McCoy working to land pro contract overseas

<p>Some might consider the two seasons Anderson McCoy played at the University of Alabama at Birmingham his ceiling as a basketball player.</p><p>McCoy isn’t one of them.</p><p>“I feel that I haven’t played my best basketball yet. And I like proving people wrong,” said McCoy, 23, a 5-foot-9, 178-pound point guard who is trying to put himself in a position to play professionally overseas. “I want to do this for a sense of pride and ownership.</p><p>“That no matter how tall you are or where you played college basketball, you’re going to be found if you made a positive impact.”</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>In May, the former Center Grove player hired an agent, Eddie Kim of California-based Big Game Management, which represents everyone from athletes to musicians, models, artists and more. Kim, 32, is former athlete himself, having been part of the men’s swim team at the United States Military Academy at West Point.</p><p>McCoy is currently in Atlanta taking part in the Eurobasket Summer League Camp. The camp runs today through Sunday and is being watched either in person or virtually by coaches, scouts and general managers representing professional basketball franchises around the world.</p><p>He won’t be the biggest, fastest or strongest player hoping to make a name for himself, but Kim notices aspects of McCoy’s game that could be in his favor.</p><p>“Anderson plays with flair,” Kim said. “It’s the passing and he plays in a way to put people in the stands. He knows when to use the flair and when not to use it. General managers could see that Anderson would be a fan favorite. I could see him being a sixth or seventh man, being that sparkplug off the bench for a veteran team.”</p><p>McCoy is coming off a senior season in which he was Delta State’s third-leading scorer (12.1) while also leading the Statesmen in assists (4.1). He started blazing his college hoops trail at Ancilla College near South Bend before going to UAB, a Division I program in Conference USA.</p><p>McCoy started nine games for the Blazers the 2018-19 season, then departed for Delta State, located in Cleveland, Mississippi, to complete his athletic eligibility. McCoy was at home visiting family during his spring break when the COVID-19 outbreak kept him there.</p><p>As a result, McCoy hasn’t had access to the basketball and weightlifting facilities he normally would.</p><p>“A week has basically turned into this whole time,” McCoy said. “It’s been about trying to be creative about finding a park to play basketball and work out in. I run about two and a half miles a day and do my lifting, trying to stay fit and staying basketball ready.”</p><p>In an attempt to get his name circulating, McCoy had a friend make a YouTube video showing some of the best highlights from his senior season at Delta State. McCoy sent the link to over a dozen agencies and heard back from three of them.</p><p>Included in the over seven minutes of footage are step-back jumpers, no-look passes, spin moves in the lane, floaters in the lane over the reach of taller defenders and some ridiculously long 3-pointers.</p><p>McCoy hopes to be on top of his game this weekend, but knows there will be other showcase opportunities later in the summer, including the Eurobasket Summer League Camp in Las Vegas from July 10-12.</p><p>“To be honest, I’m excited, but at the same time ready to get things going,” McCoy said. “I feel this is part of the recruiting process, but for a higher stage. It really doesn’t matter to me where I play. I want to be where I’m wanted.”</p><p>The soft deadline to sign a contract to play internationally is Sept. 1, according to Kim. His client is willing to take any opportunity and make the most of it.</p><p>“I think Anderson’s personality, professionalism and being a good human being will keep him playing,” Kim said.</p>