Story by Terence Yee
About Brandon Anders:
Brandon is a Bay Area native, born and raised in San Jose, California, where he played basketball at Branham High School. During his senior year at Branham, Brandon led his team to a 13-1 league record, won the League MVP award, received honorable mention on the All-County team and helped lead the team to the second round of CCS.
After high school, Brandon took one year off from competitive basketball before returning to the court his sophomore year at De Anza College in Cupertino, California. He was named team captain and ranked among the top players in the state in blocks and steals per game before injuries derailed his season.
After his time at De Anza, Brandon decided to step away from competitive basketball and became a practice player and team manager for both the men's and women's programs at UC Santa Barbara. While at UCSB, he earned a bachelor's degree in Film and Media, a certificate in Sport and Exercise Studies/Sports Management, and gained valuable coaching and training experience.
Now moving into a player development coach role, Brandon is excited to provide players with a safe environment to grow both as players and as people. He hopes to show them what it means to work hard and fight through adversity to reach their goals, just as his coaches did for him.
What did you take away from your experience as a practice player and team manager for the UC Santa Barbara basketball program that has helped you as a coach?
Everything in Santa Barbara when I was there was very structured and professional. Everyone involved had a role, and everyone did it to the best of their ability. Everything was thought out. There were no miscues or missteps. Everything was very thorough and concrete.
That was something I really took away: You have to approach everything you do with certainty. You have to think about everything, plan accordingly and be punctual. You have to have everything mapped out in order to provide the best practice or workout that you can. You have to be prepared.
What made you want to get into coaching after that experience?
I love basketball. I've always loved being around the game. Growing up, it was more about playing and being active myself. Now that I'm older, I don't have as many opportunities to play, but I still love being around the game.
My love for basketball has transformed from playing as much as I can to trying to give back some of the knowledge I've accumulated throughout my playing career. Whether it's a student who's still in grade school working on their game and trying to get the fundamentals down, or a college or professional player who's further along and has more intricate things they need to work on, I enjoy being around the game and helping people train and improve.
It's very gratifying for me. For my own selfish reasons, I enjoy still being around basketball and helping people work on their game. I'm very happy to still be involved and be around basketball in some way, even though I'm not playing anymore.
How long have you been coaching at Kenny Hatch Basketball, and what do you enjoy most about coaching here?
It's been just over seven months. I started in late January or early February of 2026, and I've been here ever since.
I really enjoy the variety of people who come in here. We like to say that we help anybody from third grade to the WNBA or NBA, and everyone in between.
Especially in the beginning stages of my coaching career, while I'm still learning, it's been really fun to see what different players need to work on at various stages of their basketball careers.
But the biggest thing I take away from being here at KHB is being around the other coaches. Every time I'm in a session, whether I'm leading or assisting, I'm always taking note of what the other coaches are doing, how they run their sessions and what drills they use when players have specific things they need to work on.
That's been the biggest thing for me: taking note and learning as much as I can. Even though I'm the coach in this setting, I can still learn from the other coaches and from the players. I can see how players respond to certain drills or things we do on the court. Everything is a learning experience for me.
What's your favorite player-development tip?
One technical thing I would say is that a lot of people have issues with loading their hips, which sometimes is more of a strength issue that develops as you get older. Some of our younger players have issues loading into their hips and getting lower into their shot or when they're dribbling.
That's a technical thing that I would say a lot of players struggle with: loading your hips, whether you're dribbling, shooting or going to the rim.
The biggest mental aspect I like to work on with players is that if you miss a shot, you can't let that one affect your next one. In basketball, there's always the next play, no matter what stage or level you're at.
If you commit a turnover, you have to sprint back on defense. You can't let the turnover affect your defensive possession. If you miss a shot you thought you should have made, you can't let that get in the way of your defensive possession. You always have to look ahead.
That's something I try to drive home with the players I coach the most: You always have to look to the next play, even if the play that just happened didn't go how you wanted it to.
What's a favorite quote or motto that you live by?
I just touched on it a little bit. I would say, "Don't let the last play affect the next play." That's something I'm constantly saying in my sessions. You can't let the previous play get in the way of the next one.
Another thing is that I'm always trying to be a positive influence through positive reinforcement. It's okay. Don't worry about the miss. Keep going, keep trying and keep working hard.