The whole team at here at Barstool St. John’s has been vocal about our love for Coach Mike Anderson ever since the hire back in the summer of 2019. When writing our “Days Until The Storm” series previewing each player for the upcoming season, we thought: “When’s the perfect time to do a feature on Coach Iron Mike?”
We wanted to show him love too, so we decided it was best if we waited until his birthday to do so — December 12. (Yeah, we know by the time this article goes live it’ll be December 13th so just work with me here.)
Happy 61st, Coach!
In his short time with the team, Mike Anderson has become a fan favorite within the SJU community. Not only is he a great coach, but he is an all-around great guy too. SJU Barstool has broken down the top-5 things we love about Iron Mike, as voted on by our followers.
1. He has never had a losing season
Had to start with the obvious and get this out of the way. Yeah, we know that you probably know this stat already. But we’ll run with it ’til the day we die. It’s still pretty awesome to say our coach is just one of FOUR coaches in the ENTIRE nation to have never had a losing season. We expect that to translate into some NCAA Tournament wins in the very near future.
Now, to the fun stuff:
2. Quality Menswear
He brings out the most fire suits, game in and game out.
The photoshoot above was so fresh that you could literally pull that onto a cover of ‘GQ Man of the Year’ and it would look legit.
We actually did that for you guys. Look.
3. He throws out first pitches at Mets games
Not only is he a brilliant basketball mind, Anderson also has skill on the diamond.
In the days following his hire, the New York Mets helped Iron Mike introduce himself to the rest of Queens by throwing out the first pitch at one of their home games.
Oh, and if you were wondering, yes the Mets won that day. Coincidence? Nah.
You can see here that Anderson has all got the makings of a solid 12-6 curve.
4. He puts out dope content on Twitter
Coach has also becoming a surging Twitter presence in the #SJUBB community.
When he tweets kryptic videos such as these, you know a recruiting announcement is imminent:
When he tweets out hype up videos — whether it be an inside look of practice, or a fully fledged pump up video such as this one, you know the Johnnies aren’t playing around:
And when he tweets out encouraging us to wear a mask and social distance, you know he means to WEAR A MASK AND SOCIAL DISTANCE!
Our favorite post of his came in March, few days after the season got cancelled. Coach tweeted out the 2019-20 “One Shining Moment” video, recapping our season.
Lastly, one thing that we also notice is the appreciation on his Twitter account for the guys in the program who make things possible on a day in a day out basis: the managers. Not many coaches recognize the work their managers put in, and Anderson doesn’t shy away for showing them love. It really showcases his great character. Kudos to that.
5. His “40 Minutes of Hell” coaching style”
The Johnnies love to run. We’re conditioned to do so, and it starts in practice. Analysts even say this play style wreaks havoc upon anyone who is playing us.
In a nutshell, we’ll press the shit out of you until you’re tired out.
It’s not just first 5 minutes. It’s not just one half. It’s not just the last 10 minutes. It’s the whole game.
These aren’t crumbs, this is the whole fucking pie.
Jonah Hill in War Dogs (2016)
Clearly, it is no coincidence that we were 2nd in the country in steals last season, according to ESPN.
All in All
One thing is for certain: He is building a culture here. Everyone from the fans to the players are on board. We can feel it. The players seem buy into what he’s feeding them, and the fans appreciate his desire to win. Just look at the improvement in the team from the beginning of last season towards right up until when Covid hit and shut everything down. Now we have a full season of HIS recruits.
Even though we may have a couple of early loses this year, I am not panicking. Once the player’s get used to each other and more games are under their belt, we’ll be alright. His coaching style works, just look at his records if you need proof. You can be assured fans such as us are behind him every step of the way — both on and off the court.
#InMikeAndersonWeTrust
So Happy Birthday Coach, and to many more!
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