University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Orange-Blooded Anosike Returns to Rocky Top; Length of Stay TBD
December 10, 2020 | Men's Basketball
By Dom Palumbo, UTsports.com
"A grad transfer is a unique thing. You've got someone coming for one year. They may have been somewhere else for four years, developed a lot of pride at whatever other university they were at, and they come in looking for something specific for one year. E.J. is different. E.J. deep down inside has always been a Vol. He's come in with the mentality of this team's DNA and culture from day one. That's as big as anything and is really important. He has been very impressive on the glass, and that's what this team needs. He plays the game within our culture and he gets it."
Those were the words of associate head coach Michael Schwartz on Tennessee basketball grad transfer E.J. Anosike.
The East Orange, New Jersey, native has been on Rocky top for less than six months as a student-athlete, yet he's had passion in his heart for the Orange & White most of his life.
His older sister, Nicky, starred for the Lady Vols from 2004-08, helping lead the program to consecutive NCAA championships in 2007 and 2008 under the late Pat Summitt.
During that time, E.J. was a regular around the team, attending games and even helping out as a ball boy to earn a front-row seat to the regular success of one of women's basketball's most storied programs. It was a season of life that helped guide his decision to become a Volunteer for his final collegiate stanza.
"I'm used to seeing Tennessee win," E.J. said. "I've been around. I was a ball boy when my sister was here playing, and I watched them win two national championships. I've also seen what Coach Barnes has done here in the five years since he's been here. I just feel like the way I play is very similar to the way he wants his players to play, and I just want to win.
"It's my senior year. I want to go to the dance. I want to be a part of the team, and I want to do whatever I can to help the team get there and achieve its goals."
While the seeds of his story were planted in East Tennessee, his roots took hold back home.
He was one of eight children raised by a single mother living in the projects of Long Island, before a move across the Hudson placed the Anosike family in northern Jersey.
"Basketball has always been in my life," he said. "I was kind of a late bloomer. I didn't start playing organized basketball until I was like 14. But when I was younger, I went to youth clinics and played for a smaller team. Basketball has always been a part of my family. I got to watch my sister and brothers play. I grew up in East Orange, New Jersey, but my family is from New York. When I was growing up, we moved to New Jersey. They didn't know many people in the basketball world, so it was up to me to find my way. I met the right people growing up, got connected and from there the rest is history."
He's the definition of self-made. Not always the quickest or the most athletic guy on the floor, he had to quickly find his niche to keep himself in the game.
"I wasn't always the best player on the team," E.J. recalled. "I always just had to find a way to be effective, and that was by doing the dirty work to get on the floor. I played on some really good AAU teams growing up with some really good guys. I wasn't always the primary guy, but I had to find a way to make myself useful. My sister always told me that I have to put my coach in a position to keep me in the game."
With late-bloomer status established, the energetic forward was under-recruited coming out of high school.
At one point, he was seen as a Division III caliber player but continued to bet on himself and his ability while drawing on advice from his high school coach when deciding on his initial collegiate destination.
"There was a point in time where I was a Division III recruit," E.J. said. "You have to bet on yourself. I believed I could play at the highest level, play Division I basketball, play in the SEC. It was one of my goals coming out of high school.
"I played for Jerry Quinn at St. Thomas More, and he gave me a piece of advice that stuck with me ever since. He said, 'Go wherever the head coach loves you the most.' At Sacred Heart, Coach (Anthony) Latina recruited me harder than any other coach. He really believed in me. I was really a diamond in the rough, and he really took a chance on a kid from East Orange who didn't get much exposure. He recruited me harder than any other school, and I just said, 'This is the place I have to be.'
"He believed in me and helped me get to this point in my career."
At Sacred Heart, Anosike's career started slowly, but his style of play kept him on the floor, as he appeared in 29 of the Pioneers' 31 contests as a freshman.
As a sophomore, he became a regular starter and averaged 14.3 points and 8.6 rebounds.
Last season, as a junior, he led Sacred Heart in scoring (15.7 ppg), rebounding (11.6 rpg), offensive rebounding (4.2 orpg) and minutes per game (33.2 mpg).
His marks of 11.6 rebounds and 4.2 offensive rebounds? Those ranked sixth and fourth in the nation, respectively, establishing Anosike as one of the most elite rebounders in Division I.
After that breakout season, and as the COVID-19 pandemic halted sports across the world, Anosike returned home with a decision to make about his future.
With a degree in Finance and Business Economics and a minor in Accounting nearly in hand and one last year of eligibility left, he had to choose between staying at Sacred Heart, or once again, betting on himself.
