Antonio Anderson: Prep to Pro to Head Coach Blueprint

Coach Antonio Anderson, head coach at The Darrow School, has one of those basketball resumes that instantly earns your attention. He won a state title in Lynn, re did his junior year at Maine Central Institute, then transferred to Laurinburg Prep after committing to Memphis. At Memphis, he scored over 1,000 points and is one of only two Tigers to record a triple double, alongside Penny Hardaway. He also played professionally, including time around Kevin Durant and James Harden, and now he is building Darrow from the ground up. In this episode, Antonio gets real about what “development” actually means at a boarding school, what he looks for when recruiting, how playing time is earned, and how he attacks college placement by emailing coaches across every level. If you are a parent trying to find the right prep fit, or a guard who wants to play college basketball, this conversation gives you clear standards, not hype.

💡Key Topics:
 📌 Darrow School basketball and moving up to NEPSAC AAA
 📌 Prep school player development: discipline, lifting, open gym culture
 📌 Post-grad academics and college credit pathway
 📌 Recruiting traits: mental toughness, competitiveness, work ethic
 📌 Playing time expectations: earned, equal opportunity, standards off court
 📌 College placement strategy: film, schedules, livestream links, coach outreach

🏀 About Antonio Anderson:

 Antonio Anderson is the head coach at The Darrow School and a former Memphis Tigers guard who scored over 1,000 career points. He played professionally, including G League experience and time around NBA stars, and now focuses on building college ready players through discipline, toughness, and real placement work.

🔗 Connect with Antonio Anderson:

Twitter | https://x.com/ToneAnderson5

Twitter | https://x.com/darrowhoops
Twitter | https://x.com/DarrowSchool
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/darrowhoops/
Email | andersona@darrowschool.org
Website | https://www.darrowschool.org/

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | coryheitz@gmail.com
Phone | 859-317-1166

🔖 Subscribe to the PREP Athletics Podcast:

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Spotify | https://open.spotify.com/show/6CAKbXFiIOhoHinzsReYbJ
Amazon | https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c37179d-3371-47f9-9d97-fd569e8802a7/prep-athletics-basketball-podcast #AmazonMusic  

Transcript

Cory Heitz (00:00)
Welcome to this week's episode of the prep athletics podcast. I'm proud to have joining us the head coach of the Darrow school, Antonio Anderson. Now Antonio has a great story. ⁓ he won a state title at limb prep in the state of Massachusetts. And from there he transferred to MCI main central Institute, averaged 30 points up there before committing to Memphis. And then Calipari thought it'd be a good idea for him to transfer down to Lauren Berg prep in North Carolina.

to play for a friend of the podcast, Chris Cheney, and that team had 15 D1 players on it. From there, he went to Memphis, scored over a thousand points. Him and Penny Hardware, the only two Memphis Tigers to record triple doubles, and he played in the championship game against Kansas. We didn't bring up that they lost, but that was one of the best final games ever. And he talks about his pro career. He played in the G League played for the Thunder with Kevin Durant and James Harden.

⁓ and then he is now back at Darrow's school. He's been there for a couple of years. He bumped them up to AAA, ⁓ and he talks about them as a school, kind of his, his training, ⁓ philosophies, how he places kids. ⁓ and it's a good conversation. We did have a little bit of technical difficulties, so I'm not sure if the whole podcast, will be posted or not. So just be aware of that, but the information is all there and we were very happy to have them on. If you liked this podcast, all we're asking right now is we put a lot of time and work into this. Please share it with a friend.

Right. There's probably someone out there, you know, that would love to get this information and be part of the community. We'd love for you to share this with them and we thank you very much for tuning in and for your support as well. So enjoy this conversation with coach Antonio Anderson of the Darrow school and we'll see you next time in the prepped athletics podcast.

Cory Heitz (02:02)
Antonio, welcome to the podcast.

Antonio Anderson (02:05)
you were having me.

Cory Heitz (02:07)
Yeah, now where did you grow up and what got you into basketball?

Antonio Anderson (02:11)
I grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts. My older brother Anthony got me into basketball at a young age.

Cory Heitz (02:18)
Gotcha. And then I saw here, you won a state title at Linn Prep growing up, and then you decided to transfer to MCI. What led to that decision? What was that conversation like?

