Michigan hoops pledge Christian Anderson leads Germany to title
Weeks after leading Germany to a bronze medal in the European Youth Olympic Festival, Michigan basketball class of 2024 pledge Christian Anderson was back dominating again on the international stage. He led Germany to a FIBA European Championship in Bulgaria, putting on another shooting display in the process.
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FIBA listed him among the 10 players to watch in the B Division, and he didn’t disappoint. He led Germany to three easy wins to start the tournament, averaging 16 points per game. That included 22 points in 19 minutes in a win over Ireland.
In the quarterfinals, Anderson was involved on 18 of the last 20 points to lead Germany back in a crazy five-minute stretch.
He finished with 25 points and five assists, including 5-for-6 on three-pointers. Anderson scored 14 a game before in a win over Ukraine. He scored 15 in a semifinal win over Belgium with four assists, including 3-for-5 from long range, and another 15 and four in a finals win over Finland in which he made another five of six triples.
Anderson earned MVP honors for the tournament.
Missing Peach Jam to go overseas proved to be an outstanding experience for the standout. Overall, he shot 48 of 84 from the floor (57.1 percent), including 24-for-44 from two-point range and an incredible 24-for-40 (60 percent) from three-point land. He also made 12 of 14 free throws (85.7 percent). Anderson averaged 16.5 points, 2.8 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in eight total games.
Anderson, an Atlanta Lovett High standout, pledged to Michigan last year. Though Anderson was only 5-8 at the time (he’s now a reported 5-10), head coach Juwan Howard knew he had to have him after seeing him in person.
The standout guard averaged 30 points per game last season. He also made several all-city and all-state teams as the youngest player honored.
