A 6-foot-11 girl basketball player takes Philly by storm
Rutgers Prep's Marvadene Anderson will showcase her skills in two area high school basketball tournaments this weekend.
Sat, Jan. 15, 2011
A 6-foot-11 girl basketball player takes Philly by storm
Steven Miller
The Inquirer
SOMERSET, N.J. - Marvadene Anderson has received the same looks her entire life - stares and double takes whenever she takes the basketball court, just like when she used to walk the streets of her native Jamaica.
So when the 6-foot-11 high school junior plays Saturday at Philadelphia University and Sunday at Upper Dublin High, she expects the same reactions from her opponents that she had from her teammates when she enrolled at Rutgers Prep less than two years ago.
"They were like 'wow,' because they had never seen a girl my height," Anderson said after scoring 18 points in a 58-33 win over Franklin on Thursday. "They were all like, 'Oh my God,' but I was used to it, anyway. Even now, people I am acquainted with, they still stare like they've never seen somebody my height before."
Rutgers Prep is entered in both the Philly.com/Rally Scholastic Play by Play showcase at Philadelphia University and the Blue Star Tournament at Upper Dublin.
The Argonauts will face Archbishop Wood in Saturday's featured game, at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, they will play University High, from Newark, N.J., at 6 p.m.
In July 2009, Anderson left her family in Clarendon, Jamaica, to take up a sport she had never played before at the Somerset school.
Enid Angus orchestrated the move when she saw a story about Anderson in a Jamaican newspaper. Angus is vice president of overseas operations for the Jamaica Basketball Association, and now she is also Anderson's guardian. Anderson lives with Angus and her three children and two grandchildren.
Angus is one of many helping Anderson - whose parents are 6-foot-3 and sister is 6-foot-4 - begin a basketball career.
The bulk of the responsibility lies with head coach Mary Klinger, who is teaching Anderson a game she traveled to America to learn and turn into a college education.
Anderson estimated that her basketball career spans a year and two months, but after accounting for a broken tibia that sidelined her for most of last season, Klinger set it at less than a year.
College coaches, though, have taken notice.
The 17-year-old receives mail mostly from Big East schools, but also has received interest from Memphis, Florida, Florida State, and North Carolina State.
After a media-frenzied debut season, Anderson took a step back from the spotlight this year to focus on her education and basketball. She is averaging 11.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks in the Argonauts' first nine games.
"I'm doing some things that I didn't know I could do as a player this early," Anderson said. "I thought it would take a few years to start doing things in a game this well, but I've been working in practices and my extra time to get better."
Klinger was surprised Thursday, when Anderson tipped in a missed shot for the first time, rather than just grabbing a rebound. And although her pupil still struggles with establishing post position and with her stamina, the upside is undeniable.
"The one thing I think you'll notice is she has great hands, and that's something she's always had," Klinger said. "And she doesn't have any bad habits, because what she's learned, she's learned fundamentally. If she continues to improve, then the sky's the limit for her."
Anderson is interested in improving so that her journey to a new country is not for naught.
"In Jamaica, you don't really find people your age, your height," Anderson said. "When I came here, I see people my height - mostly guys - but I don't feel lonely anymore. When I was in Jamaica, I never thought I'd find anything this useful with my height. I'm just grateful for the opportunity."
And chances are most of her high school opponents never thought they would have to box out or defend against a 6-11 center, so they cannot help but stare.
Anderson, though, is used to that by now.
"For her to be where she is and her size and her life experiences, she's going to be very successful," Klinger said. "She handles things, and even with some of the comments, she's proud. She sticks those shoulders out and she's proud."
Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20110115_A_6-foot-11_girl_basketball_player_takes_Philly_by_storm.html#ixzz1B9Wpbc2C
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else
May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008