Antonio Anderson (02:29)
⁓ You know, my uncle was my high school coach and you know, think after we won a championship in high school ⁓ You know, I wasn't really getting recruited I went to like a vocational high school so ⁓ Decided to go to MCI ⁓ And redo my junior year and you know kind of work in my bed in my favor for sure

Cory Heitz (02:52)
Why'd pick

MCI instead of all the other prep schools out there? What was that decision like?

Antonio Anderson (02:57)
Honestly, Norfolk Moherman, John Carroll actually was the first person to recruit me and I wanted to go there. I just couldn't get in with my grades. So MCI was the other school that was recruiting me and I got in there and it worked out for me.

Cory Heitz (03:17)
Who was your coach at MCI at that point? Okay. And who were some of your teammates we've heard of? there any of your teammates at MCI we've heard of? Okay. Just you that year. All right. And then from MCI you transferred to Larenburg prep in North Carolina. What led to that decision?

Antonio Anderson (03:19)
Ed Jones.

I'm sorry?

No, I wish.

⁓ you know, I was going to stay at MCI. ⁓ and you know, after committing to Memphis, ⁓ coach Cal just had a conversation with me. He's like, I know you're going back to main central, but you know, through the guys that you're to be coming in with next year, ⁓ all playing at Lombard. ⁓ and so I'm like, man, that'd be kind of cool if I can kind of get a year with these guys, get to know each other. ⁓ and that kind of how it went. And then I spoke to coach Cheney and after a conversation with coach Cheney.

I transferred over there. It was a huge culture shock for me, but coming from a New England prep school, but definitely it was well worth it playing with 15 guys, all in Division I.

Cory Heitz (04:21)
What was the big culture shock for you?

Antonio Anderson (04:24)
⁓ You know, just the difference of how the schools look. You know, the difference of, you know, talent. You know, at that time New England always had so many guys who play high level basketball. But it was the first time me being on a team with myself and 15 other people all going hot major division one was kind of different.

Cory Heitz (04:45)
I bet those practices were like knife fights.

Antonio Anderson (04:48)
Yeah,

it was wars, man. It was awesome.

Cory Heitz (04:52)
Alright, let's go back to before you committed to Memphis. What other schools were you talking to?

Antonio Anderson (04:57)
⁓ I actually was committed to Michigan State first and be committed after my visit. But Michigan State, Memphis, ⁓ Yukon, Notre Dame, Missouri were the main schools.

Cory Heitz (05:11)
And why did you pick Memphis specifically?

Antonio Anderson (05:13)
You know just a better fit on my visit. I just felt more comfortable with the guys on the team. ⁓ Coach Cal's playing style. ⁓ You know all that kind of played a big part in you know my decision going there.

Cory Heitz (05:28)
Yep. you're, what did you take away from your time with coach Cal that you still use today as a coach?

Antonio Anderson (05:34)
⁓ Honestly, just the mental toughness aspect of it, making everyday count, and just always being a good teammate. ⁓ Those things went a long way. Still stick with me to this day.

Cory Heitz (05:47)
Gotcha. Now you went from Memphis after having a storied career there to playing pro in the G-Lig and then a little bit in the NBA. What was it like at that level? What was the biggest thing you noticed jumping up from high major D1 to the pro level?

Antonio Anderson (06:00)
Yeah.

I think just the focus, the level of focus, even on the high major level, you got to dial in every day. But being a pro is a little different. You're on your own now. No coaches are checking your classes. are no coaches knocking on your door to wake up if you're late, and all that stuff. So just kind of being more aware, more alert, and just taking things a lot more serious in terms of your body, in terms of your workouts, and making sure you're

You're getting filming on your own with coaches, so it was a huge jump for sure.

Cory Heitz (06:31)
What was the best part of being a pro and what was the most challenging part?

Antonio Anderson (06:35)
I'd say the best part, just the experiences, playing with guys who actually make hundreds of millions of dollars playing a game of basketball, seeing how hard they work, seeing their daily routine, learning those type of things. I think the most challenging part is my situation coming in and signing a contract mid-season and trying to find a way. And it's kind of hard when you're on a team with Kevin Durant and James Harden and those guys. So we're just trying to help them get better every day in practice.

days before getting the day of games, getting workouts, playing defense on those guys. Just trying to help. Anyway, can to help them be prepared for the game that evening.

