DOVER — The moment was somewhat surreal for Altia Anderson.

Her Division I basketball scholarship didn’t come at the end of a drumroll or on a silver platter.

It was just part of a conversation the Woodbridge High basketball standout was having with Marquette coach Carolyn Kieger.

“It was really unbelievable because it was so casual,” said Anderson. “It was like, ‘So what if we offered you a full ride?’

“I’m like, ‘What if? Are you serious?’”

Anderson, of course, didn’t have to think too long before accepting the offer from the Milwaukee university — further proof that, if you’re talented enough, college recruiters will find you even in a small town.

On Saturday, Anderson will play one last big game in her home state before moving on to Marquette. The 6-foot-2 senior will take the court for the Blue-Gold All-Star Games at the Carpenter Center in Newark.

The girls’ contest starts at 1:30 p.m. with the boys’ game slated for 4 p.m. The event benefits Best Buddy Delaware.

There are plenty of people who will tell you Anderson was the best girls’ basketball player in the state this winter.

Gatorade named her the Player of the Year for Delaware after she averaged 19.3 points, 14.2 rebounds, 5.7 blocks and 3.8 assists per game for Henlopen Southern Division champion Woodbridge.

You’ll get no argument from Woodbridge coach Emilio Perry, who is also the Gold head coach in Saturday’s all-star game. Even at her height, Perry said Anderson has shown the ability to play a guard position.

“This year her title, position-wise, was guard/forward,” he said. “Last year it was more forward/guard. She took to that and really honed her ability to get up and down the court and show other parts of her game that really make her versatile.

Sussex Central’s Emily Truitt prepares for Saturday’s Blue-Gold game. (Delaware State News/Dave Chambers)[/caption]

“She’s the type of kid that gets up first thing in the morning and wants to work out. She just loves that grind. I think that’s going to pay dividends down the road for sure. We’ve only reached a little bit of the iceberg.”

“Anderson is a great all-around player,” Delmar coach Billie Fox said in a Gatorade press release. “She has amazing skill, her effort is unbelievable and she displays great sportsmanship at all times. She’s fun to watch, even when you’re playing against her.”

But Perry will also tell you that, while Anderson’s ability is what first got her noticed by college scouts, it was her work in the classroom that sealed the scholarship offer.

An ‘A’ student, Anderson is ranked in the top 15 in her class. She plans on majoring in biology with an eye towards becoming a fish farmer someday.

Of course, Anderson also knows that both basketball and academics will become a lot more difficult in college.

For starters, she knows she’ll see plenty of players taller than her — something she’s already faced while playing with her AAU team.

“The reality is that somebody’s 6-8,” Anderson said with a laugh. “Somebody’s looking down at you. You’ve got to learn all positions to be helpful to your team.

“I play AAU so there were already girls blocking my shot. I’m pretty ready for it.

Sussex Central’s Tatyana Jenkins shoots a layup during Blue-Gold practice. (Delaware State News/Dave Chambers)[/caption]

“I am so stoked to get up there (to Marquette),” she added. “I know it’s going to be hard. But my coaches and my family have taught me and put me through rigorous things that will help me through that.”

Anderson, though, is also excited about getting the chance to represent Woodbridge in the Blue-Gold game. She’s never played in the Carpenter Center before.

“It’s going to be great,” she said. “It (Woodbridge) is a small school and I’ve been there ever since preschool. That’s my school. I’m loyal.

“I can’t say I haven’t considered it,” Anderson said about the idea of switching high schools when she was younger. “But I knew deep down I’m going to be a Raider for the rest of my life — until I move on to the (Marquette) Golden Eagles.”

Moseley overcomes injuries

Caesar Rodney’s Jordan Moseley landed a spot on the Gold roster after overcoming several injuries early in her career.

That included undergoing a pair of shoulder surgeries after her eighth and ninth-grade school years.

Moseley injured her shoulder playing her other sport, softball. The second operation was for a torn rotator cuff.

“It was (hard) for me — just not being able to play and trying to get back to exercising,” she said. “I just push myself to try to get stronger.”

Moseley is going to continue her basketball career at Division III Kean in New Jersey. First, though, she had to decide which sport she wanted to continue playing.

“It was a tough decision because I like both sports a lot,” said Moseley. “But I just like basketball more. I was excited when I made the decision.”

Free throws

In a year in which six of the 10 first-team all-Henlopen Conference selections were underclassmen, only three first-teamers are playing in the Blue-Gold game. That group includes Anderson and Milford’s Kala Fluitt from the South and Sussex Central’s Emily Truitt from the North. ... Both the girls’ and boys’ teams spent Wednesday touring Dover, making stops at Legislative Hall, the Schwartz Center, Delaware Superior Court and the Kent County Courthouse. ... The Blue-Gold banquet is tonight at the Dover Downs Hotel at 6 p.m.