Coach Anderson maintains a rich basketball tradition

By: Matt Foust

Posted: 3/5/07

In 2005, former University of Missouri-Kansas City women's Head Basketball Coach Bo Overton literally came knocking on Interim Associate Head Coach Ron Anderson's door asking him to be part of his coaching staff.

Prior to accepting the position on Overton's staff, Anderson first had to make sure the move would be OK with his 14-year-old son Cody. Anderson had to consider that another move would result in Cody living in his seventh different town.

"It had to be OK with him," Anderson said.

On the trip to Kansas City, Anderson received a call from Overton. Overton invited Ron and Cody to take in a Royals game with him from the front row at Kauffman Stadium. Cody had never been to Kauffman and apparently the atmosphere helped make his decision to move north a little easier.

"I think this could be OK," Cody told his dad.

Anderson accepted the position at UMKC in July 2005, making a return to the university he helped Coach Lee Hunt transition to NCAA Division I athletics. He enjoys Kansas City and the paradox it offers as a community.

"I like the big-city feel [of Kansas City] but it also feels like a small town to me," he said. Anderson also likes working with the quality individuals on the women's team. The team's obviously strong character proved even more important when Overton departed in December to take the dual role of head coach and general manager of the WNBA's Chicago Sky. Anderson said UMKC Interim Head Coach Candace White has done a terrific job under difficult circumstances.

"Candi is doing an excellent job," Anderson said. "The girls have responded to her very well."

Anderson knows a thing or two about coaching also - it's in his blood. Anderson's father Jerry was the men's head coach at Anderson's alma mater East Central University in Ada, Okla., and his brother Mike served 14 years as an assistant to coach Billy Tubbs at Oklahoma University in Norman.

As a child, Anderson often spent time on the bench next to his father. He values those experiences and credits his father as unintentionally influencing his decision to move into the coaching profession.

"Sitting right next to my dad during games meant so much to me," Anderson said. "[It was] something that I cherished and loved doing as a kid."

Anderson has certainly made his mark on the coaching trade as well, having served as assistant coach at stops such as Southern Methodist University under Dave Bliss and the University of Mississippi under Lee Hunt.

While serving as assistant at SMU, the 1984 team matched up against eventual national champion Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament. The Mustangs lost to the Hoyas by one point in the second round.

"[That experience] was probably…the pinnacle of my coaching career," he said. "That team was one of the best, if not the best, in SMU history."

It was during Anderson's tenure at Mississippi that Hunt was hired to be the men's head coach at UMKC. Hunt's task was not only to coach the basketball team but also to help the university move from the NAIA to NCAA Division I.

In 1986, Anderson made the journey with Coach Hunt to Kansas City. He recalled some lean times for the basketball program and himself during this period of change.

"We didn't have any money … I basically served as a volunteer coach," Anderson said. "Not only did [the University] not have the money to pay me, we [had to] cancel the season. We were challenged with scheduling and recruiting Division I players."

Anderson soon found himself out of a job when his coaching position was eliminated. After leaving UMKC, Anderson took a job in real-estate management where he found success. But his heart still longed to coach.

Anderson eventually returned to his first love, this time on the women's side of the court, coaching high school basketball in his home state of Oklahoma. Anderson's North High School team located in Norman showed enough promise that Anderson believed they could win the women's 6A state championship. That experience, however, was not to be, since he accepted the position with the Kangaroos.

Anderson's coaching heritage, in addition to his vast coaching experience, has helped him handle the mid-season changes quite well. A recurring scenario reminds Anderson that coaching is about more than just wins and losses. When he peers down the bench and sees his son Cody, he knows they are making their own cherished memories.

"Because [sitting on the bench with my dad was] so special to me - I really wanted to get [Cody] involved in that," Anderson said.

mfoust@unews.com