Coaching Record
Program Rankings
- 2nd in Coaching Wins (142)
- 2nd in Seasons Coached (11)
- 3rd in Winning Percentage (.458)
William Anderson became the third Head Coach of LeMoyne-Owen College’s Men’s Basketball Team in July of 2009. No stranger to the LOC campus, prior to this achievement the proud Magician served in various other athletic capacities that include the Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach (1998 – 2000), Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach (2000 – 2009), Head Women’s Basketball Coach (2000 - 2009), and Athletic Director (2008 – 2013).
Anderson is a native of Memphis, TN, and a graduate of Kirby High School where he excelled in basketball and football. His undergraduate years were spent at LeMoyne-Owen College under the tutelage of SIAC Tennessee Basketball Hall of Famer Coach Jerry Johnson, who served as LOC’s Head Men’s Basketball Coach for 46 years and won over 800 games. Anderson became a standout basketball forward and during his senior year helped the Magicians become the 1997 SIAC Regular Season Champions. Anderson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and later obtained an MA in School Administration from Cambridge College. He credits much of his early success to Coach Johnson and the two remained close until Coach Johnson’s death in February 2021. He was 102 years old.
Anderson initially began coaching through AAU Basketball and the Nike Elite Youth Basketball Program. He became known as the “Player’s Coach” blending discipline with strong relationships and a family environment. After joining the LOC Magicians coaching staff, Anderson and his players continued to thrive.
His career accomplishments include:
2019 SIAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Runner-Up
2019 Midwest Academy Coach for the Inaugural NCAA College Basketball Academy at the University of Illinois
2016 SIAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Runner-Up
2011 – 2012 SIAC Men’s Basketball Regular Season Champions
2012 SIAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Runner-Up
2009 SIAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Champions
2006 SIAC Coach of the Year
2005 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival Gold Medalist
2004 AAU Jr. Boys’ Basketball National Runner-Up
2004 AAU 15 & Under National Champions
2003 AAU Jr. Boys’ Basketball National Champions
2000 AAU Boys’ Basketball Vision Award
2000 SIAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Champions
1999 SIAC Men’s Basketball Regular Season Champions
Anderson’s players have excelled collectively and individually. During his tenure, several student-athletes have made standout achievements.
13 SIAC All Conference Team Selections
2 SIAC Freshmen of the Year
1 SIAC Team Most Valuable Player
1 NCAA Division II All American Player
1 SIAC Defensive Player of the Year Candidates
Anderson also believes that players should excel on and off the court and demands that they maintain an acceptable GPA. Eighty-five percent of the student-athletes he coaches earn a degree and in 2012 Deyquan Nesbit became the first student-athlete at LOC to become valedictorian. Three have been selected for the SIAC All-Academic Team, 23 of his former players played in the NBA, and many others pursued a professional sports career overseas.
Throughout the years, Anderson has shared his time and talent in other capacities. From 2004 - 2005, he helped coach the USA Men’s Basketball Youth Development Team to a gold medal finish in an international competition. Since 1998, he has served as the Basketball Commissioner and Sports Director of the Amateur Athletic Union and the AAU Boys’ Basketball Sports Director – Southeastern District (Alabama and Tennessee). He is a past member of the Sullivan Awards Committee, and the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (formerly the Grassroots Basketball Community). His other affiliations include the William Eddins Lodge of the Masonic Order, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. (life member), the national and local chapters of the LeMoyne-Owen College Alumni Association, and he is a founding member of the Jerry C. Johnson Foundation.
Coach William Anderson and his wife, Elizabeth, have three children, Tinsley, Taylin, and Isaiah.