Cory Heitz (07:11)
was the best part of we're going back to Memphis? What was the best part of playing the high level D1? What was the most challenging part?

Antonio Anderson (07:17)
I think the best part of just the experience is you're playing night in, night out. ⁓ I think it's something a kid dreams of. You watch a high level division on basketball on TV 24-7 and you finally get to that point. It is like the best ever. I say the most challenging was just we were in a league that wasn't good. The commentators say it wasn't as strong.

Cory Heitz (07:40)
Pick up

Cory Heitz (07:44)
So Antonio, what was the best part of playing high major ball and what was the worst part of playing high major D1 basketball?

Antonio Anderson (07:51)
I say the best part, know, the challenge every day. You know, you're playing, you know, with some of the best players in the country in college. You know, you're competing with some of the best players, better schools. ⁓ And, you know, I think that was the best part. You know, as a competitor, you love to compete. ⁓ So I think for me, that was the most fun part. I say the worst part is just, you know, even though it's a bigger business now, it's the same back then. You know, you're playing and, you know,

You're winning, it's all good. You lose, it's the end of the world, right? ⁓ So think that's the worst part. ⁓ Fans can put a lot of pressure on student athletes to play a certain way and things like that. But outside of that, everything else is all good.

Cory Heitz (08:37)
Awesome. Well, now let's get to present day. You joined Darrow a couple years ago. Tell us about Darrow School as a school and then tell us about your basketball program.

Antonio Anderson (08:46)
⁓ And that was a special place, know, upstate New York. ⁓ And, you know, it's a small community type of school. I think we have like 150 kids or something like that. One of us on the smaller side of the boarding schools in New England. ⁓ But it's a school upstate New York, you know, coed. You know, everybody knows everybody. A very relaxed place on 360 acres of land. ⁓ You know, so it's a place where kids can learn and grow.

you know, become better people outside of just the basketball stuff. ⁓ You know, from a basketball standpoint. You know, we built it from the ground up. know, year one was rocky, right? You know, we seven and 20-something. I went into the office and asked my athletic director and head of school to move to AAA. They thought I was out of my mind. ⁓ But, you know, they said, this is you really want to do. That's why we brought you here. We believe in you.

and had their utmost support and was able to make that jump and had a pretty successful season last year and which is leading us into the season, this upcoming season.

Cory Heitz (09:57)
And a lot of families ask us, Antonio, about, you know, what does this prep school do in development? What does that prep school do with development? What do you tell families that ask you about what your development style is at Darrow?

Antonio Anderson (10:09)
We try to develop better people first, from the basketball side of things. It's very transparent here. Our league, we can't do anything. Our league, in the fall, besides open gyms, where the guys do lot of lifting on their own, the conditioning and stuff like that, I think that's the one thing that we have our guys that are extremely disciplined when it comes to that. They try to help get themselves and be prepared for when November 1st comes around and they're able to practice and do things and do more.

But, you know, I think that's the biggest part. We want to develop better people first. We want to develop people who care about being a good person, care about being a good student, and want to be a better basketball player. I think if you go throughout the day with no worries of, you know, doing what you're supposed to do throughout the day, it allows you to then have more success on the court. You're not worried about misassignments or getting in trouble in the dorm and things like that.

That's the biggest part I try to talk to them about.

Cory Heitz (11:10)
Gotcha. And if a kid comes there to do a post-grad year, what do the academic requirements look like for a post-grad student?

Antonio Anderson (11:17)
Our post grads take college courses. We partner with Syracuse University. our guys get courses out of credit for when they do leave and wherever they decide to go to college. They leave with 69 college credits, right? So that's a big thing. Our guys are in those courses too, or mandatory. Then some guys take extra ones, depending on what they want to do or their families want. And that's their typical day in a good way.

Cory Heitz (11:46)
Gotcha. Now, what about players? When you're recruiting players for Darrow, what are you looking for for future players of yours?

Antonio Anderson (11:53)
Tough guys. Now physically, but just tough mentally. Guys who just love competing. know, nobody really cares. I can speak for a lot of No one cares if three, four, five star, one star, zero star. If you can play basketball and you're willing to work and compete, I'd love to have you. I was one of those guys. wasn't the five star. I wasn't the one in the country. I went into prep school with division three opportunities.

and a year later, it was committed to Memphis, right? So it kind of depends on ⁓ all on yourself. And if you've been on yourself and you've got the work ethic and the mentality to want to be great, you know, I'm all for helping those type of players.

