The
6’3” senior guard recently led Central Private to the school’s first ever
Overall Championship and a 29-4 record.
Anderson
averaged 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists a game but performed
at his best during big games.
Anderson
averaged just over 32 points and 8 rebounds in Central Private’s two wins over
defending Overall Champion Jackson Prep.
Saving
his best performance for the biggest game of his high school career, Anderson
scored 36 points (six 3-pointers) in the Rebel’s 74-67 Overall Championship win
over Prep and wowed the A.E. Wood Coliseum crowd with his ability to hit long
range 3-pointers during critical moments of the game.
The
senior averaged 20 points and 7 rebounds in Central Private’s Overall
Tournament wins over MRA, Parklane and Jackson Prep.
Anderson’s
ability to take over a game whether it be with long range 3-pointers, driving
the lane or a thunderous slam dunk truly makes him the best all-around and most complete player in the MAIS.
“I
remember the first time I met Simpson Anderson 3 years ago,” said Central Private
head coach Henry Gantz. “It’s amazing how far he's come and how much he's
accomplished. We've had a unique relationship because in some sense both of our
careers grew together. We've both lived our highs and lows together. He
also is a three year starter for Central Private School and he has
put this program on his back and has turned the Rebel basketball program into
the power that it once was in the early 2000's. He has hit so many big shots
and made so many big plays that it became routine to his team to watch. I
watched the Overall Finals game last night on DVD and he literally made so many
big plays that its mind boggling. I watched reactions from the crowd (good and
bad) when he was hitting timeline 3's and people are just shaking their heads
in awe, however the Central Private bench and our fans saw Simpson just being himself,
he's been doing it for three years,” said Gantz.
One
example was a February 13th Class AA South State Tournament
elimination game with highly touted Trinity Episcopal. The matchup was a highly
intense “go home” game with the loser having their season end. In that game
Anderson scored 31 points (six 3’s) and grabbed 12 rebounds in leading Central
Private to a 72-43 win.
“A coach can’t ask for a player
to be a better teammate either,” said Henry Gantz. “He has played with
some great talent at Central Private and he has accepted every role he's
had, whether it be a spot up shooter, switching to point guard in the
middle of a game, or being our center in the pick-n-roll. He has amazed many
fans throughout his career and I am excited to watch him at the
college level, I have no doubt in my mind that Simpson will hit a timeline shot
to send his team to the NCAA tournament or something special like that.
I don't think the area will soon forget the name Simpson Anderson, I
know I never will.”
“Ten
good questions for Simpson Anderson”
How much fun was it playing for Coach Gantz?
“It was extremely fun, I
do love him.”
Who was the one person on the team that made you
laugh the most and why?
“Thomas Kelly, he
always made Coach Gantz
mad and it made me laugh to see him get in trouble.”
Who was the one player on the team you wouldn't want
to face as an opponent?
“It’s got to be Liam Thomas or
Jaydyn Cohen. I wouldn't want to play offensively against
Liam but I wouldn't want to guard Jaydyn.”
What did the loss to Marshall in the state
championship game do for the team's confidence?
“That’s a good
question, it didn’t really boost my confidence and I felt awful the whole way
home, until the next day Coach sent me a text message that really
fired me up. He had me believing again.”
What is the one moment or thing about this season
that you will always remember?
“Winning the Gold
Ball.”
How did the death of Brice Harris affect the team?
“It brought the
team closer together and it gave us something to fight for. We always
feel like people are against us and this inspired us even more.”
How satisfying was it winning south state this year
over Brookhaven after losing to them two years ago in a "go home"
game?
“It was a GREAT feeling, I enjoyed
every second of it.”
Did you know before the Overall Tournament that no
Louisiana team had ever won the Overall Championship?
“I had no clue, I knew that if we
won overall it would be our first in school history. Coach Gantz
always preached to us that we needed to leave our own mark.”
Where will you be attending college?
“I am still
going on recruiting visits but I've got it narrowed down to three schools. My coach will kill me if I release that information.”
What do you see yourself doing in ten years?
“I think in ten years I can be
oversees playing professional ball. If that doesn't work
out I want to be a forensic scientist.”
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.
In determining
the Southern Sports & Travel Player of the Year twenty four coaches were
polled. Simpson Anderson received the most votes with Liam Thomas of Central
Private and Josh Williams of Jackson Prep garnering second and third place
results.
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