By Andy Walter

NEWARK — Kevin Anderson was beginning to feel like he just had too much stacked against him.

He was freshman on the Delaware men’s basketball team when his season was cut short because of a knee injury.

His grandmother also passed away that year and he found out he was going to become a father.

Anderson started to think maybe it was time to give up basketball.

“I just had a lot going on,” he says now. “There were times when I was like, ‘I’m just about to be done with this.’ I’m just going to go get a job somewhere.”

But Anderson didn’t walk away from basketball or college.

On Friday, the senior guard will play the biggest of his career when No. 15-seeded Delaware faces No. 2 Villanova in the first round of the NCAA Tournament’s South Region. Tipoff is slated for 2:45 p.m. in Pittsburgh (CBS-TV).

Anderson credits his family but also teammate Ryan Allen for helping him get through some of those difficult times.

“He was telling me, ‘Bro, just keep going,’” Anderson said about Allen. “‘Let that be your hunger. Let that be your reason why.’ I think that helped out a lot.

“I feel like being a good father is the most important thing in the world really. There’s kids out there that don’t have their fathers in their life. I just feel like I can’t be one of those type of people to have a kid and not do what I can to support them.”

Anderson credits his own father, Rodney, for being a good role model for him.

But, even now, as a 23-year-old, Anderson’s life is pretty complicated.

Along with being a college student and a basketball player, he’s the father of two, including a seven-month-old son who lives with he and his girlfriend.
Anderson said there’s a lot of things to juggle in his life.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s kind of hard,” he said. “But I’ve got a great support system — my family, the team and then the coaches. It’s been kind of hard but it’s also been easy knowing I’ve got people to fall back on.”

Blue Hen coach Martin Ingelsby is glad that Anderson didn’t give up when he was younger. The 6-foot-5 point guard is fifth on the school’s all-time assist list (417) and 12th in points (1,340).

Anderson, who is also fifth in minutes played (4,031 minutes in 117 games), is often now a steadying influence in games.

“He’s been fabulous,” said Ingelsby. “I can’t say enough about what he’s meant to our basketball program. His growth, his development on and off the court ... he’s going to be a graduate of the University of Delaware ... he’s going to go down as one of the best all-around guards in the history of our program.

“He wants it so much for his teammates. So many times in a game, he goes, ‘I’ve got you Coach, I’ve got you. I’m good.’”

When Delaware won the CAA title last week, Anderson’s three-year-old daughter, Kehlani, was at the game with his family. She even made it onto the court for the post-game celebration.

There’s a team photo with Anderson in the front, holding Kehlani in his arms.
Anderson said being a father is what motivates him as much as anything.

“It’s a lot,” he said. “But I feel like it just gives me that hunger knowing I have more mouths to feed than just my own. I would say they’re the reason I keep going every day and why I keep working as hard as I do.”

Free throws

The Hens are slated to take the floor in Pittsburgh Paints Arena at 11:45 p.m. on Thursday for their 40-minute practice session. ... Delaware is one of 24 schools that has teams in both the men’s and women’s NCAA tourneys this year. But UD is one of only five schools whose squads won their conference’s automatic bid. ... The Hens’ Jyare Davis is just the second freshman to be named the MVP of the CAA men’s tournament. Former UNCW star Brett Blizzard was the only other, winning the award in 2000 ... The only time a CAA school won an NCAA tournament game as a No. 15 seed was a memorable one. It came when Richmond toppled Syracuse, 73-69, in 1991.

Follow Andy Walter on Twitter at @DSNSports.