Cory Heitz (12:39)
How many teams do you have at Darrow?

Antonio Anderson (12:41)
We have three.

Cory Heitz (12:44)
How are they broken down?

Antonio Anderson (12:46)
AAA, then we have NEIPO, AA, and then we have our age-vowel singly team.

Cory Heitz (12:55)
Okay, perfect. when families reach out to you and ask about playing time, what do you tell them?

Antonio Anderson (13:00)
It's earned. Everyone gets a fair opportunity to show and prove what they can and can't do during the open gyms. Everyone has the same opportunities in the weight room. Guys being late to class, that doesn't help your child get on the floor when the time comes. Getting trouble in the dorm doesn't help. So it's very equal. When things get going in November, everyone gets a fair shot. If your child is someone who is

making excuses or someone who is not doing what's active them can't remember plays, that hurts playing time, right? So we just give everyone the same fair shot and we made the best guys win.

Cory Heitz (13:43)
Yeah, love it. ⁓ What is your college placement strategy, Antonio?

Antonio Anderson (13:48)
You know me personally man like I reach out to everybody, you know, I literally go through division one two three All over the Northeast all over the Midwest everywhere and just email every coach some respond some don't ⁓ You know try to send as much film as I can the guys and of guys I sent out their schedules Over gym schedule game schedules every time you know, we we have games We send out the link for the live stream links, even though we know a lot of schools are playing

So every opportunity we know that the guys are gonna be playing. I think that out the coaches and one might watch it, some may not. But we're gonna not try to get our guys in front of coaches eyes at all. By any means, they're gonna coach is gonna know we're playing whatever team it is. And that's kind of my approach to it.

Cory Heitz (14:38)
You talked about talking to head of school about jumping up to the AAA level in NEPSEC. Why did you want to do that and what makes AAA so special?

Antonio Anderson (14:46)
That's where I play and I know that's the only division that gets home and home games. We were in AA my first year and you know there's 18 teams in AA. You're not required to, everyone doesn't have to play you. So you got to kind of be friends with coaches in order to get a game which is kind of difficult sometimes. Some coaches only want to play to schools that maybe aren't as good.

So it was easier for me to get games that first year. We weren't that talented of a group. So going to AAA, I knew you guaranteed 18 games amongst the teams in the league. And I wanted to be able to compete against the St. Thomas Moors, the South Kent, the New Hamptons, and the Newman's, and the Vermont's. I wanted to be able to play those guys twice. And I think that was my reasoning for being

being one, for me one, a jump to the triple A.

Cory Heitz (15:44)
Gotcha. What do you see the future of prep school basketball being?

Antonio Anderson (15:48)
⁓ I hope similar with the college. I think that would be huge. know, a lot of us in NEPSAC you know, it's the best league to me in the country. ⁓ But we'll love to see it adopt like the college lifestyle and help these kids get rid of the college. In terms of in the fall, you know, we have open gym, but, we get six hours a week to practice or things like that ⁓ in which...

that will be super beneficial for kids to get used to for when they do get to college. Or start October 15th, like, some Division 3s and Division 2s do. I think if we can get to that point, that helps these young men transcend right into the college atmosphere when they arrive the following fall, and not being used to waiting three months to be able to practice.

Cory Heitz (16:40)
Yeah, yeah, I like that. ⁓ What does it take to be a guard at the D1 level?

Antonio Anderson (16:46)
toughness, skill, ⁓ IQ, I think that's the biggest thing, and understanding your role and what you're really good at. I think that's the biggest thing I talk to my guys about is like, what are you really good at? What can you excel and how can you help a team win? What do you bring to that team? And I think if to be at the Division I level and be a guard at that level, you have to have all of that. You have to have all the intangibles. You've to be willing to do the little things to be successful. And it got to be about your team.

and not yourself. And if you're a selfish basketball player, college basketball can be extremely tough for you. And I think that unselfishness of a guard has to be there in order to be successful at that level.

