One of the favorite parts of covering recruiting are the newer names who break out. This is not to say that Nasir Anderson has not been a tremendous prospect in the 2027 class. After all, he did make the Team USA U16 national team.
The 6-foot-4 point guard out of Savannah, GA, was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2025 FIBA U16 AmericasCup last week in Mexico. He also brought home a gold medal with his squad's perfect 7-0 showing, and that was when the legend started for a lot of us.
He averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 assists, and never had less than five dishes in any of the six games. Anderson also had five steals in two games, and averaged 3.5. He scored 19 against Brazil, and reached double figures in four games. He shot 75.7% from two-point range, and 25% from three. He only went two of eight, so he didn't take nearly as many deep shots.
Anderson plays with Game Elite in the Adidas 3SSB 16U division. Through eight games in the spring he had impressive stat lines of 18.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals. He went 51 of 93 from the field for 54.8%. He didn't shoot a ton of three-pointers, but when he did he knocked down 8 of 14 for 57.1%.
Anderson also competed in the NBPA Top 100 Camp this week in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Playing against older prospects he put together averages of 10.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. He had 16 assists compared to six turnovers.
Anderson already has in-state offers from the likes of Georgia and Georgia Tech, but the real measuring stick of his recruiting interest will begin this Sunday when college coaches can start directly contacting Class of 2027 prospects.
His coach/mentor is Josh Smith who was a first round draft pick in 2004 straight out of high school. He went on to play in the NBA for 13 seasons. He has coached Anderson for nearly half a decade, and now directs him with Game Elite 16U. Smith spoke with Tar Heel Illustrated Friday morning as he and Anderson were returning back to Georgia after a couple of days in Rock Hill.
THI: You’ve been around Nasir since sixth grade. When did you realize he was going to be a player?
SMITH: “Then. I was building my team because my son had just wanted to start playing basketball. This is literally how it happened. I was in the gym. I was sitting by Dion Glover who is a good friend of mine. He was a guy that I looked up to, because he played with the (Atlanta) Celtics before me. He was a pro too, so whenever I needed questions answered I asked him. He had an AAU team too, and I told him I needed a point guard. His assistant coach told me he had the best point guard in the nation. I thought he was lying, so he brought his brother over, and he showed me a little quick video, and I was like, ‘Oh man.’ He was so big, and what he was doing in the video to those kids looked special. I got on the phone with his mom, and the rest was history.”
THI: Give us a scouting report on Nasir.
SMITH: “He is a physical guard. He’s hard to knock him off his line. He’s a great defender. His motor is second to none. One of his specialties is his motor, and how great of a teammate he is. He can knock down the open shot if you leave him open. He’s a good floor spacer. He does well in the pick and roll. I can keep going if you want me to.”
THI: Just from watching video and looking at box scores, he looks like an old school point guard. They distribute, and they pass first before scoring.
SMITH: “Yeah, absolutely he is. He does a great job of making his teammates better for sure. He’s a downhill guard. He can touch the paint whenever he wants to, and he makes great decisions playing off two feet in the paint.”
THI: Is there a guy he reminds you of?
SMITH: “Man, I would say it’s a mixture of Anthony Edwards and James Harden.”
THI: Coaches can’t directly contact the players until this Sunday, but they can talk to the coaches and parents. Has there been lots of interest?
SMITH: “Yes, yes, a lot of it: Michigan, Michigan State, Ole Miss, UNC, Houston, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Tennessee, and Maryland so far. They have strong interest too.”
THI: How has North Carolina gone about it so far?
SMITH: “I know Sean May through the history of basketball. It’s like we were playing around the same time. We were at the airport before he (Nasir) went to USA. I was telling him about Nas, and how he was a really good point guard. He said he would give him a look. They watched the AmericasCup. He (May) pulled up on me and he said, ‘Josh, you weren’t lying about that kid.’ I told him I tried to keep it honest. He laughed and told me he would be in touch. He and I had already exchanged numbers before that.”
THI: Have you prepared him for Sunday? It’s going to be crazy when the coaches start calling.
SMITH: “I’ve definitely been trying to prepare him, but it’s kind of like he doesn’t know until it happens. I told him it’s going to get crazy, so hopefully I’ve got him prepared by being vocal about it. Hopefully he’ll be able to handle all of that pressure when they’re harassing him (laughing). There have already been three or four that said they were going to start calling him at midnight.”