"After looking at the (junior) year I had at Sacred Heart, I just felt that in order for me to take the next step in my basketball career, I needed to play and compete against the best," he said.
"That was the only way I knew when I was growing up, to be better. My mom, my coaches and my mentors always said, 'If you're the best player in the gym, then go find another gym and be the best player there.' That was kind of how I felt. I felt like I needed to take the challenge and go up another level. During my time, I once again felt like I needed to go to the place where the coaches love me the most."
As it turned out, those coaches were stationed in Knoxville, on the lookout for a player who could help remedy the team's struggles on the glass the year prior while also fitting seamlessly into the program's unique culture.
"I felt like Coach Barnes really wanted me. All of the other coaches on the staff really believed in me, and I had a relationship with them. I also felt comfortable going to the place where the coach loved me the most and had a vision for me. That's why I felt comfortable coming to Tennessee. And with my sister (living nearby in Anderson County), it made it even more comfortable."
Thus, when he enrolled at UT, he was not arriving on Rocky Top for the first time. Instead, he was making his long-awaited return. That return now has him positioned in the unique role of both veteran and newcomer.
"I'm a veteran, but I'm a rookie at the same time," Anosike said. "I definitely help the freshmen with advice and stuff. But at the same time, I'm learning from Yves and Fulky, because they've been here for four or five years. They're already up to speed with everything, so I'm trying to do both at the same time—I'm striving to be a leader. So, listening to those guys and conveying it to the younger guys and being supportive and leading by example, I'm doing my job and embracing my role.
That's something Coach really talks about with everyone—buying into their role. And I just pride myself on doing my job, and hopefully other people follow and we continue to work."
In his UT debut on Tuesday night against Colorado, the blue-collar forward went to work in the post and grabbed a few patent-pending rebounds to help the Vols secure a season-opening victory.
It was a successful debut and a potential preview of what may prove to be an incredibly successful season for both Anosike and the Vols.
But with this year essentially standing as a bonus season in terms of NCAA eligibility, what would normally be a one-year experience for a grad transfer like Anosike could possibly turn into a two-year stint.
"Coach mentioned (the possibility of coming back next year) to me," E.J. said. "I don't think I would have a problem coming back. I am young. I just turned 22, so an extra year here would really help me develop, especially, because I was a late bloomer.
"I feel like whatever God has planned for me … this year will take me where it takes me. For right now, I'm focused on the present. We're trying to take it one day at a time. If I continue to work with Coach, who knows?
"Anything is possible."
"A grad transfer is a unique thing. You've got someone coming for one year. They may have been somewhere else for four years, developed a lot of pride at whatever other university they were at, and they come in looking for something specific for one year. E.J. is different. E.J. deep down inside has always been a Vol. He's come in with the mentality of this team's DNA and culture from day one. That's as big as anything and is really important. He has been very impressive on the glass, and that's what this team needs. He plays the game within our culture and he gets it."
Those were the words of associate head coach Michael Schwartz on Tennessee basketball grad transfer E.J. Anosike.
The East Orange, New Jersey, native has been on Rocky top for less than six months as a student-athlete, yet he's had passion in his heart for the Orange & White most of his life.
His older sister, Nicky, starred for the Lady Vols from 2004-08, helping lead the program to consecutive NCAA championships in 2007 and 2008 under the late Pat Summitt.
During that time, E.J. was a regular around the team, attending games and even helping out as a ball boy to earn a front-row seat to the regular success of one of women's basketball's most storied programs. It was a season of life that helped guide his decision to become a Volunteer for his final collegiate stanza.
"I'm used to seeing Tennessee win," E.J. said. "I've been around. I was a ball boy when my sister was here playing, and I watched them win two national championships. I've also seen what Coach Barnes has done here in the five years since he's been here. I just feel like the way I play is very similar to the way he wants his players to play, and I just want to win.
"It's my senior year. I want to go to the dance. I want to be a part of the team, and I want to do whatever I can to help the team get there and achieve its goals."
While the seeds of his story were planted in East Tennessee, his roots took hold back home.
He was one of eight children raised by a single mother living in the projects of Long Island, before a move across the Hudson placed the Anosike family in northern Jersey.
"Basketball has always been in my life," he said. "I was kind of a late bloomer. I didn't start playing organized basketball until I was like 14. But when I was younger, I went to youth clinics and played for a smaller team. Basketball has always been a part of my family. I got to watch my sister and brothers play. I grew up in East Orange, New Jersey, but my family is from New York. When I was growing up, we moved to New Jersey. They didn't know many people in the basketball world, so it was up to me to find my way. I met the right people growing up, got connected and from there the rest is history."
He's the definition of self-made. Not always the quickest or the most athletic guy on the floor, he had to quickly find his niche to keep himself in the game.
