Despite Condition, USF Basketball Player Giving It His All

It’s not easy playing basketball and doing it well. It’s even more difficult when you only have one hand to work with.

Landus Anderson, a basketball player for the University of St. Francis, knows that struggle, but to him, it’s just how he is.

"My parents always taught me to make the most out of what I've got, and to make the most out of the cards I've been dealt," Anderson told the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Anderson has Erb’s Palsy, a neurological disorder that has given him limited use of his right arm since birth.

"I almost got stuck,'' Landus told the Chicago Tribune. "The doctor jerked me out by my right arm and disconnected the nerves from my spinal cord.''

But that hasn’t stopped him from his dreams. Anderson said that he wanted to be a college basketball player, but not one that’s known specifically for his condition.

"I remember being asked in high school if I wanted to be the first player to reach the NBA with nerve damage in his arm, or the first player in college to have nerve damage, but I don't see it like that,'' Anderson told the Tribune. "I wanted to be a college basketball player, period — not the first college basketball player who has nerve damage in his arm. I didn't use my condition as motivation. It's just the drive within me to be the best me I can be.''

Anderson grew up in Florida where he would play basketball any time he could.

“I always wanted to play basketball, even when other kids were out playing tag or whatever,” he told The Herald-News.

It’s no surprise, considering both his mother and father played the game in college.

University of St. Francis coach Ryan Marks was looking to add another player to his team when he was talking with his friend and Eastern Florida State Coach Jeremy Shulman, who told Marks about his unique player.

“Jeremy’s team had a really good season last year, and I finally talked to him in May to congratulate him,” Marks told The Herald-News. “We shot the breeze a little. Then he asked me if I’m still recruiting. He said if I need a wing, he has one who is a good student and could be the perfect guy. He told me he had a lot of others look at him, but he cautioned me that he’s going to look a little different on the basketball floor. He said he would text me so I could see his highlights.”

Shulman sent Marks clips of Anderson in action. He was impressed by what he saw.

"Coach Marks called me and flew down to Tallahassee for a visit," Anderson told the NAIA. "He seemed to be very genuine and trustworthy, and someone who could groom me into becoming the player I wanted to become."

Anderson, who needs to wear a face mask due to an injury he suffered in November, decided to play at St. Francis, where in addition to basketball he’s studying criminal justice and plans to attend law school, according to The Herald-News.

And while playing with a new team can be intimidating, his teammates are catching his positive attitude.

"Landus is one of the glue guys on the team. He isn't just a great talent, but a great teammate as well. He's always got our backs, through thick and thin," teammate Jens Kennedy told the NAIA.