Paul Anderson remains to this day one of the best basketball players to matriculate through the men’s program at Vanguard. During his three seasons at Southern California College, he lit up the scoreboard and made himself known as one of the most feared scorers in California. However, his journey to become a Vanguard legend had a rough beginning.
After he made the All-South Coast League Second Team as a senior at Corona del Mar High School, the only college to show interest in him was Cal State Bakersfield. Electing to enroll at Orange Coast College, he quit the team after only one practice. But, after being talked into joining at spring league at SCC, his play opened some eyes.
During the 1977-78 season, he averaged 15.3 points per game, 3.2 assists per contest, and 2.1 rebounds, while shooting 80% at the line and 52% from the field. He was named to the All-NAIA South Team and to the All Southern Utah Tournament Team. During the 1978-79 campaign, he scored 23.1 PPG, dished out 6.9 APG, grabbed 4.2 RBP, shot 78% from the charity stripe and 55% from the field. After his second year, he was once again on the All-NAIA South Team, reached the NAIA All-District squad, selected as the Miller “Player of the Week” and was a NAIA All-American Honorable Mention. He was a Team Co-MVP of the NAIA All-Star team that compete in the Australian American League in the summer of 1979, averaging 29.9 points per game.
During his final season for the Vanguard’s he was on a mission, scoring 31.4 points per outing, handing out 5.8 helpers, snaring 4.6 boards and shot 84% and 58% from the line and field, respectively. He was named to the All-Tournament teams and was once again both an NAIA All-South Team, All-District, and All-American Honorable Mention. He was second in the county in scoring and first in District III in scoring. He was Team Co-Captain, Male Athlete of the Year for SCC, and recognized as Team MVP. During his time with the Vanguard’s he led the team to an overall record of 49-44.
After his career at SCC ended, he was drafted in the seventh round by the San Diego Clippers, played for the California Chiefs in 1980-81 who competed against the Harlem Globetrotters, played for the Irvine Pro-League and on the Christian All-Star Team for a trip to Mexico. In 1982 he coached his alma mater Corona Del Mar High School to a 20-0 record, the best in school history at that time. His career ended in the New Zealand-Auckland (North Shore) National League Second Division in 1983 where he averaged 28 points a game.
