Growing up on a cattle ranch in Culbertson, Montana, a small town of 900 people located in the Northeast part of the state, James Anderson quickly learned what it meant to work hard. “My dad (Robert) would get up real early everyday to go out on the farm, so seeing that made me appreciate what hard work was. I expect the same out of myself, and I took a lot away from those experiences.”
Prior to coming to Lehigh, Anderson attended Miles City Community College in Miles City, Mont, and during his time there, he attended the Mullins All-Star Camp in Tulsa, Okla., which is a showcase for some of the nation’s top junior college basketball players. It was there that Lehigh assistant coach Bob Simmons first spotted him.
“Coach Simmons saw James at a recruiting showcase and really liked his game,” explains fourth-year head coach Billy Taylor. “James had done his own research on Lehigh, and knew it was a chance to broaden his horizons. He was impressed with the academics of the university and after having a great visit, he decided to come here.”
“Lehigh was very enticing to me, it’s a good academic school in a unique location on the east coast and it was a chance to play Division I basketball,” explains Anderson. “It was certainly interesting meeting all of the guys on the team for the first time. They are a very diverse group, but were very supportive, both on my recruiting visit and when I arrived here.”
Taylor talks about Anderson’s initial days in South Bethlehem. “The furthest east James had ever traveled was Minneapolis, so it was difficult for a young man to come that far from home. It’s a big adjustment in getting used to the fast-paced East coast, with everyone talking and acting much quicker than he was used to (back home). But James has a great personality, he comes from a wonderful family, and it’s easy for him to communicate with people, so the familiarization period wasn’t as long as it may have been for other kids.”
When Anderson finally did get to Lehigh, it wasn’t just the fact that he was 1,500 miles away from home that made the adjustment to life on the East Coast so difficult. It was the speed of everything, particularly, the academics of Lehigh University. “I came to campus in August and had my own apartment, so I had a little bit of time to adjust to the faster paced life. But once school started, the academics were much tougher than I had thought they would be. I was so busy trying to juggle my schedule. It was fun, don’t get me wrong, but the jump from junior college to Lehigh academically was much steeper than I had planned for.”
Professor Richard Kish is Anderson’s academic advisor. “James has come in for help with any classes he’s taking, not only the ones I’ve had him for. He bears down on the work, takes his time when handling an assignment, and sets up little hurdles for himself, rather than looking at the whole package.”
Kish continues, “Athletics can suck away a lot of your time, so athletes generally cannot afford to look at the total picture, or they might get overwhelmed. James has done a great job of always staying up on his assignments, so he can participate in class and be aware of what’s going on, rather than always falling behind and having to play catch up.”
Anderson was exposed to business classes in junior college, and along with the strong reputation of Lehigh’s business college, he decided to pursue a degree in finance. Taylor, who holds a CPA, was an accountant and senior consultant at Arthur Anderson for several years, and he has worked closely with Anderson in preparing him for life after graduation.
“James and I talked a good deal about what he wanted to study prior to when he first got here (to Lehigh) as well as post-graduation plans. We tried to get him connected with the right people over at career services and he understands what a Lehigh degree will enable him to do in the future.”
Taylor continues, “James’ work ethic and tough mentality stem from his upbringing. His parents instilled the right values in him and he learned from the beginning what hard work is. Seeing his father work on the land, having to do it everyday, James carries that same frame of mind with him into the classroom, onto the court, and with everything he does in life.”
