Olivia Anderson

Year: 2023

Height: 6-6

Position: F

High School: Ellensburg (WA)

Recruiting Status: Signed with Washington.

Notes:

Recruiting Summary for Olivia Anderson

offers in 2020:

  • June: Butler
  • November: Montana State

offers in 2021:

*among schools reportedly expressing interest, as of April 2021: Arizona, North Carolina, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale

May 2022 offer: UC San Diego

June 2022: “current” offers reported as Butler, UC San Diego, Michigan, Princeton, Saint Mary’s, Washington, Yale

July 2022 offers: Colorado, Harvard, Utah

October 6, 2022: committed to Washington

Articles

Growing in length – and stature – Ellensburg’s Olivia Anderson emerging as one of top class of 2023 basketball recruits in the country (SBLive, 6/2/2021)

By no means is Anderson a finished product, but she flashes elite skill as a defensive enforcer and 3-point shooter from the perimeter.

And one skill that might get overlooked is her ability to deliver bullet passes to streaking teammates in stride.

“Last summer, even thought we had a lack of games, the more training I got (at FBC Northwest Alliance), the more confident I got with myself,” Anderson said.

Just 15-years-old, the sky is the limit for Olivia Anderson (Ellensburg Daily Record, 4/28/2021)

And again, this is only the beginning. Anderson still has three years of high school left, and despite not being able to legally drive by herself yet, is one of the most talked about prep hoopers in the country. While it’s her height that brings people in to watch, both of her coaches said it’s her defensive ability to makes her stand above the rest.

“It’s blocking shots, it’s rebounding, altering shots,” French-Toney said. “Even the ones she doesn’t block, she affects the game because of her presence.”

French-Toney likened Anderson to Stanford freshman Cameron Brink, who was an integral piece off the bench for the national champion Cardinal this year. But where the college freshman stands at 6-foot-4, Anderson is already two inches taller than the former national recruit.

Anderson herself said she loved playing in the lower block, where she can see the floor and send shots into the stands.

“She shows a little bit of grit when she blocks a shot, you can see her facial expression change a little bit,” French-Toney said.

Her high school coach, Jeff Whitney, who actually saw her play in seventh grade, also saw the offensive potential. Anderson grew up playing guard and on the perimeter, and has been developing skills in the low post but already has advanced perimeter skills for a player of her size.

Video

Leave a Reply