Anson Winder, Role Model

In the summer of 2013 I had a student job working as a Sports Camps Planner for the BYU Athletic Department. Along with the preparation of each camp I was assigned, the job also entailed the small details during the week of camp like delivering Popsicles so campers could take a quick break and cool down for a minute. It was on my way to one of these Popsicle breaks that I first interacted with Anson Winder.

I was trying to carry a not-so-small cooler from my company van, up the stairs, through two sets of doors, down the long hall, and into the gym to give to bunch of Popsicle-crazed 6-12 year old boys and girls. It was at the end of a long day, at the end of a long summer, and I was physically and emotionally drained from all the work I'd put into camps. So as I struggled to carry my cooler up the stairs, I was disappointed it appeared I had just mistimed my approach to the first set of doors by a matter of seconds. The BYU men's basketball team was streaming out in front of me and they were going to be gone, with nobody left to hold a door open for me when I arrived.

But I was shocked when Anson Winder, last out the door, saw me, and turned back  to hold the door open for me. I was grateful - not to mention impressed - that a star athlete would take the time and go back to hold the door for someone he had never met. But it didn't stop there! As I walked through and prepared to set down my cooler so I could grab the second set of doors myself he said, "Oh, hold on!" and proceeded to head back inside the few extra steps and take the few extra seconds to get yet another door for me, a total stranger. His teammates were long gone, but he even asked if I needed a hand with anything the rest of the way. Already stunned at how far out of his way he'd gone to help, I declined any further assistance, but thanked him for his kindness in getting those doors for me.

Those of you who know me are fully aware that prior to my time working game day promotions and social media for BYU Athletics know that I was simply world's biggest BYU basketball fan. This moment where I experienced the kindness of a BYU hoopster naturally left me in starstruck awe, but more than anything I was sincerely impressed with the unselfishness of Anson Winder.

As it turned out Anson is good friends with one of my old coworkers at BYU Sports Camps, so during the school year he came up to the office to hang out a few times, and I got to know him a little bit. Let me tell you, that first impression I had when I was carrying hundreds of Popsicles is a perfect illustration of who he is: Anson is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.

I met Anson shortly before his junior season. He was coming off a sophomore campaign that saw him limited to about eight minutes per game due to an ankle injury. As a result, his shooting was well below average and his defensive quickness wasn't on display like it had been his freshman season. But he didn't let it drag him down. I once asked him what his career plans were, you know, after his NBA playing days ended. I don't remember his answer (I'll bet he'd remember what I said, because he's a good person), but I do remember he laughed, almost acknowledging that the NBA was a long-shot at that point.

He improved tremendously his junior year, shooting 53.9 percent from the floor and 40.3 percent from deep, but his minutes were still limited, as were his shots. I don't claim to be in Anson's inner circle, or close enough to know what he was thinking during that time, but I know how hard it is to sit on the bench when you've developed like that. And yet, I never saw or heard a single report of Anson being unhappy. With many players you get a sense they're upset or even that they may transfer because they feel like they've earned more playing time than they're getting. But if Anson ever complained, it certainly wasn't public, and he's being rewarded here in his senior year.

Anson now plays over 26 minutes a game and currently averages 14.6 points per contest. He's cracked the starting lineup, and he deserves it. Aside from being a great person off the court, he's proving to be a great defensive player and arguably the team's best finisher at the rim. Tyler Haws is obviously the team's best scorer, Kyle Collinsworth is a triple-double machine, and there are deep threats in abundance on this team, but you could make the argument that Anson Winder is the teams most valuable player. Not in the traditional sense perhaps, but if you take the words at face value, he'd have my vote. He does everything he's asked to do, from sixth man to starter, from point guard to the 4 spot in a four guard lineup, and he consistently provides a spark on both ends of the floor just when the team needs it. Will he get a shot at the NBA? I don't know, but it's awesome to see him experiencing success.

When I was still at BYU I would occasionally run into him on campus. Without fail he would call me by name. Every time. I don't call anyone by name, ever! But I need to. We all need to.

In a world where athletes are often put on a pedestal - and I've been guilty of putting them there - so many are arrogant and act entitled, as if the world owes them something simply because they're good at sports. But Anson Winder isn't one of them.

Anson Winder is a role model.