Cory Heitz (17:28)
Yeah. And Antonio, you're, one of the rare prep school slash college coaches that have played the guard position at the D1 level and at the professional level. So what, what better person to teach a guard how to get to that place than you, you know? So I think that's, I think you offer a big advantage there.

Antonio Anderson (17:41)
Yeah.

Thank you. I appreciate that. In all honesty, and it's not everyone, you know, want that. You know, some can say they want that. And then, you know, when they when you're trying to help them get there, it can be a little tough for them. but I definitely would give my guys my all so much advice. You know, when I talk to my guys, they come to my office and we're just talking about what it takes.

Cory Heitz (17:53)
Yeah. Yeah.

Antonio Anderson (18:08)
And they're looking at me like I'm crazy, but I'm like, you you really got to dig deep and if you really love it, you'll find a way, so.

Cory Heitz (18:16)
Yeah, absolutely. Now does Darrow have rolling admissions or do you guys have an enrollment deadline? Talk to me about that process.

Antonio Anderson (18:24)
And we have robin emissions. So we don't have a deadline, which helps us. That helps us. A lot of schools, they're done by December, January. ⁓ So we don't have that worry.

Cory Heitz (18:26)
Okay.

All right, we're gonna do a couple quick hitters now, okay? Who's the best player you ever played against?

Antonio Anderson (18:41)
Yep.

That's what I replayed again. I'd say that college or pro level.

Cory Heitz (18:51)
Let's do each.

Antonio Anderson (18:53)
All right, college, I go with. ⁓

That's tough, but I'm gonna go with I Got you I'd probably say Russell Westbrook and I will go with Chris Lofton

Cory Heitz (19:12)
Oh, Kentucky boy. Okay. Gotcha. All right. Best player you've coached against in the prep school level.

Antonio Anderson (19:15)
Yep.

best player I coached against in the prep school level. ⁓ I'd go with, it doesn't matter where I go to school, but I'd go with Barry Evans from Putnam. I love that kid.

Cory Heitz (19:33)
Okay.

Okay. What about your favorite movie?

Antonio Anderson (19:38)
My favorite movie is He Got Game.

Cory Heitz (19:43)
Okay, Jesus Shuttleworth, love it. And then what are your hobbies?

Antonio Anderson (19:45)
Absolutely. I

love reading. I love reading. And I'm a film junkie. I love watching basketball, so I watch NBA college, high school. I love watching it. I love analyzing it. And I love reading. I love reading. Autobiography, that's my thing. So I love it.

Cory Heitz (20:03)
Is there a current book you can recommend to me and the listeners right now that you've been enjoying?

Antonio Anderson (20:08)
I love Relentless by Tim Grover and Lucky Me by Rich Paulder. are two I just finished a really good book.

Cory Heitz (20:17)
All right, perfect. Is there anything you want to touch on that we didn't mention during this podcast, Antonio?

Antonio Anderson (20:22)
no, I think we of covered pretty much everything. I'm super grateful for you to take the time to have me on and talk about my career and being at Darrow and things like that. I'm super, super, super grateful. And just want to be able to see what we have to offer at Darrow, not just basketball-wise, but academically as well. I think the more people look into it and just see what we do here, the more intrigued they'll be.

Cory Heitz (20:49)
Yeah, and we're going to have your contact information in the show notes below. But if someone's interested in getting in contact with you or learning more, what do you suggest they do?

Antonio Anderson (20:58)
my email is andersona @ darrowschool.org. ⁓ You know, they can email me or reach out to me on social media on Twitter. I'm heavily on Twitter ⁓ @ toneanderson5. Those are the two ways to get in contact with me best.

Cory Heitz (21:14)
All right, perfect. Well, it's not often we have someone that won a state title, went to two prep schools, played in the national championship game, played in the league and is coaching in the prep school world. So I think that's a great resume you got there. You've turned around Darrow fast, which is a compliment to you as well for your coaching and general manager capabilities. And we really appreciate you coming on Antonio and good luck this season. All right.

Antonio Anderson (21:38)
Thank you so much for having me, I appreciate it.

Cory Heitz (21:41)
Yeah, if you guys like this podcast, be sure to share it with a friend who hasn't listened to it yet. We got tons of good prep school interviews on here, tons of bonus content. ⁓ Share it with everyone you've got. That's how you can help us out. Thanks so much for joining us and we'll see you next time on the Prep Athletics podcast. Take