Fort Zumwalt North senior guard Kobe Anderson has been the Panthers’ leading scorer for each of the past three seasons. He hopes to take everything he’s learned on the high school basketball court and have that translate into a successful collegiate career.
As the team’s leading scorer for three of his four seasons in high school, Kobe Anderson has become the gold standard for the offense of the Fort Zumwalt North boys’ basketball team.
In his final year of high school hoops, Anderson paces the way for the Panthers (8-3) with an average of 18.0 points per game.
While he’s been an offensive juggernaut, to the tune of 1,291 career points, Anderson said that he feels things could play out much differently in the future – a future in which he envisions playing college basketball after having had discussions with the University of Central Missouri, Millikin University, Columbia College, and Carl Sandburg College.
“I imagine my being a leader on and off the court, (being) a lead point guard who is vocal and is pass-first and will play hard on both ends of the floor,” Anderson said. “I think I could fit into that role very well. I think I’ll always be able to score the ball, but I feel like my IQ and the way I read the floor being on a team where I don’t have to score as much would make me an even better point guard than I already am.”
It’s got to be tough to imagine the 6-foot Anderson as being even more valuable to a team than he already is. In addition to the points, he also contributes 3.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.0 steals per game for the Panthers.
All of this from a team that has won eight games in its first 11 for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
North coach Michael Uffmann said that as impressive as the mark is, it could be even more so.
“We missed a shot at the buzzer to lose to Howell by one and had a game-tying 3-pointer rim out with 30 seconds left against Hazelwood East,” Uffmann said. “We compete every day in practice, and we get contributions from a lot of guys. It’s a very coachable group.”
Uffmann said that Anderson has been a fantastic leader for the surging Panthers. The coach said that the on-court fire provided by the usually reserved Anderson has done plenty to spark the team.
“He usually a quiet person who keeps to himself but has a good sense of humor,” Uffmann said. “He’s matured a ton in his four years here. He expects a lot from himself. He had 32 points the other day but wasn’t very happy because we lost the game. That says a lot about him.”
While Anderson’s efforts have been supplemented by the likes of Britton McGhee (8.1 points per game), Eli Maritz (7.4 PPG), and Bryce Williams (5.8 PPG), junior forward Malik Smith said that as Anderson goes, so go the Panthers.
Anderson acts like a barometer for those around him, Smith said. He knows when to apply pressure, if needed, and also knows when to relieve it, if necessary.
“He has been a leader for me and the team the last couple of years,” Smith said. “He will always let us know if we aren’t giving our best and if we make a mistake, he will let us know what we can do next time to make it better. He also admits his own mistakes.”
For as much as he provides for the team and his teammates, Anderson said he’s thankful for everything those around him do for him.
“I think things are going so well this season because of our work ethic you can tell how much different this team is from the past couple of years the energy is always high and we have a lot of guys who just want to do what they have to do to win,” Anderson said. “We have high-level practices every day and we hold each other accountable. This season, I can tell how much my teammates trust and believe in me. They are always happy for me, and it gives me the confidence I need to perform well for them. I love going to war with them every game. I trust them with everything I have, and I think that’s the reason we are off to a good start.”
While he is working hard to make a life for himself on the basketball court for the rest of the current season and then after he finishes high school, Anderson said that he wants all those younger players to pay heed to a message he had passed on to him at a younger age.
He hopes everyone playing the sport he loves just manages to live in the moment because that’s all you get – a moment.
“My freshman year, I was on varsity and one of my senior teammates told me it would go by quickly and I didn’t really believe him but here I am already almost halfway through my senior season, just like that,” Anderson said. “So, just soak everything in and try and have fun while you can.”
