One of four seniors on this year’s men’s basketball team, University of South Alabama’s guard Trey Anderson returns as the team leader in assists. The Carrollton, Texas native ranked sixth in the Sun Belt Conference in assists per game in his first season in a USA uniform, in addition to scoring 5.8 points per contest. In a conversation that appears in the first 2012-13 basketball game program, he reflects on last year and who has improved the most over the offseason.

How would you evaluate your 2011-12 season?
A little disappointing. I didn’t play as well as I wanted to play, nor did we do as well as a team as I wanted us to do. I think we took the right steps in the offseason, working on things so that both the team and I will be better.

What improvements do you need to make to have a better season?
Being more focused. It was more that and less actual basketball ability. It was more of a mental thing and getting past certain things. I have to focus on the parts of the game that need to be important to me, rather than focusing on fluff that doesn’t really matter. As far as the team is concerned, we’re doing some drills that focus on certain aspects of the game, like ball-handling drills against pressure and a lot of shooting drills. I think we took the right steps.

What were some of the goals you set for yourself this season?
I want to make sure I bring my turnovers down and my assists up. I want to lead the Sun Belt in assists. I want to improve defensively too—I spent a lot of time focusing on defense so far. I want to bring my steals average up as well.

What have you seen in this team that says to you we're ready to compete for a SBC title?
We have a lot of the same guys, but it’s the maturity level. Everybody’s grown up, we know each other better and we know what we can do, and a think that’s a big plus from last year.

Of the returning guys, who is the most improved from last season?
I would say Mychal (Ammons). Last year was his first year in his life playing on the wing. It was a growing experience for him, as well as all of us playing with him and I think he knows what it takes now. He can handle the ball better this year than he did last year. Last year he seemed uncomfortable sometimes with the ball—this year there’s no problem with that at all.

What newcomer are you most excited to see play in a game?
I like playing with Viktor (Juricek). He has the ability to stretch the floor and he has a lot of European style when he plays. He’s really fun to play with.

What are your career plans after you graduate?
Right now I’m on the path to go to medical school. I think I want to do it, but I’m not totally sold on it yet. Hopefully I can finish up well and get my grades up so that it will at least be an option for me. The plan is to be a doctor, but I haven’t decided what kind yet.

How do you balance your academics with practice and games?
It’s tough, especially with Coach Arrow’s practice schedule [laughs], but you find a way. Once you get into the groove, you find a way to manage your time well and I think I’ve been able to do that.

Who has been the biggest influence on your playing career?
My parents. They both played in college and they’ve been with me every step of the way, in both good and bad. I just know that when I make it, it will be because of them and what they taught me.

What was it like growing up in a basketball household? Were you expected to follow in their footsteps?
The first sport I played was soccer and then I played football. I was probably better at football when I was in middle school. I guess growing up watching basketball so much, that’s what I wanted to do. Basketball was always around—my aunts and uncles played too. It was always a big part of our family, so it was kind of understood that when the time came, my sport would be basketball.

What is your favorite place to play on the road?
I’m looking to playing at North Texas this year because it’s close to home, but we didn’t play there last year. I liked playing at Western Kentucky. Their crowd was good and it was a good environment to play in, especially because of our rivalry.

What’s your favorite thing about playing basketball at South Alabama?
The people I met on this team. I’ve made a lot of good friends that I’ll take with me and I’ll know them for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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