Max Anderson
Air Jordan 11 ‘Cool Grey’
Every basketball team needs a bulldog.
For the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s Jevon Carter; for West Virginia, it’s a toss-up between Joe Toussaint and Erik Stevenson. Pick any team and you could play that game all day, but for the Spring Mills boys’ basketball team, it’s Max Anderson.
A sophomore stretch wing, Anderson started the season as a do-it-all guy, and, while that still mostly holds, as the season has developed and the Cardinals’ roster has undergone changes, he’s had to shift his game away from primarily running sets as a finisher to an assist-first secondary ball handler. He still contributes in the scoring column, but his newfound role has seemed to suit him a tad better.
“I’ve gotten faster, stronger and my (overall) game has improved a lot; I’m a better scorer and my defense is way improved,” he said.
On defense, however, is where Anderson shines the most. A stud on the football field, too, Anderson is used to taking hits and that’s naturally translated into him taking plenty of charges over the last few months. He’s happy to fill that role, too.
“Yeah, I mean I take a beating,” he said laughing. “I take all the beatings for my guys and make their jobs easier. But it’s fun, making sure my guys get all the good shots and looks, making sure they’re eating and I’m giving them good looks.”
Soph. | Stretch Wing
Spring Mills HS
The Kicks
Air Jordan 11 ‘Cool Grey’
Mastermind / Tinker Hatfield
Release / 1995
Fun fact / Is Michael Jordan’s favorite sneaker in the brand’s lineage, according to High Snobiety.
With that in mind, the minute Anderson pulled his Air Jordan 11s out of his backpack, it all made sense why they’re his favorite pair of sneakers.
“These are my favorite shoes,” Anderson said. “They look good, I like the shine on them; they just look cool to me.”
While it may bring a tear to the eyes of some of the more obsessive sneakerheads, even the scuffs on the pair of Jordan 11s looked good. You could tell they were worn and worn well. And while Anderson doesn’t play in them, they’re a direct representation of his on-court personality.
“Just my swagger on the court, my confidence and leadership. I think that’s how these J’s represent me,” he said.
While the shoes signal that for Anderson, they also represent his role development within the Cardinals’ system. No doubt, the AJ 11 is one of the more sought-after pairs of sneakers for collectors and general sneakerheads alike, but they’re notoriously not flashy shoes. High Snobiety makes a solid argument in this case that the sneaker “lacks the articulated blocking of the 1 and the 3, nor does it have the technical detailing of the 4 and the 5,” but despite that, with “… its offbeat lines and (arguably) garish material upper, the 11 packs the same — if not more — sellout ability as the 1, 3, 4, or 5.”
Anderson’s role is highly-sought after, and he’s notoriously not a flashy player. His game is gritty — in the best way possible — and he gets in opponents’ heads, and, being the guy taking a beating on charges — and, sometimes, blocking fouls — it’s not always pretty. He’s hit his head off the pine a few times after taking a charge, but he gets back up and finishes out the game. It’s a strange dichotomy that basketball coaches and fans love to see, and it’s arguably the main reason why that type of player is so valuable.
Not done yet
Looking ahead, Anderson hopes his minutes on the court pay off, aiming to at least get second-team all-conference though he’s proved that he’ll likely land on an all-state list, too.
But the season isn’t over. Spring Mills just wrapped up its regular season at University High (Morgantown, W.Va.), and earned the No. 1 seed in West Virginia’s Region II, Section 1 tournament with a deafening road win over rival Hedgesville on Feb. 17.
Should the Cardinals make it out of regionals and earn a bid to states, it would be the first time in program history they’ve done so and it could come with solid stock in the bracket. In other words, if they make it to Charleston, they have a good chance to make a deep run at the Class 4A title.
“That’s the main goal,” Anderson said. “For this school and the community around us, I want to win a state chip.”
