Before she finished high school, Courtney Anderson made one of the biggest decisions of her life.

It was a choice that not only had an impact on her basketball career but also her professional future for years to come.

So when Anderson chose to attend the University of Maine, she faced a lot of unknowns, but looking back, Anderson is pleased with the journey she’s taken since her decision.

“I have no regrets with my decision to come here,” said Anderson, whose senior season with the women’s basketball team draws near. “The coaching staff, the friends I’ve made, the teammates I’ve had, they all made me grow as a person, as a student and as an athlete. It will serve me well in the professional world. I’m really happy with the decision I made when I was 17 years old. To be able to look back and be able to say it was all worth it is, honestly, a great feeling.”

Anderson committed to the University of Maine as a walk on. Before she arrived on campus, Cindy Blodgett was fired as coach, and the Black Bears were starting all over. Her career has included a frightening bus crash, players leaving the program and losing seasons. As daunting as it all was for a player who had been accustomed to winning and being successful, Anderson made the best of her situation.

“I’ve just embraced what our coaching staff said from day one — that people that work hard, people that immerse themselves in the process, they’ll be the ones that last,” she said.  “I came in with a class of five, and I’m the only person left. That’s not putting the others down because their decisions to leave were their own personal decisions.

“Being the only person left has made me very grateful for all the things I’ve learned — just to be hard working and put your head down. The results are the results. If you don’t put in the work, you won’t see the results. If you do, you will see results. I’m just happy to have been given the opportunity when I was 17 years old and given the opportunity as a sophomore when coach gave me a scholarship and now the opportunity of being a senior on this team, it’s all been a blessing.”

Anderson left Leavitt following a state championship and a 22-0 record. She scored 1,465 points in her Hornet career and earned all the accolades of one of the state’s top players.

In her first season with the Black Bears, Anderson played 31 games and started 25 as a guard. She averaged 4.7 points and 3.2 rebounds while leading the team with 2.8 assists, good enough for seventh in the American East.

Her sophomore year, she started 23 games and averaged 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds. Last year, she played in 28 games and started 10. She averaged 2.6 points and .1.2 rebounds.

“Physically, it’s easy to become better as a basketball player, but mentally, it’s not as easy,” Anderson said of her evolvement as a college player. “As a person, it’s hard to change. It’s hard to change your mind-set a little bit. I may have come in with a work ethic, but I think I lacked some things I needed to be the best basketball player I could possibly be.

“Even last year, I had experiences that have taught me how to persevere through any kind of adversity and how to rely on my coaching staff and my teammates and everything they give me on a daily basis. Before, I was just working, and I didn’t understand what for. I didn’t understand how they could help me other than me just working daily and grinding it out.

“I still grind it out but with that support of others and using that support gave me an understanding of what I’m working for. It has changed my whole perspective.”

Anderson is an elementary education major and is interested in coaching at the collegiate level. She’s looking forward to her final season, but she doesn’t dwell on it being the end of her basketball career in college.

“I’ve been excited about it,” she said. “It’s been a long road. Right now, I’m teaching and I’m kind of immersed in the working world and the college student world and the student athlete world. It’s a little overwhelming, but it’s not a bad thing because I don’t have a lot of time to sit around and think about it.”

The Black Bears have been practicing and playing some exhibition games. The regular season doesn’t begin until Friday night with a road game at Bryant. The Black Bears have their home opener Saturday at 1 p.m., against Long Island University.

“It gets boring playing against the same people every day,” Anderson said. “We compete every day in practice and get better, but it’s definitely better when we’re all on the same team. We’re excited to start playing in games and seeing how far we need to go and how much growth we’ve made.”

After only a handful of wins the previous years, the Black Bears went 17-15 last year. That has created optimism that the program is back on track. The team is still trying to focus on the daily improvements that can keep that progress going.

“It’s definitely easy to see improvement when you went from four wins to 17 wins,” Anderson said. “It’s easy to see that improvement, but it’s going to be harder this year to go from 17 wins to whatever the results may be. I think for us to be able to live with whatever the results may be come March, we have to get better every day.”

Anderson is focused on similar goals for herself. She’s concentrating on being the best that she can be — both on and off the court.

“I just want to pursue God, pursue passion for my sport, compassion for others and serve others and serve my teammates,” Anderson said. “Those are the things I focus on daily. Those are things I can control daily. Regardless of what happens on the court night in and night out, that’s what I’m working towards every single day.”

kmills@sunjournal.com

Women’s basketball

Last year: 17-15

Returning players: Sr. G Courtney Anderson (2.6 ppg), Jr. G Chantal Charles (4.5 ppg), Jr. F Mikaela Gustafson (4.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg), Jr. G Lauren Bodine (7.4 ppg), Jr. F Liz Wood (12.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg), Jr. C Anna Heise (4.1 pg, 3 rpg), So. G Sigi Kolzar (4.9 ppg)

New players: Fr. G Parise Rossignol, Fr. F Christiana Gerostergiou, Fr. F Janessa Fauntroy, Fr. F Kirsten Johnson.

Overview:

The Black Bears were fourth in the American East last year at 10-6 and had one of the largest turnarounds in the country, going from four wins to 17.

Maine returns four starters and 10 letterwinners from that team, including three of the team’s top five scorers.

The Black Bears were chosen to finish fifth in the conference in a preseason poll. Albany was the top-ranked squad. Wood was an all-conference preseason pick and was named the AEHoop Preseason Player of the Year.

It will be tough to duplicate the improvement the club made last year, but the Black Bears continue to make progress and make some noise in the conference.

“I think the things we expected to be good at we’re good at,” Anderson said. “The things we expected to be working towards, we’re still working towards. It’s a long season. It’s a marathon and definitely not a sprint. We keep talking about the process of just getting better every day and giving our best effort every day. That’s what we’re focused on as a team. If you give your best, that’s all you can expect.”

Men’s basketball

Last year: 6-23

Returning players: Sr. F Zarko Valjarevic (11.3 ppg, 43.8 % 3’s), Jr. G Shaun Lawton 8.1 ppg, 3.8 apg), Jr. Till Gloger (7.9 ppg, 4 rpg), So G/F (4.5 ppg), Jr. F Ethan Mackey (5.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg), So G Troy Reid-Knight (6.5 ppg), Sr. G Peter Westra.

New players: Fr G Aaron Calixte, Fr G Kevin Little, Fr G Garvey Melmed.

Overview:

The Black Bears were selected eighth in the American East preseason poll. Stony Brook was the top pick with Hartford finishing second.

Maine returns three of its top five scorers, led by Valjarevic and Lawton. But first-year coach Bob Walsh is rebuilding with a young team. Valjarevic and Westra are the only seniors. The Black Bears are made up of nine freshmen and sophomores.