Arizona lands coveted Boston College transfer Ryan Anderson
Whether it's soon-to-be lottery pick Aaron Gordon, incoming McDonald's All-American Stanley Johnson or highly touted Class of 2015 commits Justin Simon and Tyler Dorsey, Arizona has secured many of the state of California's top prospects of late.
In fact, Wildcats are having so much success they're even getting the Golden State's best players on the rebound.
Coveted Boston College transfer Ryan Anderson, a Lakewood, Calif., native, announced via Twitter on Thursday night that he had chosen Arizona over Iowa State and Indiana. The high-scoring 6-foot-8 forward will sit the 2014-15 season and play his final season for the Wildcats the following year.
Anderson is a three-year starter for Boston College who averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds this past season and also ranked in the top 10 in the ACC in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage as a sophomore. He left Boston College in search of a winning program after the defensively challenged Eagles floundered to a 33-63 record in his three seasons, a poor stretch that culminated in the firing of coach Steve Donahue after a disastrous 8-24 campaign this past season.
The addition of Anderson could be an important one for Arizona because the Wildcats figure to lose much of their frontcourt after next season. Small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, power forward Brandon Ashley and center Kaleb Tarczewski are each potential early-entry candidates, meaning there's a very good chance Anderson will move right into a starting role in his lone season in Tucson.
Anderson will have shoulder surgery this offseason, so a year off will allow him to heal and fully recuperate. Once he's healthy, his ability to score in multiple different ways, to rebound and to get to the free throw line will be an asset to an Arizona team eager to continue its dominance out West.
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is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @JeffEisenberg
