Just 12 college basketball players across the nation were selected to be a part of Reach USA, an organization that takes a trip to China during the summer to complete on an international level.

Senior men’s basketball player Trae Anderson was one of those 12 people selected last summer.

That is just one of the many special things about Anderson.

Anderson began his collegiate basketball career on a different path by attending Southwestern Illinois College for two years before transferring to Eastern junior year.

Since transferring, Anderson has evolved his game and turned into a leader for the Panthers, as he now leads the team in scoring as a senior.

The Reach USA program may have played a large part in evolving Anderson’s game.

“I think it made me better as a player because we played against some professional players, so we got to witness the physicality of the game,” Anderson said.

The program offers a chance for players to do good on the court as well as off the court in an effort to better the community.

It offers a chance for sports to bring people together in places such as prisons, schools, churches, and local communities.

The program left Anderson with plenty of memories, but his favorite was witnessing a historic landmark.

“My favorite memory was going to the Great Wall of China,” Anderson said. “It was totally different being in a different country, so I didn’t really know what to expect.”

Players who took part in the program traveled overseas to make the difference off the court while improving their game with other professionals on the court.

It also offers a special experience from a religious standpoint as well for the athletes.

“It was definitely different for me,” Anderson said. “Just a whole different atmosphere and culture that I had never seen before.”

Transferring and being a part of the program have also changed Anderson off the court, he said.

“I think it all has made me more mature with my decision-making on and off the court,” Anderson said. “I am more patient with what I am doing on the court, while making better decisions on what to do off the court.”

With that being said, Anderson’s statistics have seen improvement as well.

Anderson is now leading the Panthers in scoring midway through the season with his 14.5 points per game.

Although Anderson is succeeding since transferring, it was not an easy transition for him.

“Having to make this adjustment is definitely a challenge for me considering I’ve never been in this position before,” Anderson said. “But overall I am ready to overcome this challenge.”

While he has continued to motivate himself to be great on and off the court, his coach Jay Spoonhour, has noticed how important Anderson is to the Panthers.

“Trae has had a different set of responsibilities this season and I think he has adjusted really well,” Spoonhour said. “There is quite a bit more on his shoulders this year.”

Although Anderson has taken on a bigger role with the team, he is enjoying every minute of it.

“This is a good test for me, and I am starting to enjoy it more and more every day,” Anderson said.

A year ago Anderson earned honors such as Second Team All-OVC, and All-OVC Newcomer Team.

Since then he has only improved in his second year with the Panthers.

“He has had to carry some of the scoring load as well as create plays for his teammates, all while keeping his turnovers down,” Spoonhour said. “He has done a good job of that, especially lately.”

Other than leading the team in scoring, Anderson is shooting 47 percent from the field while adding almost five rebounds per game.

Anderson has been impressive by scoring in double digits in all but three games this season.

He had a career performance in a game earlier this season against Marshall, where he scored 31 points while snagging six rebounds and performing four assists in the game.

With his 14.5 points per game average this season, Anderson holds a career average of 13 points per game in his two seasons for the Panthers which is highest on the team.

With just 13 games remaining for Eastern this season, Anderson will continue to carry the load for his team as a scorer and playmaker.

After playing in 30 games last season, 15 of which he started in, Anderson has gone on to start every game this season while averaging 23 minutes per game.

The Panthers will continue to rely on Anderson’s production as they hope to turn this season around and make a run for the postseason.

Maher Kawash can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].