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Jefferson's Anderson Finds Solace In Basketball

Tiarra Anderson

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Nick Williams/The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 24, 2007

TAMPA Since Tiarra Anderson was 9, basketball has been the only thing to give her hope.

When she lost her mother to a heart attack at the age of 7, she bounced from one relative to another, including two stints with her father. Today, she carries as many burdens as most adults - a car insurance bill, phone bill, a part-time job, school, and now faces the discontinuation of a Social Security check that has allowed her to pay for books, supplies and school clothes. She qualified for student benefits when she turned 18, but recently turned 19, which is the cut-off age.

Anderson is a senior guard and captain for the Jefferson High girls basketball team. At 5-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Anderson isn't expected to be the best athlete, but basketball has always rewarded her with something she needs on a daily basis: Relief.

"As long as I have God and basketball … I'm alright," Anderson said.

Basketball Healed Her

Jefferson coach Tom Mosca, the former University of Tampa women's coach, recalls watching Anderson as a freshman. She stood out for all the wrong reasons.

"When she came in as a freshman, she didn't have a great work ethic," he said. "I didn't consider her a potential varsity player."

Anderson showed minimal improvement on the court her sophomore season but had become more passionate about the sport. The summer heading into her junior season, she sought out a physical trainer to lose weight. She paid for the training with her own money. Ironically, the same trainer was Mosca's trainer at UT, Jodie Johnson.

"I probably lost 15 pounds that summer," Anderson said.

Anderson also became a gym rat. She perfected her 3-point shot, ball-handling techniques and became closer to Mosca. They'd watch game film together and talk about basketball almost every morning.

"Basketball has become the focal point of her life," Mosca said. "That's the one thing she has control over."

This season, Anderson was a unanimous pick for team captain. She averages 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for the 8-6 Lady Dragons.

"She has a lot of influence on us," teammate and friend Amanda Jefferson said. "She has managed to balance her life and look past the bad things."
But there were moments in her life when Anderson couldn't escape negativity.

After her mother, Ethel Mae Jackson, died of a heart attack at age 32, Anderson was separated from her brother and sent to live with different relatives.
Anderson felt a change within herself.

"After my mom died, I didn't care about anything," she said.

Going Back And Forth

Not too long after her mother's death, Anderson's father, Fred Anderson, ask her to live with him in Baltimore. It was during her fifth and sixth grade years in Baltimore that she learned the game.

"We didn't have anything to do in Baltimore but play basketball," she said.

She wore the No. 5 jersey after NBA All-Star point guard Jason Kidd.

Meanwhile, her father struggled with alcoholism. "He didn't have his act together," Anderson said.

Because her father struggled with alcohol, she asked to be sent back to Tampa, just in time to begin junior high.

But three years later, soon after she had earned a spot on the Jefferson High School girls junior varsity team as a freshman, her father asked her to come back to Baltimore. He promised he'd stopped drinking. He lied, Anderson said.

Six months into her second stint with her father, Anderson decided it was time to come back to Tampa.

"All I can do is pray for him," she said.

Tiarra moved back to Tampa, again, this time to live with her cousin, Tina Bryant, and her husband and son. Anderson has lived with Bryant ever since.

Unfortunately, living with so many relatives has taken a toll on Anderson. "I feel as though all I have is myself," she said.

Basketball was the only constant. Her teammates became her family and her coach, the father she never had. Winning as a team lifted her spirit.

"Some kids like to look in the newspaper to look at their stats," she said. "That's not me. As long we get that 'W,' that's all that matters. It's about winning and playing as a team."

Mosca said he will personally take Anderson to a government office over the holiday break to try to fix her Social Security check problem. According to socialsecurity.gov, "the children of retired, deceased, or disabled beneficiaries who remain full-time students at age 18 are entitled to benefits until they reach age 19." Mosca hopes she can at least continue to receive money until graduation.

"I admire her, given her personal situation," Mosca said.

Anderson's dream is to play college basketball and Mosca said Division I Savannah State has shown interest. Tiarra said she may also dabble in coaching someday.

"Basketball is my life," she said. "If kids don't have anything to keep them occupied, they get into too much trouble. Basketball and work has kept me busy. It's made me a better person."

Reporter Nick Williams can be reached at (813) 865-4848 or nwilliams@tampatrib.com.

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