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Junior F Ryan Anderson, who was granted his release by Boston College last week, revealed a list of upcoming visits to potential transfer destinations yesterday on Twitter. In short, the former Eagle has no shortage of elite would-be suitors:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I would be happy at any of these schools!! Order doesn't matter but here are my visits... May 2- Iowa state May 5- Indiana May 8- Arizona</p>— Ryan Anderson (@_AndersonBC12) <a href="https://twitter.com/_AndersonBC12/statuses/455767102600003584">April 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Last week it was reported by Lars Hanson of 247 Sports that Anderson had also drawn interest from New Mexico, San Diego State, and Washington. Though Anderson won't be eligible to play until the 2015-16 season per NCAA transfer rules, it appears the Lakewood, CA native is content to take the upcoming season off and use the extra time to fully rehab his right shoulder. He told Hanson:
"I need surgery and I want to be fully prepared for my senior season and not rush the process," he said. "I want to be a part of March Madness."
Anderson underwent successful surgery Tuesday Morning to repair the unspecified injury. In addition to his stated goal of playing in the NCAA Tournament, Anderson - in telling Hanson why he might be interested in playing at Washington - perhaps offered more insight into his decision to leave BC:
"[Washington has] lots of NBA players over the last decade and they would love to help me achieve that goal and help Washington win games."
While I do not view this as an indictment of the hiring of Jim Christian as BC's head basketball coach (after all, signs are pointing to Olivier Hanlan staying at BC another year), it seems that Anderson wants no part of a rebuilding process and feels his profile and pro prospects could be greatly enhanced by playing for a tournament-ready program. If anything, this says more about the dismal state of the program Christian is taking over.
Meanwhile, Christian and new assistant coach Scott Spinelli must already be at work on a plan to replace Anderson's production. The list of schools interested in Anderson underscores the talent BC, already lacking in that department and especially in the frontcourt, will miss next season. Anderson finished the 2013-14 season first or second for the Eagles in nearly every major statistical category including rebounds (1st), steals (T-1st), scoring (2nd), and blocks (2nd).
Best of luck to Anderson in his recovery and search.