Jimmy Anderson (basketball)

He was a longtime assistant at Oregon State University (OSU) to head coaches Paul Valenti and Ralph Miller, given credit for recruiting a series of top-level players to the school during the 1970s and 1980s.

[1] Anderson did not initially draw offers for a collegiate athletic scholarship, so he enrolled at Grays Harbor Junior College where he walked on to the basket ball team.

[1] Anderson played on OSC teams that won three Far West Classic titles and a Pacific Coast Conference championship in 1958.

[3] Anderson gained a reputation as an outstanding recruiter for OSU and is regarded as instrumental in the success of the men's basketball program during the 1970s and 1980s.

Career NBA player and coach Lester Conner recalled how Anderson spent almost an entire year recruiting him to Oregon State when he was a sophomore playing in California in junior college.

"[4] NBA All-Star and 11-year player Steve Johnson similarly gave Anderson great credit for the success of the OSU team in the 1970s and 1980s.

"[4] Other future NBA players recruited by Anderson to Oregon State included Freddie Boyd, Lonnie Shelton, Ray Blume, Mark Radford, Charlie Sitton, A.C. Green, Brent Barry, and Gary Payton.

A smooth transition from the legendary Miller to his vaunted assistant proved impossible, however, and the OSU program faltered over the next five years, leading to Anderson's dismissal following the disappointing 1994–95 season.

[1] Anderson was a lifelong partisan of Oregon State athletics, holding season tickets to the school's men's and women's basketball, football, and baseball programs throughout his life.