Anderson Is Finally in Charge : Oregon State: After 27 years as an assistant coach, he stepped across the hall. He has the Beavers atop the Pac-10.

CORVALLIS, Ore. —  Jim Anderson had a full head of hair when he arrived at Oregon State in 1956 to play basketball for Slats Gill, the Beavers’ legendary former coach.

But time flies and so, apparently, does hair. Anderson, 52, was almost as bald as a basketball by the time he became head coach this season.

But Anderson said it was worth the wait, which included a 19-year apprenticeship as Ralph Miller’s assistant and three years working for Gill and five for Paul Valenti.

The Beavers have flourished under Anderson, ranking 17th in the Associated Press poll after winning 14 of 16 games, one of them a 23-point victory over Arizona, then No. 2.

Has the transition been easy?

“It’s just like going from one room to the next,” Anderson said.

In fact, Anderson was reluctant to move across the hall and into Miller’s office.

“He was used to going into the assistant coaches’ office, and we couldn’t get him trained to go into his new office,” said Anne Harper, longtime Oregon State basketball secretary. “He kept saying it was Ralph’s office. We finally have him headed in the right direction, like an old horse going into his stall.

“He’d come in and he’d get clear to the doorway before he’d realize that he was in the wrong office. He didn’t like being in there for a long time. He felt like he was out of the mainstream because he couldn’t yell at me.”

Although the decor--orange and black, featuring a stuffed beaver--is unchanged from Miller’s 19-year tenure, Anderson has hung pictures of Miller, Gill and Valenti, his predecessors, behind his desk. But he is most proud of the autographed pictures of actresses Jill Clayburgh, Barbra Streisand, Faye Dunaway and Dyan Cannon, who wrote, “I’d sit on your bench any time.”

The reviews from Anderson’s players are just as enthusiastic.

They say they feel less restricted under Anderson than they did under Miller.

“We just have more freedom to do whatever we want,” said Gary Payton, the Beavers’ All-American guard.

Eric Knox, a former Oregon State guard, said Anderson is more direct with the players.

“Playing for Coach Miller, you never knew where you stood with him,” Knox said. “He was a very demanding coach, and he never gave out many compliments. But you always know where you stand with Coach Anderson. If you play good, he’s quick to compliment you, and if you play bad, he’s quick to get on your behind.”

Anderson also has won supporters in the OSU family.

“Jimmy’s done an outstanding job,” said Dee Andros, former athletic director and now an assistant director of the booster club. “I couldn’t have been more pleased (than) when Jimmy was named head coach because he’s not only a great Beaver, he’s a great coach.

“He served his time. I think it would have been a real injustice if he hadn’t gotten the job. He’s taken a bunch of good athletes and molded them into a unit.”

Although Anderson has retained Miller’s system of pressure basketball, he has made some cosmetic changes.

Anderson outfitted the Beavers in new road uniforms. A traditionalist, Anderson’s new uniforms resemble those the Beavers wore in the late 1950s, when he played.

Unlike John Wooden, who was an almost constant presence at Pauley Pavilion after he retired at UCLA, Miller has kept a low profile, having attended just two games this season. Miller spends his time at his home on Black Butte Ranch in the Oregon Cascades.

“I think I could be much more of a disservice to Jimmy and the group if I was around all the time,” Miller told the Eugene Register-Guard. “I have all the confidence in the world in Jimmy. He knows what he’s trying to do on offense and defense. He doesn’t need me for anything.”

Anderson also has a higher profile than he did in his assistant days. Besides a weekly press conference, he has a weekly radio-TV show and is a featured speaker at weekly Beaver Huddle meetings, addressing boosters.

“I think Jimmy is great,” said Tass Morrison, an Oregon State alumnus and booster. “He has wonderful leadership skills and obviously he has excellent coaching skills. He’s doing a phenomenal job in his first year as a coach. I’m not sure any of us are shocked, but we’re very proud of his accomplishments for a first-year head coach.”

Waiting Is the Hard Part

“Are you nervous Jimmy?” Fifi Anderson asked her husband as he got dressed before his first game.

“No,” he replied.

“Then why are you wearing a tie with no shirt?” she asked.

That was one of the few mistakes he has made.

Oregon State leads the Pac-10 with a 7-0 conference record heading into tonight’s game against USC at the Sports Arena. The Beavers have won nine in a row.