"I wasn't always the best player on the team," E.J. recalled. "I always just had to find a way to be effective, and that was by doing the dirty work to get on the floor. I played on some really good AAU teams growing up with some really good guys. I wasn't always the primary guy, but I had to find a way to make myself useful. My sister always told me that I have to put my coach in a position to keep me in the game."
With late-bloomer status established, the energetic forward was under-recruited coming out of high school.
At one point, he was seen as a Division III caliber player but continued to bet on himself and his ability while drawing on advice from his high school coach when deciding on his initial collegiate destination.
"There was a point in time where I was a Division III recruit," E.J. said. "You have to bet on yourself. I believed I could play at the highest level, play Division I basketball, play in the SEC. It was one of my goals coming out of high school.
"I played for Jerry Quinn at St. Thomas More, and he gave me a piece of advice that stuck with me ever since. He said, 'Go wherever the head coach loves you the most.' At Sacred Heart, Coach (Anthony) Latina recruited me harder than any other coach. He really believed in me. I was really a diamond in the rough, and he really took a chance on a kid from East Orange who didn't get much exposure. He recruited me harder than any other school, and I just said, 'This is the place I have to be.'
"He believed in me and helped me get to this point in my career."
At Sacred Heart, Anosike's career started slowly, but his style of play kept him on the floor, as he appeared in 29 of the Pioneers' 31 contests as a freshman.
As a sophomore, he became a regular starter and averaged 14.3 points and 8.6 rebounds.
Last season, as a junior, he led Sacred Heart in scoring (15.7 ppg), rebounding (11.6 rpg), offensive rebounding (4.2 orpg) and minutes per game (33.2 mpg).
His marks of 11.6 rebounds and 4.2 offensive rebounds? Those ranked sixth and fourth in the nation, respectively, establishing Anosike as one of the most elite rebounders in Division I.
After that breakout season, and as the COVID-19 pandemic halted sports across the world, Anosike returned home with a decision to make about his future.
With a degree in Finance and Business Economics and a minor in Accounting nearly in hand and one last year of eligibility left, he had to choose between staying at Sacred Heart, or once again, betting on himself.
"After looking at the (junior) year I had at Sacred Heart, I just felt that in order for me to take the next step in my basketball career, I needed to play and compete against the best," he said.
"That was the only way I knew when I was growing up, to be better. My mom, my coaches and my mentors always said, 'If you're the best player in the gym, then go find another gym and be the best player there.' That was kind of how I felt. I felt like I needed to take the challenge and go up another level. During my time, I once again felt like I needed to go to the place where the coaches love me the most."
As it turned out, those coaches were stationed in Knoxville, on the lookout for a player who could help remedy the team's struggles on the glass the year prior while also fitting seamlessly into the program's unique culture.
"I felt like Coach Barnes really wanted me. All of the other coaches on the staff really believed in me, and I had a relationship with them. I also felt comfortable going to the place where the coach loved me the most and had a vision for me. That's why I felt comfortable coming to Tennessee. And with my sister (living nearby in Anderson County), it made it even more comfortable."
Thus, when he enrolled at UT, he was not arriving on Rocky Top for the first time. Instead, he was making his long-awaited return. That return now has him positioned in the unique role of both veteran and newcomer.
"I'm a veteran, but I'm a rookie at the same time," Anosike said. "I definitely help the freshmen with advice and stuff. But at the same time, I'm learning from Yves and Fulky, because they've been here for four or five years. They're already up to speed with everything, so I'm trying to do both at the same time—I'm striving to be a leader. So, listening to those guys and conveying it to the younger guys and being supportive and leading by example, I'm doing my job and embracing my role.
That's something Coach really talks about with everyone—buying into their role. And I just pride myself on doing my job, and hopefully other people follow and we continue to work."
In his UT debut on Tuesday night against Colorado, the blue-collar forward went to work in the post and grabbed a few patent-pending rebounds to help the Vols secure a season-opening victory.
It was a successful debut and a potential preview of what may prove to be an incredibly successful season for both Anosike and the Vols.
But with this year essentially standing as a bonus season in terms of NCAA eligibility, what would normally be a one-year experience for a grad transfer like Anosike could possibly turn into a two-year stint.
"Coach mentioned (the possibility of coming back next year) to me," E.J. said. "I don't think I would have a problem coming back. I am young. I just turned 22, so an extra year here would really help me develop, especially, because I was a late bloomer.
"I feel like whatever God has planned for me … this year will take me where it takes me. For right now, I'm focused on the present. We're trying to take it one day at a time. If I continue to work with Coach, who knows?
"Anything is possible."
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F
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