Whitehall senior Corde Anderson
rises from modest beginnings
rises from modest beginnings
By Scott DeCamp
LocalSportsJournal.com
Following a basketball game in December at neighboring rival Montague, Whitehall senior Corde Anderson took his place in the handshake line.
Moments later, he was leading a group prayer at midcourt. Players and coaches draped their arms around each other in a powerful sign of solidarity.
Anderson was the center of attention for all the right reasons.
“I was just saying, ‘We’re not playing for ourselves.’ I couldn’t care less about this,” he said, gesturing to “The Bridge” traveling trophy following Whitehall’s victory over Montague. “We’re all playing for (God) and I just think that’s greater than any trophy.”
In his younger years, Anderson was the center of attention for the wrong reasons.
“I was kind of, like, the class clown. I was trying to make a laugh, get a laugh out of somebody. I think I turned myself around my middle-school years,” he said. “It really hit me when I realized that I can’t do this; like, this isn’t going to make anything better. It’s not going to be good for me.”
These days, Anderson, 18, is not only a leader in school and on his athletic teams, but also spiritually. The 6-ft-3 1/2 230-pounder is headed to Division II national power Ferris State University to play football and study education. He strives to become a teacher.
He’s also working a job in a single-parent family. His mother, Holly Jenkins, suffers from debilitating health issues.
Anderson still possesses the jokester element, but he’s matured a great deal.
Intellectual immaturity was not the only thing Anderson had to grow past. Allergic to a lot of things growing up, he could not be outdoors for more than 20 minutes without an allergic attack. He did not begin playing sports until high school, and finally grew out of his problems with allergies and asthma.
In his senior season with Whitehall, Anderson was voted first-team all-state after being a force from the edge of the defensive line.
He also was a big-play threat on offense from the tight end and wideout positions.
Last summer at Victors Veer Camp, held at Montrose High School and hosted by Ferris State football coach Tony Annese, Anderson received an offer from Annese to play at Ferris.
Anderson has NFL dreams. He believes Ferris State will develop him to be the best player that he can be –and believes Ferris State will mold him into the best person he can be.
Anderson also is a leader on the basketball court with his presence and play, averaging 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. In the spring, he’s a key member of Whitehall’s track and field team.
Before Anderson was a standout athlete, he made a big impact in the classroom as part of Teacher Academy through the Career Tech Center in Muskegon.
He also officiates youth sports for White Lake Youth Sports Club.
Anderson and his mother both expressed heartfelt appreciation for the Whitehall community and all of the loving, supportive people in it.
Jenkins may be a bit biased, but there does seem to be a lot of truth to this statement regarding her son: “To know him is to love him.”
“He doesn’t like to see anybody down,” she said. “He’s very, very humble. He is appreciative. He’s not spoiled. He’s had to earn pretty much (anything) he wants. He’s had to work extra hard during (recent months), but he’s doing it and he’s rocking it out.”
Editor’s note: This article was edited for space.
LocalSportsJournal.com
Following a basketball game in December at neighboring rival Montague, Whitehall senior Corde Anderson took his place in the handshake line.
Moments later, he was leading a group prayer at midcourt. Players and coaches draped their arms around each other in a powerful sign of solidarity.
Anderson was the center of attention for all the right reasons.
“I was just saying, ‘We’re not playing for ourselves.’ I couldn’t care less about this,” he said, gesturing to “The Bridge” traveling trophy following Whitehall’s victory over Montague. “We’re all playing for (God) and I just think that’s greater than any trophy.”
In his younger years, Anderson was the center of attention for the wrong reasons.
“I was kind of, like, the class clown. I was trying to make a laugh, get a laugh out of somebody. I think I turned myself around my middle-school years,” he said. “It really hit me when I realized that I can’t do this; like, this isn’t going to make anything better. It’s not going to be good for me.”
These days, Anderson, 18, is not only a leader in school and on his athletic teams, but also spiritually. The 6-ft-3 1/2 230-pounder is headed to Division II national power Ferris State University to play football and study education. He strives to become a teacher.
He’s also working a job in a single-parent family. His mother, Holly Jenkins, suffers from debilitating health issues.
Anderson still possesses the jokester element, but he’s matured a great deal.
Intellectual immaturity was not the only thing Anderson had to grow past. Allergic to a lot of things growing up, he could not be outdoors for more than 20 minutes without an allergic attack. He did not begin playing sports until high school, and finally grew out of his problems with allergies and asthma.
In his senior season with Whitehall, Anderson was voted first-team all-state after being a force from the edge of the defensive line.
He also was a big-play threat on offense from the tight end and wideout positions.
Last summer at Victors Veer Camp, held at Montrose High School and hosted by Ferris State football coach Tony Annese, Anderson received an offer from Annese to play at Ferris.
Anderson has NFL dreams. He believes Ferris State will develop him to be the best player that he can be –and believes Ferris State will mold him into the best person he can be.
Anderson also is a leader on the basketball court with his presence and play, averaging 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. In the spring, he’s a key member of Whitehall’s track and field team.
Before Anderson was a standout athlete, he made a big impact in the classroom as part of Teacher Academy through the Career Tech Center in Muskegon.
He also officiates youth sports for White Lake Youth Sports Club.
Anderson and his mother both expressed heartfelt appreciation for the Whitehall community and all of the loving, supportive people in it.
Jenkins may be a bit biased, but there does seem to be a lot of truth to this statement regarding her son: “To know him is to love him.”
“He doesn’t like to see anybody down,” she said. “He’s very, very humble. He is appreciative. He’s not spoiled. He’s had to earn pretty much (anything) he wants. He’s had to work extra hard during (recent months), but he’s doing it and he’s rocking it out.”
Editor’s note: This article was edited for space.
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