“It’s thrilling to get off to such a good start,” Anderson said. “But when you’ve been around for as long as I have, you know how quickly things can change. I want to enjoy it while I can.”

Much of the framework was waiting for Anderson, who inherited four starters. One of them was Payton, who decided to return for his senior season instead of making himself eligible for the NBA draft. Payton, who took out a million-dollar insurance policy to protect his basketball future, is projected as a lottery pick in draft this spring.

Can the Beavers continue winning after Payton graduates?

Anderson has stockpiled several talented recruits, including forward Mario Jackson, a transfer from Northern Idaho Junior College who is red-shirting this season. An extraordinary jumper, Jackson can touch the rim with his elbows.

Anderson had an intense bench demeanor as an assistant, but he has been a lot calmer as a coach. Unlike Miller, a notorious referee-baiter, Anderson doesn’t yell at officials.

“Ralph demanded and Jimmy pleads our case,” said Michael Sandago, OSU trainer. “Ralph assumed that referees saw it the way he saw it but didn’t call it. Jimmy pleads our case.”

Anderson spent most of his life preparing for his new job.

A 5-foot 10-inch, 135-pound guard, he transferred from Grays Harbor Junior College in Washington to Oregon State in 1956 and played on the Beavers’ 1957-58 team that won the Pacific Coast Conference co-championship.

After graduating in 1959, Anderson coached the freshman team for three years while getting his master’s degree in physical education. Anderson’s players included Mel Counts, who later played for the Lakers; and Terry Baker, who later won the Heisman Trophy.

After marrying Fifi, his college sweetheart--on a basketball court, no less--he left OSU in 1963 and took a high school coaching job. He had made just $500 in three years of coaching at OSU.

But when Valenti replaced Gill in 1965, he hired Anderson as an assistant.

Anderson then applied for the head coaching job when Valenti resigned in 1970, but OSU hired Miller from Iowa.

Although Anderson had several offers to become a head coach, he remained at OSU as Miller’s assistant for 19 seasons. He has strong ties to the school. His wife attended OSU as did three of his four children. The family house is only a block from the campus.

Because of his love for his alma mater, Anderson never considered leaving.

“Jim’s not a big ego person,” Fifi Anderson said. “Jim doesn’t need to be a big shot. He loves Oregon State more than anything. He always said that being an assistant here is the best job in the country. I think he always hoped he’d be the head coach, but he was satisfied being an assistant. He loves Corvallis.”

Quipped USC Coach George Raveling: “Jimmy must have seen something in Corvallis that the rest of us didn’t.”

In any event, Anderson’s persistence paid off in 1987 when OSU officials announced that Anderson would replace Miller in 1989.

“He just moved right into this job like it was built for him,” said Valenti, now an administrative assistant in the athletic department. “He bleeds orange and black.”

Why did OSU make the announcement two years early?

“First, we didn’t want any speculation as to who would follow Ralph,” said Lynn Snyder, OSU athletic director. “And we felt if we did it early, it would enhance recruiting. If we hadn’t made the announcement we might have struggled.”

The Beavers haven’t struggled.

The Dawn of the Anderson Era

When Anderson arrived for his first practice on Oct. 15, he did a double take.

Cliff Robinson and C. E. Newton, retirees who attend every OSU basketball practice, had a table set up on the sidelines with sparking cider to usher in the Anderson era. Robinson and Newton were dressed in formal wear and had the table set with fine china.

“We wanted to do something kind of goofy,” Newton said. “We read where the University of Kentucky had 15,000 people at midnight for their first practice. So we said, ‘Why shouldn’t we do something for Jimmy?’ ”

Robinson, 68, and Newton, 81, have orange and black business cards proclaiming themselves Senior Executive Assistant Consultant-Adviser-Experts for Oregon State basketball. They attend every practice and see the team off on trips and meet them when they return.

Newton and Robinson said Anderson is doing a good job.

“Jimmy has got some different drills and we’re both kind of pleased,” Newton said. “We were big fans of Ralph Miller, and we think Jimmy’s doing a great job.”

But where Miller used to talk with Newton and Robinson during practice, Anderson is all business.

Miller gave Anderson, his chief assistant, a major role in running practice. Anderson and the other assistants conducted practice while Miller watched from a seat at midcourt, chain-smoking cigarettes and sipping coffee.

“The biggest difference between Coach Miller and Coach Anderson is that’s there’s less smoke in the gym,” Payton said.