The caption under the photo said, "Ryan Anderson (foreground enjoys a spirited practice with teammates Greg Jobagy and Courtney Clawson (on floor) (He is Beth's brother.) Thursday. The Pronghorns take on the Saskatchewan Huskies tonight at the 1st Choice Savings Centre. And the headline said, DADDY DEAREST
Pronghorns basketball veteran Ryan Anderson leads a young team against the Saskatchewan Huskies tonight at 1st Choice Savings Centre.
By Craig Slater
Lethbridge Herald
As many of his teammates joked and shared animated stories of their New Year's Eve Revelry, Ryan Anderson stood off to the side, holding a blonde haired stuffed doll.
It wasn't the first time and it certainly won't be the last. It simply comes with the territory of being a dad of two young girls as Anderson is.
His fatherly duties don't end, however, after he says goodnight to his wife and kids and goes to practice with his University of Lethbridge Pronghorns teammates.
"Ryan is the Dad and Rob Iszak is the grandpa," joked guard Richard Steed about the two eldest members of the men's basketball team. "Rob (31 years old) doesn't even get to be our dad. He goes straight to grandpa. We make sure they know how old they are. We remind them every day."
It's a joke that never gets old to the 17-year-old Anderson, a married man and father of two girls (four- years- old and 10 months) to whom the blonde-haired dolly belongs.
"They're always funny. At least they think they're always funny." he said of his teammates' jokes. "Steven (Spence) and Brandon (Thomas-James) call me Dad all the time, and that's cool. Hopefully I can teach them something. After all, Father knows best."
Anderson's veteran presence has been one of the lone bright spots for the Pronghorns so far this season. The fifth-year forward from Calgary leads the team in scoring average (13 points) and rebounds (five) heading into the weekend as the 'Horns play the Saskatchewan Huskies tonight and Saturday in the first taste of Canada West action this semester.
The six-foot-five Anderson has been a model of consistency all season, both with his production on the court and leadership off of it to a young Pronghorns group that has 10 new faces this season. Last weekend in three exibition games in Montana, Anderson averaged 10 rebounds and 10 points a game. Alghough not flashy or colorful, he has been one of the more reliable producers for coach Mike Connolly this winter.
"He goes about his business the same way every day." Connolly said. "You know what you'll get from him every day, whether at practice or in a game."
"He's taken that role of leading the guys and he's done a good job with it." The guys follow him and understand him. They know he's a man and a lot of them are just 18 or 19 years old."
It's an ideal role that plays right into the hands of both player and coach. Anderson is a natural leader and Connolly has used that trait to benefit the younger talent for the future. Anderson and Conolly spoke prior to this Canada West Season, with Connolly explaining to his senior he wasn't sure what amount of success the team would experience in Anderson's time. However, under Anderson's guidance, the rookies in the Pronghorn lineup this season would grow to become better players in the future, something Anderson could take pride in after he graduates.
"Not only do we have to fit in all of these new faces, but we have to fit him in with those new faces." Connolly said. "He's done a good job of fitting in and now he's stepping up and being that senior, that leader. "
"You kind of knew it was going to be a rebuilding year in some ways just with all the new faces coming in." Anderson said. "We've proven we can play with everybody with the exception of the last home weekend verses Alberta. But we've been in every game so far this year. Now we just need to start getting the "Ws" to go along with all that hard work."
AROUND THE HORNS: Quinn Van Gaalen and Shawn Nelson are tied for second in team scoring both averaging 12 points per game... fifth-year post Andrew Spagrud leads the Huskies (5-5) in scoring (19 points per game) and rebounding (11 per game)... the Pronghorns women (1-9) also host the Huskies (4-6) this weekend, with both games slated for 5 p.m. The lone 'Horns victory in the first semester came in Saskatoon ... Forward Ashley McClenaghan leads the Prongshorns in scoring (14 points) and rebounding (seven per game), with guard Stephanie Elford second in scoring with 12 points per game.
1 comment:
Cool! I love how they wrote about him being a dad. :0)
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