Boys Basketball: Newark hires former great Kyle Anderson as new head coach

Many high schools can only dream about the return of arguably the greatest player in its history to become a coach.

Newark High School is about to revel in that dream in its signature sport.

The NHS Board of Education recently approved Kyle Anderson to take over the Norsemen boys basketball program starting in the 2022-23 school year. It follows the retirement of head coach Rick Tollefson, who amassed 340 victories in 16 seasons as Newark coach.

Anderson was a huge part of Tollefson’s coaching success as a four-year starter and the Norsemen’s leading scorer every season from 2007 to 2011 where Anderson contributed to 100 victories.

During that amazing run, Anderson helped lead Newark to three consecutive sectional championships. He capped off his career by leading Newark to the Class 1A state championship in 2011, where he was an instrumental figure in providing Newark basketball with its finest hour.

Anderson finished his prep career as an All-State competitor, a McDonald’s All-American nominee and Newark’s all-time leading scorer with an eye-popping 2,280 points. He now returns to the court of his greatest glory as the coach of his alma mater.

“When I first started debating about taking the job at Newark, I knew coach ‘T’ [Tollefson] was going to retire, but I didn’t know whether I wanted to apply or not,” Anderson said. “Then I started thinking about the great history of Newark basketball and I guess I was one of the cogs in that history so I made the decision to move forward and take a chance to see what my future has in store for me at the school I cherish.”

“I can’t wait to get started after all the memories I have and I guess I need to reminisce on the past a little more now that I think about it,” Anderson joked.

After high school, Anderson earned a Division I basketball scholarship at the University of Delaware where he was a four-year starter. He eventually ended his college career as the 13th leading scorer in Blue Hens’ history with 1,292 points. He also holds the school’s record for most 3-point shots made with 269.

Anderson graduated in 2015 from Delaware before embarking on a professional stint in Europe for a team in Portugal until injuries derailed his pro efforts in 2018 when he officially retired from the game.

“I had a couple of big setbacks and I tore my Achilles in the second season overseas and I never could make it back after that,” Anderson said. “But I’m alright with what I achieved in my basketball career and couldn’t be prouder of what I accomplished.”

Anderson went on to serve as as varsity assistant at Plano High School under head coach Kyle Kee from 2018 to 2021 before taking a year off during the latest high school season.

Anderson owns and runs KA Basketball (kabasketball.com), a hoop training program for individuals, groups and teams. He is married to former Norseman girls basketball great Laura Johnson Anderson (2009) who is coincidentally Newark’s all-time leading girls scorer with 1,594 points. The couple have three children since being married in 2013, a boy Griffin (7), a girl Myla (5), and a boy Calvin (1).

They all reside in Millbrook within the comfortable confines of the Newark school district where Anderson hopes to call his home for the rest of his life paying back the amazing fortunes he was given during his youth.

“I think about Newark basketball history and I played four years on the varsity level and I’m the leading scorer,” Anderson said. “But I think about our past with guys like David Olson (2,123 pts., 1983) and how great he was and now I want to coach players in the future that can be better than we were.”

“I don’t plan on coaching anywhere else other than Newark,” Anderson said. “I want to coach my kids here in the future should they want to play basketball and I hope they do. But I’m not going anywhere as long as Newark will have me as their basketball coach.”

One person Anderson will be missing from his forward progress toward another level of greatness will be his mother Judy, who died unexpectedly last year at only 60 years of age.

Judy Anderson was a tremendous presence in Kyle Anderson’s rise throughout his career attending every game he competed in during his time at Newark and Delaware.

Kyle Anderson wants to pay tribute to his biggest supporter now as the new leader of the Norsemen.

“For sure she was always there for me in high school then in college and beyond professionally. She was my biggest fan,” Anderson said. “I see her sitting behind me on the bench as a coach next year yelling at me and annoying me because I didn’t do the right thing. But I’ll sure miss her being there. I’ll try to make her proud along with everybody in Newark.”