April 8, 2009

IRVING, Texas - University of Memphis' Antonio Anderson has been named one of 12 Conference USA Spirit of Service honorees for the 2008-09 winter sports season, league commissioner Britton Banowsky announced Wednesday.

The C-USA Spirit of Service Award is designed to recognize the community service efforts of the league's student-athletes, based upon significant community service, good academic standing and participation in their elected sport. The Spirit of Service award is presented three times throughout the season (fall, winter, spring), with today's honorees representing Conference USA's winter sports of men's and women's basketball, indoor track & field, rifle and swimming.

A four-year letterwinner, Anderson played in a school-record 150 games for the Blue and Gray. The 6-foot-6 guard, who was the 2008 Conference USA Tournament MVP, was a member of the winningest four-year class in NCAA Division I and school history with 137 victories (137-14 record). He helped lead the Tigers to four-straight sweeps of the C-USA regular season and tournament titles, four-consecutive NCAA Sweet Sixteens, three NCAA Elite Eights, one NCAA Final Four and an NCAA championship game appearance.

Midway through the 2008-09 season, the 2009 All-C-USA second team pick became the 45th member of the Memphis 1,000-point club and finished his career with 1,277 points, which puts him in the No. 18 on the Tiger all-time scoring list. In his regular season home finale versus Tulane Mar. 7, Anderson became the first player in school history to have 1,000 points, 500 boards and 500 assists in a career. He finished fifth on the Memphis career assists list (538 assists) and fourth on the steals chart (213 steals).

Off the court, Anderson has given back to the Memphis community. The Lynn, Mass., native has visited local children's hospitals and has assisted at various youth basketball clinics around the Bluff City. He has also helped wrap Christmas gifts for underprivileged families the past four years.

Anderson, the 2008-09 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, is on schedule to graduate this May. He will earn his bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Other C-USA Spirit of Service honorees for the 2008-09 winter season are: East Carolina's Danielle Eiler (women's indoor track and field), Houston's Seun Adigun (women's indoor track and field), Marshall's Adam Williams (men's basketball), Rice's Natalie Kirchoff (women's swimming and diving), SMU's Jennifer Basel (women's swimming and diving), Southern Miss' Kendra Reed (women's basketball), Tulane's Ashley Langford (women's basketball), Tulsa's Teka Brooks (women's basketball), UAB's Nora Mehl (women's indoor track and field), UCF's Dione Thomas (women's indoor track and field) and UTEP's Morgan Glenn (women's rifle).