Utah State Basketball: Breaking down the 2019 Recruiting Class
By TJ Miller
Alphonzo Anderson
Anderson comes to Utah State from Northern Idaho Junior College and will have two seasons of eligibility. As a 6-7, 225 pounds forward, Anderson is a player who should be able to compete well with his good versatility. It’s always difficult to decipher exactly how much stock to place in JUCO player rankings, but Anderson is listed at 16th in the country according the the 247Sports Composite Junior College rankings.
Jaime Echenique of Wichita St and West Virginia’s Jermaine Haley were similarly ranked JUCO players prior to last season and both were made strong contributions to their teams. So it’s not crazy to think Anderson could make an immediate impact at Utah State. He certainly seems to possess the kind of game that will fit in well with this team.
Anderson put up some high point totals along with several games with big rebound numbers across both high school and JUCO. He also shows the desire and ability to shoot the ball out to the three-point line with some success. At this point the comparison might be a reach, but Anderson reminds me a bit of Nevada’s Jordan Caroline in terms of the mixture of raw strength and touch. Whether Anderson can be half the player Caroline was for Nevada is yet to be seen but there’s definitely reason to think Coach Smith has a player he can work with.