Benny Anders

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Benny Anders was a high-flying, instant offense machine during his days as a member of Phi Slamma Jamma, the basketball powerhouse at the University of Houston. He was an all state high school player from tiny Bernice, Louisiana and a cousin of Willis Reed. In his schoolboy days, he earned the nickname "The Outlaw" and it would prove to be a foreshadowing of things to come during his college days.

At Houston, Anders was both an extraordinary talent and a media curiosity. One of his more famous quotes referred to passing the ball inside to teammate Akeem Olajuwon as "(dropping) a dime on the Big Swahili, who just (lays) it in."

He often found it difficult to stay out of the dog house of Coach Guy V. Lewis. However, he was simply too talented to sit on the bench. He served as Houston's sixth man, quickly becoming known as "Instant Offense", as he averaged nearly a point per minute of play and was a crowd favorite for his dunking prowess. His alley-oop dunk versus Southern Methodist University at Moody Coliseum in Dallas in 1983 is still considered the stuff of legends.

At the 1984 Final Four in Seattle, Anders arrived wearing a tux with a pink bow-tie and cummerbund and sunglasses. Following Kentucky's elimination, their fans adopted him, hoisting signs that read "Benny Anders for President."

Following his collegiate career, Anders starred for many years in the European league. He was last heard from in the 1990s when he was playing in South America.