Lynner Anderson brings team to Boston hoop tourney

Simmie Anderson of Lynn helped provide 10 youth basketball players from the city with an appearance in a Boston tournament on Labor Day weekend.Anderson held tryouts at the Lynn YMCA over Labor Day weekend for the “BAUC Presents Back to School Tournament,” and pared his roster for the “Shoe City” team down to 10. The squad consisted of incoming eighth-graders from Marshall, Breed and Pickering.The tournament, held at the Tobin Community Center in Mission Hill, was for players ages 15 years old or under, and also featured appearances from ex-BC players like Jared Dudley and Stevie Haley.The “Shoe City” team carpooled to Boston and split two games in the tournament, winning one game by four points and losing an overtime decision by three points.”Stevie Haley called me,” Anderson said. “He said there were about 5-6 teams from Boston and he wanted to get a Lynn team there.”Lynn City Councilor Buzzy Barton sponsored uniforms for the team.Anderson is a former high school basketball player himself: two years at Classical and two years at English. He played point guard as a freshman and ended up at small forward.”It’s very important,” he said about basketball in Lynn. “You don’t really need (anyone) else. You can go to any court or park and play. It keeps them off the street, which should be the goal. A lot of places are starting to open up gyms. I think basketball is important.”However, he added, “I’d also tell them to understand that education is more important.”Indeed, Anderson is an employee of the Lynn Public Schools. He is a hall monitor at Breed.”My goal is to get back to coaching in the City of Lynn,” Anderson said. “I’ll help out any kid I can and hopefully lead them the right way. I can make a difference in the City of Lynn.”I just believe I deserve a second chance. Hopefully, one day.”Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].