Jake Anderson and Cole Christian have joined the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s basketball program as graduate assistants, Skyhawk head coach Anthony Stewart announced today. Anderson will serve as video coordinator while Christian takes over as director of basketball operations.
“Both of these young men stood out during the search to complete my staff,” Stewart said. “These two behind-the-scenes positions are so vital to the success of a program and both Jake and Cole have put in the work at highly successful programs. I am excited to welcome them to the UT Martin family.”
Anderson joins the Skyhawks after serving as the head student manager and assistant to the video coordinator for head coach Bruce Weber at Kansas State University. His primary roles with the Skyhawks include coordinating team video, graphic design, study table monitoring, assisting with scouts and coordinating film exchange.
An Overland Park, Kan. native, Anderson aided in the development of 15 professional basketball players at Kansas State, including Rodney McGruder (Miami Heat) and Wesley Iwundu (Orlando Magic). He worked in player development, helped with on-campus recruiting visits and coordinated team logistics on the road. The Wildcats posted 100 victories and made three NCAA Tournament appearances in Anderson’s five-year tenure as student manager, including the 2012-13 season where Kansas State won 27 games en route to its first-ever Big 12 Conference regular season championship.
Anderson assisted the Wildcat coaching staff in the creation of scouting reports and worked closely with video coordinator Dustin Yoder to create opponent personnel video edits. Anderson was also responsible for editing practice and game film for scouting purposes.
Anderson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in family studies and human services from Kansas State in 2017 and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in family and consumer sciences from UT Martin.
Christian comes to the Skyhawks from Iowa State University, where he was a student manager under former Murray State head coach Steve Prohm for two seasons. Christian will coordinate academics, arrange team travel and team meals, oversee player development, direct basketball camps, manage social media and help with on-campus recruiting at UT Martin.
During Christian’s time at with the Cyclones, the program went 47-23 and extended its ranking in the national polls for 61 consecutive weeks. The Cyclones were ranked No. 2 in the nation in the USA Today Coaches’ poll on Dec. 7, 2015 – the highest ranking in school history. He worked closely with a trio of NBA Draft picks in Georges Niang (Golden State Warriors, second in Iowa State history with 2,228 points), Abdel Nader (Boston Celtics, 2016-17 NBA D-League Rookie of the Year) and Monte Morris (Denver Nuggets, Iowa State all-time leader with 768 assists and 225 steals).
Last season, the Cyclones won the Big 12 Conference Tournament and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. That came one year after Iowa State defeated No. 1 Oklahoma (the school’s first win over a top-ranked opponent since 1957) and made it to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament.
A native of Corydon, Iowa, Christian obtained his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Iowa State in 2017. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in family and consumer sciences at UT Martin.
http://www.utmsports.com/fullstory.cfm?id=9818&sport=men%27s%20basketball
