I’ve only seen Raheem Anthony play a couple of times, but each time I’ve seen him he plays like he has something to prove. After a 74-64 home loss to North Dakota on January 27 in which Anthony scored a season-high 32 points, we asked the Chicago native to confirm or deny our earlier impressions.
“I’d say I was under-recruited coming out of high school,” reflected Anthony. “A lot of schools just wanted me to walk on, but I felt like I was not necessarily a better player to walk on, but I feel like I should be playing right away.
“So, when these schools didn’t give me the chance I wanted or needed, I decided to go venture out to new places,” he said. “It put a chip on my shoulder.”
Anthony wound up at Division III St. Mary’s (2019-23) in the MIAC. He also played against Johnny Tauer and St. Thomas, then a conference member, and averaged nearly 20 points in three games against the Tommies in 2019-20.
Neither person knew that eventually, they would be on the same team, but now playing in Division I.
Said the graduate transfer, “The style of play here that Johnny Tauer puts the players through, there’s never just one dude that night” as the big scoring person noted the 6-4 Anthony. “It is a different person [each game],” he added.
Over his career, including St. Thomas, Anthony has over 1,600 career points and twice hit a career-high 41 points (at St. Mary’s). He eclipsed 1,500 career points on December 6, 2023, and finished his career at St. Mary’s as a two-time All-American, averaging over 24 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, and shot 54.5 percent from the field in his final season there.
He is second on the Tommies this season in scoring with 11.1 points per game and leads the team with three assists per game.
“I feel like I can score from all three levels off the floor,” said Anthony. “I can post [up]…or just shoot the three and mid-range. Also, defensively I can guard big men because of my strength and my size.”
“Raheem is so versatile,” said Coach Tauer. “[The way] he handles the ball, the way he passes the ball, he can post up… He can guard four positions, and he’s just a joy to coach.”
“[For] making my choice to come here, credit Johnny Tauer and the coaching staff,” said Anthony. “It took me a while to adjust. I had the ball probably 95 percent of the time [at St. Mary’s]…whether that’s me scoring or me passing it.”
“He lights up the gym because he’s just so unselfish,” said Tauer of Anthony.
“Right now, I’m in the MBA program for digital marketing,” said Anthony of his graduate studies. “I really don’t know what to watch and I’m taking that in. But I like the aspect of digital marketing, so that’s what I’m on right now.”
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