the young player aspired to one day lead the Yellowjackets. “Kalob is as good a competitor as I’ve ever played with, and he hated to lose more than anyone,” Anderson said regarding Hatcher, whom he played one season with in 2013-14. “He had an edge that he played with that was cool to watch. I try to be like him in that aspect.” A role player in his first season in 2013-14, Anderson helped the ‘Jackets reach the GNAC tournament, but played just 6.8 minutes per game in 21 appearances off of the bench. By his sophomore season, he was singled out as an honorable mention all-GNAC selection, but the disappointment of a 5-23 record negated the individual honor in Anderson’s eyes. “We have had some tough times since I have been here, but it has made me a stronger person and player,” Anderson said regarding losing records each of the last two seasons. “Losing years aren’t enjoyable, but they make you work that much harder to do whatever you could to win again.” A TEST OF CHARACTER “Games like that help my confidence. I might not be as consistent as I was last year, but I know I still have it in me.” – Senior Jace Anderson commenting on his 18-point performance in MSUB’s win over WWU last Saturday. Fast forward to the fateful January evening midway through Anderson’s junior year, and the ‘Jackets were about to pull their record to an even 6-6 for the first time since he had become a starter in the program. He had connected on 7 of 12 shots including four 3-pointers, and his 18 points had provided the ‘Jackets with a 77-75 lead with 44 seconds left in regulation. Suddenly, the game ceased to matter as Anderson collapsed beneath the hoop while clutching the front of his right knee. Just as he was finding the best rhythm of his college career, averaging a team-high 14.1 points through 12 games, the remainder of his season vanished and his career was brought into question. His big game against the Vikings came on the heels of a 2-0 road trip by the ‘Jackets, during which Anderson scored a career-high 30 points at the University of Mary before hitting a game-winning buzzer beater in an 82-80 win over Black Hills State.
“It was hard physically, but just as hard if not harder mentally,” Anderson said regarding the injury. “I didn’t want my career to end like that, and I knew I would regret it later in life if I didn’t stick it out and try to come back.” A minimum eight-month recovery meant that Anderson had a chance to be medically cleared in time to play the entire 2016-17 season, but at times the lingering deadline of a September return to the court couldn’t have felt further away. “The toughest part was being patient, and right when I got back I wanted to go 100 percent,” said Anderson, who spent months rehabilitating his injury with MSUB athletic trainer Tom Ebel. “When I got cleared I thought I would be able to play all out right away, but that might have been a little unrealistic. There were times I felt I wasn’t playing as well as in the past or that I wasn’t moving the way I used to, and it was hard on me because I wasn’t helping the team as much as I could.” Averaging just 6.0 points through his first five games of the season, a 22-point outburst in a win at Colorado Mesa was the first hint that Anderson was back on track. Entering Thursday’s game against Central Washington, Anderson has upped his season average to 8.6 points per game and has had multiple assists in each of his last five outings.
Anderson driving to the hoop in a home game against Rocky this season, the brace on his right knee evidence of his long path to returning to the court.
“He is still going through a lot of pain every day, but he is a great leader for us in practice and games,” said Stevens. “He hasn’t quite gotten back to the level he was at last year, but it is something I think he can reach over the course of the rest of this season. He gets better and better every week.”
.406 IS HOME “I knew he could be good when we were freshmen, and every year he has gotten better. It’s good to see him back on the court now, and after Western Washington he is playing like the old Jace.” – Senior Marc Matthews on teammate and friend Jace Anderson. Brent’s hoop is still attached to the wall in his shop, a scene Jace has long since out-grown but still returns to from time to time. “We are just so proud of him, and we knew that wherever he went to play that it would be a win,” said Brent speaking for himself and his wife Debbie. “Whatever he sets his mind out to do, he is going to go do it and do it well. We were all very disappointed when he was injured, and we are just happy to see him on the floor again.” It’s no surprise that Anderson’s work ethic extends beyond the court, as he is also a two-time academic all-GNAC selection. Having essentially completed his degree in finance, Anderson’s focus the rest of the season will be on helping the ‘Jackets make another run towards the GNAC tournament. Currently in first place with four straight wins and seven in the team’s last eight games, MSUB is poised to supply Anderson with his most successful season in his last.
Among the closest friends Anderson has made at MSUB are fellow senior Marc Matthews and long-time teammate Kendall Denham. Matthews has been with Anderson from Day 1, entering the program and redshirting alongside Anderson in 2012. “I remember when we first started, thinking how Marc was way ahead of me that first year,” Anderson recalled. “I just watched him in open gym thinking that he could be really special here, and he has been. I am proud of him for all the accomplishments he has had here, and he has been one of my good friends since I came here.” Anderson also influenced Denham on joining the ‘Jackets a season later, as the two had been connected as football teammates when the former’s Whitewater High linked up with Denham’s Malta High School. “I Anderson and Matthews have been teammates since breaking into the program together at the beginning of the 2012-13 season. like to think I was a little bit of a factor in him coming here,” Anderson said with a laugh. “We have always had a good connection and that goes back to our football days. We are both more concerned with winning than individual stats.” Perhaps the most important thing Anderson will leave behind is a work ethic that has outweighed all of the odds against him. His perseverance and relentless pursuit of success prove his father’s words that he can achieve anything he wants. A fitting semblance of his home state’s area code, his current career 3-point shooting percentage of .406 speaks for itself. He has scored 510 points, playing in 71 games despite his eight-month absence from the game. Anderson could care less about the numbers; they’re simply the result of a lifelong passion for the game and playing it the right way. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--