Larry Anderson follows Monson from Long Beach to Eastern after working as an assistant coach for the 2023-24 season. In his first season with the Eagles, Anderson focused on program skill development, and worked heavily with the guards. His coaching was instrumental in aiding a roster that ranked second in the Big Sky in Steals (241) and fourth in Assists (437). With Anderson's coaching, we saw career seasons from Nic McClain, Sebastian Hartmann and Mason Williams, as well as the fluid integration of transfers Tyler Powell, Sam Stockton and Elijah Thomas into the Eastern program.
LBSU finished the season with a 21-15 overall record and 10-10 in the Big West. The team was the only school in the country to have a win over a Big 10 (Michigan), Big East (DePaul) and a Pac-12 school (USC). In the classroom, LBSU earned a 3.2 team GPA, the highest mark in program history. Anderson was key in helping LBSU’s run to the Big West Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament berth. With Anderson’s guidance, LBSU ranked first in the Big West in scoring offense (77.4), offensive rebounds (12.5), blocked shots (4.2) and steals (7.9).
Anderson also worked directly to develop three All-Big West players in forward Aboubacar Traore (First Team), forward Lassina Traore (Second Team) and guard Marcus Tshonis (Honorable mention).
Before working at LBSU, Anderson was an assistant coach at Cerritos College (Norwalk, Calif.) in the 2022-23 season. Anderson helped mentor student-athletes on the court and in the classroom to help them to pursue a degree at a four-year university.
Anderson is an alumni of LBSU, playing from 2008 to 2012 with the program. In 2012, Anderson was named Big West Defensive Player of the Year as the team won the conference and appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Anderson ranks seventh in LBSU history with 1,538 points, while ranking eighth in assists (362) and ninth in rebounds (591). He was just just the second player to have 1500 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists.
Anderson played in the NBA G League from 2013 to 2014 with the Springfield Armor, now know as the Grand Rapids Gold. He also played overseas with Okapi Aalstar (Belgium), Leputan Korikobrat (Finland), Maccabi Raanana (Israel) and BC Nokia (Finland).
Monson on Anderson
“Larry played for me for four years and was one of the best all around players ever to play at Long Beach State. Larry has a great feel for the game, and his knowledge of basketball, as a player is as good as anyone I have coached in 37 years. Having played for me, it gives him insight and a bond with the current players, along with what they are going through on a daily basis. Larry is exceptional at player development and helping them grow as both players and people. Loyalty is the number one quality a good assistant must have, and Larry’s loyalty and understanding what it takes to succeed at this level is unquestioned.”
