Hall of Fame
A native of Chicago, Ill., Mitchell Anderson was voted one of the greatest 15 players during the first century of Bradley men’s basketball.
Anderson remains one of a handful of players in Missouri Valley Conference history to earn all-conference honors (first- or second-team) four times.
Nicknamed “JJ” during his BU career, he averaged 19.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game during his four-year career.
Averaging 20.6 points and 8.8 boards per contest during the 1979-80 season, he led Bradley to a sweep of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament crowns, helping the Braves secure their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1955.
Tabbed the Most Valuable Player while leading Bradley to the 1982 NIT title after averaging 18.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 37.6 minutes in five games, Anderson was named All-American by The Sporting News.
Playing in all 80 minutes of the NIT semifinal and title games, he scored 25 points versus Oklahoma and 16 against Purdue in the championship contest.
A second-round choice (36th overall selection) by the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1982 NBA Draft, Anderson played parts of three seasons in the NBA before going on to a 11-year professional career in Europe.
An assistant coach on Sidney Lowe’s staff in Vancouver and Memphis, Anderson was a scout for Hubie Brown in the Grizzlies administration. He is now an assistant coach under Mike Fratello with the Grizzlies.
Anderson's uniform number (#11) is retired at Bradley.