Success is a hard thing to maintain in college sports, because you only have so many scholarships and so many days to get it right and get it right consistently. And upon reaching the pinnacle of success, it takes a lot of discipline and motivation to remain there.
But if the Morgan State men’s basketball team makes a third straight run at a MEAC conference championship, they will have done so with a brand of motivation that no one would want to use. The motivation of succeeding for an ill teammate.
But Morgan is really driven by a deeper cause. The Bears, 23-12 last year, have dedicated their season to one of their own, 6-foot-10 Anthony Anderson, who was diagnosed with leukemia last month.
Anderson, a redshirt freshman from St. Charles (Charles County) who was expected to contribute off the bench this season, is undergoing chemotherapy at Johns Hopkins Hospital, coach Todd Bozeman said. His prognosis is not known.
Win or lose, you can easily foresee both scenarios for the Bears. They will field one of the deepest and most talented rosters the school has seen since it’s Division II national championship team in 1974. Head coach Todd Bozeman is among the hottest mid-major basketball coaches in the entire country.
But for everything the Bears’ may be able to accomplish on the court in 2009-10, their biggest battle may be the one they fight in their hearts and minds for their teammate.
LJ 10:10 am on November 12, 2009 Permalink
My prayers are with Anthony Anderson, his family, friends and the Morgan State community. We know through prayer, God brings about healing. Mr. Anderson has experienced such horrific experiences in his young life — two year ago a teammate and a few of his classmates were killed in an auto accident. We pray that God wraps his arms around this young man and pull him, his family, and friends through this awful thing. Much sucess to Coach Bozeman and the Morgan State team this upcoming season.