Michigan basketball signees are off to great starts
Michigan signed a pair of guards in Oak Hill Academy’s Christian Anderson Jr. and Durral Brooks in the early going, and both are playing well early in their senior seasons. Brooks was a candidate for area player of the week after two big games, while Anderson is among the nation’s leaders in offensive efficiency — if not No. 1 – for powerful Oak Hill.
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Anderson and Oak Hill are off to a great start at 12-1, and Anderson is a big reason why. He continues to rack up the points and the honors that come with it after signing with Michigan in November.
In addition to those games, the Michigan signee notched 16 points and 6 assists in a Dec. 12 win over New Faith Christian, recorded 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in a 79-75 win over La Lumiere Dec. 1, 31 and 6 assists in a 102-69 win over Cardinal Newman Dec. 15.
“I’ve been watching Chris Anderson since he was about 7 years old, when his dad had him training at Lifetime … he dedicated his whole childhood life to basketball,” former NBA player and Oak Hill alum Josh Smith said recently. “It’s very impressive and it’s pretty much priceless to watch him play the game of basketball, because he plays it the right way.”
He was on hand to watch Anderson Jr. drop 40 points in a win.
“It’s something he normally does on a day-to-day basis,” he added. “For a fan to see him for the first time, it’s amazing to watch. The skill set, the way he scores the basketball, midrange, deep threes. He can pass the ball with his left hand, right hand. It’s very impressive to watch.”
Brooks, meanwhile, averaged 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game last season, and he’s off to a great start. MLive reports the Michigan signee and “Mr. Basketball frontrunner” opened the season with 25 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in a 75-65 win over Hamtramck, then added 31 points in a 70-67 last-second loss to Grand Rapids Northview at Calvin University. He made several big shots at the end of the game to give his young team a shot.
“I was doing the same thing I was doing all game,” Brooks told the D Zone. “Attacking the rim, getting to my spots. Kind of just putting it in my hands and trying to get our team to win, but just fell a little short.”
Finally, stats on Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy’s and Michigan pledge Khani Rooths have been hard to come by, but he’s primed for a big year. He’ll obviously sign in the late period.
