By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

He’s ready for his second go-around.

During the 2017-2018 season, former LaGrange Academy star Lincoln Anderson got his feet wet as a college basketball player.

The 6-foot-7 Anderson played in all 26 games for the LaGrange College Panthers with two starts, and he averaged four points per game.

In November, Anderson will be back for his sophomore year, and he’s hopeful the experience he had last season will benefit him.

“It’s going to help me a lot, playing with older guys last year,” said Anderson, who helped out at a youth basketball camp this week. “I was able to learn a lot of things playing with them. I learned a lot from my mistakes. So I really enjoyed that. I really helped me understand the game more.”

Anderson enjoyed two terrific seasons at LaGrange Academy after transferring from Callaway.

LaGrange College head coach Kendall Wallace saw Anderson play on a number of occasions while he was at LaGrange Academy, and he appreciated his unselfishness.

“One thing I loved about Lincoln, when he was at LaGrange Academy, he’d pass to everybody,” Wallace said. “He works well with his teammates, and he wanted everyone else to have recognition, too.”

When Anderson arrived at LaGrange College, it didn’t take Wallace long to realize he need ed to be on the floor.

Anderson had a season-best 14 points against William Peace on Jan. 13, and he had three other games where he scored in double figures.

Anderson was part of a youth movement last season, with Wallace using as many as four freshmen at a time.

“We threw him into the mix last year with the freshmen,” Wallace said. “They’d go in there and do good things, but then they’d make freshman mistakes.”

As for Anderson, Wallace said “he’s going to be a special player, for sure.”

After making four consecutive trips to the NCAA Division III national tournament, the Panthers took a bit of a step back last season with a 13-13 record.

The Panthers were a few plays away from having a much better record, but they struggled in the close games.

“We lost seven games by a total of 15 points,” Wallace said. “We just couldn’t close them out.”

The returnees, including Anderson, will be aided by arrival of a new crop of players

“I’ve got 11 freshmen coming in, and one transfer,” Wallace said. “I really like all of them.”