Lynn Tech’s Anderson Final-ly in right spot

After the Memphis men’s basketball team won a couple of rather easy early season tournament games, and the buzz about the Tigers started to circulate, coach John Calipari invited his players to his house for dinner.It wasn’t just a social call. The coach was interested in whether some of the lesser-known players could handle it if a few of the brighter stars got all the attention.Antonio Anderson – outside his native Lynn – would fall into the “lesser-known” category.The 6-6, 210-pound guard isn’t much of a specialist. Instead, he’s one of those players who fills in the cracks. He figures out, on a game-by-game basis, what’s missing. And then he provides it.He’s just the type of person Calipari was talking about. Could Antonio Anderson’s ego stand it if he didn’t get top billing?”But,” says Anderson, “that didn’t bother us at all. None of us felt that way. We care for one another, and we know that whoever gets the publicity will credit his teammates.”Coach is a straight shooter,” said Anderson, the former Lynn Tech player who has emerged on the national stage as – in the words of Calipari – “the glue that holds it all together.””He just wanted to get it all out of the way before the season started,” he said.Apparently, the Tigers were true to their word. They’ve only lost once – to Tennessee – and they spent most of the year ranked No. 1. Rather than deflate them, the loss allowed them to refocus, get better, and continue their run to the Final Four of this year’s NCAA Division 1 tournament. Memphis will play UCLA Saturday in San Antonio (6:07 p.m., Ch. 4).Anderson had a lot to do with that because, “he’s a leader,” says Calipari.Every successful team needs an Antonio Anderson, because players like him seem to have an innate sense of what’s needed? and when.”He’s an outstanding defender, first of all,” Calipari says. “And his assist-to-turnover ratio is really good. And of all the players I’ve had, he’s played more minutes than anybody. He’s reliable, and he comes every game to play.”He may not play great all the time,” Calipari says, “but he plays hard.”Anderson comes from a basketball family filled with notoriety. His brother, Anthony, led Lynn English to a spot in the 2000 Division 2 North final in his senior season, and went on to have a solid career at the University of Massachusetts. He still plays in a professional league.”My brother? growing up with him, he was a big influence on me,” Anderson says. “I saw what he had to go through to get to college? and he’s a college graduate. I talk to him all the time. He tells me to stay focused, and to keep doing what I’m doing.”He also tells me that this (being in the Final Four) is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so enjoy it. He’s had a big impact on me as long as I’ve played basketball.”The city is certainly proud of Anderson, who is the first Lynn player to advance this far in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament since Lou Tsioropoulos and the Kentucky Wildcats won the title in 1951. Tsioropoulos later played for the Celtics. And some – including former teacher Arthur Fiste – feel Anderson could have a career in the NBA as well.”I’m not saying he’s Michael Jordan,” Fiste says, “but he has a shot.”If that happens, it won’t surprise Calipari.”These kids have all done it (advance to the Final Four) together,” Calipari says. “There’s that old saying, ‘as the tide rises, every boat will rise.’ These players, more than any that I’ve had, are tied to each other.”Calipari says he was drawn to Anderson specifically because he wasn’t a specialist.”People would say, ‘oh, he can’t do this ? or he can’t do that ? I saw that he did a little bit of everything. And he’s competitive. He’s been great for our team.”Anderson says he’s been besieged with emails and phone calls from Lynn fans wishing him good luck this weekend.”I’ve had coaches and teachers calling, and they all say they’re proud of me, and they wish me luck,” he says.And, he says, UCLA had better be ready.”They’re going to see a team