‘I knew it was for me:’ Princess approves of 49ers’ vibe

CHARLOTTE ATHLETICS

Princess Anderson rediscovered her passion for basketball at Charlotte, and the 49ers are benefiting from the guard’s average of 15.7 points per game.

Princess Anderson rediscovered her love for basketball with the Charlotte 49ers.

The 49ers’ shooting guard is averaging 15.7 points per game and had a three-game stretch where she scored 26, 26 and 27 points in consecutive games. Joining Charlotte (3-3) Anderson said, was the best decision for her.

“When I got on a call with [coach Tomekia Reed], it just felt like home,” Anderson said. “Just from our talks and how they treated me, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is the spot for me.’ It was not like I had to guess, either. I knew then that it was the place for me.”

Anderson started her college journey at Pratt Community College in Kansas, where she led the National Junior College Athletic Association in scoring at 26.7 points per game. Anderson transferred to Wichita State, where she played in 27 games with five starts. Anderson played in Halton Arena last year with the Shockers, where she had a team high 21 points. 

Reed took notice.

“I got a call from this guy I was in a head coaching program with,” Reed said. “He was telling me about this player that was entering the portal from Wichita State. Come to find out, it was Princess. So, when we looked at her stats and saw she was only playing about 14 minutes per game and around 10-12 points. We thought we could give her more playing time and ultimately be more productive. So, we brought her on a visit.”

Anderson admitted to struggling with her passion for basketball. 

“[My college journey] quite honestly has not been the best,” she said, “but I am going to make the best of it. I am just really glad to be here. I am glad I have re-found the love for basketball. At some point along the way I started losing my love for it, but I am happy to be here and have found it again and be where I am at.”

During Anderson’s visit with Charlotte, Reed could tell something was bothering her. She picked up on the recruit’s demeanor and had a heart to heart with Anderson.

“On her visit, I saw that she was struggling,” Reed said. “I remember looking at her and saying, ‘You don’t seem happy. Is this what you want to do? Do you love the game of basketball? I don’t want to bring you down here if you don’t love it.’ She looked at me with a down face and I told her, ‘You have to find your love again.’ So, we talked about ways we can help her do that and now she is happy again and seeing her smile is something I haven’t seen in a long time. It is great to see.”

Mid-major program roster turnover is always very high and Charlotte has just three returning players from last season’s roster. But Anderson and Reed both said the camaraderie and togetherness of this group is high and organic.

“We are still learning,” Anderson said. “We are still learning from each other, but we have all the pieces we need. We are together and if we stay together and play the way we do, we will be a [good team].”

Said Reed: “We normally do a lot of team building activities in the summer, but this summer we maybe did two. The players were just always together and would send me pictures. They would be at each other’s apartments playing Fortnite and other games like Roblox and just all the time they were together. … 

“In terms of liking each other, at first it was a problem because I told them, ‘You guys love each other too much.’ They can stay tight but if one player isn’t going hard enough, I need y’all to let them know. But, overall, it helps tremendously when you have a new roster and they already love each other.”

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