Rainier Beach's Anderson a player of note

A lot of people know Ryan Anderson can tickle the twine. Not everybody knows the Rainier Beach High School boys basketball player can tickle the ivories.

The multi-talented Anderson, a 6-foot-4 guard headed to Nebraska on scholarship, is a "Renaissance Man," of sorts.

The senior loves to compose music, sing and play original tunes on the piano. Anderson is silky smooth while singing or playing ball, doing everything with a measurable rhythm.

When he's not getting up extra shots in the gym, Anderson might be laying down a beat or recording a song at the home of fellow young musician Zachary Bruce.

"He's just very expressive in a lot of ways," Rainier Beach coach Mike Bethea said of Anderson, who recently gave him a CD with 12 or 13 original songs.

"He's equally as talented in music as he is in basketball. With his music, he mixes it up. There's some gospel and some hip-hop. He's pretty versatile, like he is on the court."

Bethea said Anderson's singing reminds him of Donny Hathaway, a 1970s soul artist. In basketball, Anderson can't shake comparisons to Beach graduate Doug Christie, a 14-year NBA veteran.

"He looked a lot like Doug when he first game into the program," Bethea said of Anderson. "You could see the similarities both in his looks and the way he played."

Anderson, who played keyboard at the King Classic in January, attracts a crowd wherever he goes. Even as a freshman, he was entertaining, drawing a crowd while playing the piano in the hotel lobby when Beach went to Houston as the nation's top-ranked high-school team for the Academy National Invitational in 2002.

"People gravitate toward Ryan," Bethea said. "He's so gifted."

Anderson isn't shy when the Vikings need a big shot, either.

"You can't be afraid to take that chance," he said. "I've watched a lot of old-school tapes of [Michael] Jordan and he wasn't afraid to take big shots.

"Jordan would take that blame if he missed or the stardom that comes from making the shot. He was never afraid."

Anderson, who made eight three-pointers in one game and has hit many big shots for Beach in his four-year varsity career, averages about 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals as a senior.

He was simply a shooter when he joined the varsity part-time as a rail-thin, 6-1, 150-pound freshman. He's bulked up to 190 and grown as a player.

"I started working hard in the offseason after my freshman year," he said. "People said I was too slow and didn't play defense well enough. That motivated me to get stronger.

"I started going to the gym every day at 6 a.m. and worked out. I kept doing more in my workouts. Also, I knew my body would change. All that work made me tougher mentally."

"He's basically the heart and soul of this team right now," Bethea said.

"Don't mistake that soft look of his. He's a young man who's full of fire. He wants guys to step up and take a challenge."

Today at Bellevue Community College, he leads the No. 2 Vikings (18-5) into a 4:45 p.m. winner-to-state game against Metro League rival and No. 8 O'Dea (19-5) in the Sea-King 3A District semifinals.

Anderson, who learned his musical ways from his father Paul, wants to follow distant cousin Wayman Tisdale as a successful NBA player and professional musician.

"My goal is to be one of the greatest players in basketball and be one of the best composers ever," he said. "Those are my two dreams right there."