Head Coach Brooks Donald Williams signed four of LGR's top 15 prospects in her first full recruiting class and it looks like her and the staff is back at it again for the 2021 class as Jada Anderson marks the fourth commitment from in the state!
Your defending 5A state champions the Benton Lady Tigers have been in the championship talk come March for several years now and with the help of Jada's 33pt championship game performance last year they walked away with the 5A state championship trophy. I'll be the first to admit Jada was under my radar as I had known about her but I given that she had a backcourt running mate in Qua Chambers who's also attending ULM, a freshmen this year..... it was hard to evaluate just how good she was... Well in March before all this Covid madness she answered all those questions in the state championship game putting up 33pts and earning both a state championship trophy as well as the tournament MVP. Despite being an undersized guard she has the ability to create off the bounce for herself and her teammates. She's a relentless attacking always applying pressure on the defense by way of scoring or constantly getting paint touches. If you haven't seen her play make sure you check her out this year as she'll be one of the best scoring guards in 5A and maybe even in the entire state!
We caught up with Jada's High School and AAU coach to get their thoughts on Jada commitment to ULM:
Coach Ward / Benton High School Coach - "I am so excited for Jada Anderson on her commitment to ULM. She is your ideal student athlete. She excels on the court and in the classroom. She is such an asset to our team, with her on the court we can compete with anyone in the state. I am glad she is on my team and I don’t have to come up with a way to stop her. Having two players go to ULM is exciting for our program. We definitely will be taking team trips to Monroe to support our girls!:
Coach Davis / Family Renegades AAU Coach - "Jada is an exciting player to coach, she is gonna bring defense every game as a coach you never have to worry about her defense. She improved her offensive game continued too improve, because she was a player that never gave up on her game and during the summer we were excited too have her because if you didn't know what she brought to the table the opposing team was in trouble. ULM got a great player but more importantly they got a great young player thats going to give them her all every game, and again congrats to her and her family for all the work they done."
Q&A with Jada on her commitment to ULM:
What stood out for you the most about ULM… more than all of the other programs that recruited you and why did you choose ULM?
"What stood out the most for me about ULM is the recognition and the chance that they gave me."
When did you first realize you had what it takes to play at the college level?
I was always a competitor, so I always dreamed of playing at highest level.
How would you characterize the ULM coaches & how would you describe your game?
"FAMILY is how i would describe the ULM coaches."
"I would describe my game as explosive, where I can attack the goal as well as shoot threes, but during high school I helped run the offense and get others involved."
What players do you look up to/model your game after?
"I wouldn’t say I model my game after anyone but Kobe Bryant was my favorite player and I try to implement mamba mentality in my everyday life and game."
What was your most memorable moment during the high school career so far?
"The most memorable moment of high school was making history by winning state for Benton High and also having the most outstanding player award along with it."
What is it like playing for your high school coach?
"To describe playing for Coach Ward, she is an winner and I love that the most, she holds us at a high standard and it shows in my game."
What goals have you set for your time at ULM?
"What I want to accomplish at ULM is winning conference championships and making it to the Big Dance."
Any advice you can leave to the young girls looking to follow in your footsteps?
"For young girls coming up, I would say work hard, even when you feel like no one is watching keep working. The goal is the to trust the process. I always want to succeed and give my all."
Why’d you decide to end your recruitment when you did?
"ULM making me a priority is what made me commit. On the visit I loved the campus and could see myself playing there. The biggest thing I felt led to my recruitment was my ability to finish at the rim at a high rate, my trainer and AAU coach, Coach McGee helped me add more elements to my game."
Who had the most influence on you making your decision?
"My family supported me and helped me make this decision, they have always supported no matter where the games where and having Monroe close to home made the decision make sense to me."