While Melissa Anderson begins her first season as head women’s basketball coach at Morton College, she is no stranger to the Panther program with ties as a player and assistant coach.
Anderson was a two-year starter at Morton College from 2007 to 2009, earning all-Skyway Conference First Team and all-Region IV Second Team honors as a freshman during the 2007-08 season. As a sophomore, Anderson led the Panthers in three-pointers, free-throw percentage, assists and steals in the 2008-2009 campaign.
She returned in 2014 as an assistant coach and served as the program’s interim head coach in the 2017-18 season where Anderson guided the Panthers to a 17-15 finish that included a near-upset of nationally ranked Kankakee in the Region IV semifinals.
Anderson’s goals are to continue building on the success of the past few seasons and taking the Panthers to the national tournament for the first time in program history.
“We have a talented group who are very eager to get the season started and pick up from where we left off,” Anderson said. “I would love nothing more than to get past the semifinals, win the region championship and make our first appearance at the national tournament in school history.”
Anderson prepped at Riverside-Brookfield High School, where she played basketball for four years, softball for two years and volleyball for one. The resident of North Riverside is a customer service representative for an auto insurance company.
