Academic challenges have never been obstacles for Kalu Anya, who for two years was a double major at Brown University in the Ivy League.
He studied business economics and applied mathematics. One of his courses was called “applied ordinary differential equations.” And Anya got a B.
When the 6-foot-8 junior transferred to St. Louis University, he dropped math from his majors.
“It’s just a lot,” he said. “Two majors and Division I basketball — I was overstressing myself.”
However, Anya is likely to apply some of that ability for mathematic processing with the Billikens. The youngest of six children born to Nigerian parents, he will figure into a lot of how SLU operates in its first season under coach Josh Schertz.
Think about it: In the Schertz system, proper spacing plays a major role along with creating advantages for the team. Every possession is an equation waiting to be solved.
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“Say I get a rebound and I’m pushing the ball,” Anya said. “I’m looking around thinking, ‘This guy’s going here,’ or, ‘This guy tends to do this or that.’ A lot of guys might just try to score without looking at the whole floor, but I’m surveying the whole floor and that ties in.”
It’s like the word problems Anya says he is able to visualize and solve.
One problem he’s busy helping SLU solve is the absence of Robbie Avila, who suffered a sprained ankle last week and is expected to be out several weeks. Anya, who is classified by Schertz as a hybrid player, is filling in at Avila’s spot during practice as well as playing his usual position.
“Not always does intellectual intelligence translate to basketball intelligence,” Schertz said. “In his case, he’s an intelligent player. He’s got a good IQ.”
In two seasons at Brown, Anya averaged 9.1 points and 6.9 rebounds while starting 47 of 49 games. One of his goals this season is to lead not only SLU but the Atlantic 10 in rebounding. Lofty for someone who didn’t play basketball until eighth grade.
His size and athleticism allowed him to adapt to the game quickly. After two years of high school, Anya went to prep school and then the IMG Academy in Florida. It was a rapid rise for someone whose childhood was focused on academics.
Anya’s parents moved to the U.S. in 2000 with four children, and Kalu and his other brother were born in Massachusetts. His mother did not go to school because she was needed to help at home in Nigeria with her siblings and mother, who was blind.
“I’ve always been held to a high standard by my mom,” Anya said. “Especially with basketball. She said I could play, but grades came first. I’ve always been a good student. I’m kind of doing this for her. She’s seen her kids do what she couldn’t.”
Anya has one sister who is a doctor and another who lives in Ghana, where she runs a business. He has one brother in real estate, one in medicine and one who is working toward becoming a lawyer.
“Everyone is on their own crazy path,” he said. “I just play basketball.”
Anya will likely do much more, and it is his dream to own a business. The basketball part might not have happened if he hadn’t been watching the NBA Finals and seen Kyrie Irving hit a 3-pointer in Game 7 to win the 2016 championship.
Soon after, he was in the gym at 5 a.m. on many days working with his brothers in Worcester, Massachusetts. He started his basketball career on the junior varsity team as a freshman.
“I was confident and knew if I outworked other kids, I could rise to the cream of the crop,” he said. “I would look at others and think, ‘I know you’re better than me now, but it’s because I haven’t played before.’”
It was an impressive leap from JV to starting in the Ivy League five years later. Along the way, Anya became a fan of the Boston Celtics, and it didn’t hurt SLU’s chance of getting him that his favorite player is Jayson Tatum.
Anya continues to expand his game. His wingspan and 38- to 40-inch vertical leap will help him rebound. He appears to be a capable 3-point shooter and good around the basket. He’ll also be asked to lead the Billikens transition game after a defensive rebound.
He also figures into the mix as a backup to Avila as the team’s center or “trigger” as it is called by Schertz.
“Even through the summer, I was getting reps at the trigger spot,” Anya said. “With Robbie out, I’ve been playing it more. It’s been good to see what he sees on the court, then when he’s back, I can see the reads I would make if I was at trigger. It’s been good, and I’m getting used to it.”
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Stu Durando
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