16-1 in the ACC, Virginia Men’s Basketball has just taken the ACC title with a win over Syracuse. Only a second-year, Justin Anderson has been a major factor in the success of the Hoos. A charismatic 6-6 guard from Montross, VA, I spoke with Anderson about the team’s current success, what he likes to watch on TV and his Twitter use.
Activities outside of basketball: I like to watch other teams play, and to eat at the different dining halls, so that’s an activity. There’s not many things I do around grounds right now especially during the season.
How do you feel about the team’s current success? It’s definitely one that I felt like we would be able to do within my four years here. Also it’s something that we planned to work for, so we have to make sure that we maintain the humility and continue to have success for the university. I’m really proud of not just myself but the whole team.
How do you feel about being a recognizable “celebrity” around grounds? I don’t really consider myself a celebrity, but since there are people who believe that, I just think it’s one of those things where I’m blessed to be able to be in that situation, especially coming from my hometown and not many people knowing who I was and where I was from. I think that’s pretty special because not many people have the opportunity to be well-known and I think that as long as I continue to use it in a positive light I’m really happy that I’m able to carry that weight.
One of your nicknames is Simba, where did that come from? It’s something from the Lion King, I really like the Lion King. Simba is just so relentless and he’s just all about his family, and he’s just really tough. Those are qualities I really liked and admired about him, and so I guess it stuck.
You’re a very active Twitter user, who is your favorite person to follow? I like to follow this girl who tweets very funny stuff daily, her name is Amanda, she plays volleyball (@amanduhhbee). She is really funny, and I always favorite everything that I see her tweet, it’s always poking fun. I like to follow my friends. I like to be weird on purpose, goofy. I like to tweet goofy things to get people going, and I like the way you can use it in so many ways. One way I like to use it is to lighten up people’s days and just be silly.
What has been your favorite part of playing for the Hoos? Definitely the spirit section and the fans that we’ve had. I know JPJ has always been well known for being a pretty good arena, especially during my first two years here: my firstt year going on a 20 game winning streak and this year going on a solid streak and beating some solid teams at JPJ. That’s one of the best things about playing for our team, being able to get the crowd going and getting everyone excited.
**Most of this interview was conducted last week before the winning of the ACC Title. Justin was kind enough to provide me with a quote about his feelings concerning winning over Syracuse, which he describes as “one of the most awesome memories that will never be forgotten or taken for granted”.
Rapid round:
Chocolate, vanilla or strawberry? Vanilla
Favorite class: American Gangster Film
Celebrity Crush: Ariana Grande
Favorite TV show: Full House
Favorite NBA player: LeBron James
Last song you listened to: Must Be Nice by Lyfe Jennings