Who woulda thunk that a pipe-thin, 6-foot-8-inch, 160-pound freshman named Brian Anderson -- a kid that never even picked up a basketball until the seventh grade -- could ever walk-on to a Division I basketball team?

And, for that matter, gain 46 pounds and become one of the 1991-92 season's biggest surprises while turning into a legitimate Div. I center?

Anderson, from Hermitage, has been an integral part of the Lions fourth consecutive 20-win season.

But where might the Lions be in this season hindered by independence, a youthful frontline, and untimely injuries if it weren't for Anderson's stints off the bench and his occasional spot starts?

They probably wouldn't be as close as they are to receiving a second straight NCAA bid, or at least their fourth straight trip to postseason play.

"Who knows where we'd be, without them (Steve Wydman and Anderson)," said Assistant Coach Ed DeChellis. "He has come in and given us quality minutes."

With each game, Anderson's confidence level continues to soar, even though he has to constantly prove himself. After all, walk-ons aren't recruited to play basketball -- right?

"You come out every day like it's your last and have heart and all that stuff," Anderson said.

In a way, it seems like he's on a mission: To prove to everyone that he can play Div. I college basketball on a team with three scholarship centers on its roster: senior Dave Degitz, redshirt freshman Dan McKenna and freshman Michael Joseph.

"I just don't think they thought I could play," Anderson said. "And they are not to blame. You figure, 'he's a walk on'. They didn't know anything about me."

The freshman's flame has been burning flourescently since Degitz turned his ankle in November --Anderson was forced into full combat duty against Buffalo, Nov. 27. His output: 10 points, eight rebounds. In the next game Dec. 2 against American he had seven points and four-rebounds.

"He's been there since game two (against Buffalo) "said Coach Bruce Parkhill. "He's become a very key player."

But perhaps his best performance came down at Old Dominion, Feb. 5. With Degitz in foul trouble, Anderson scored nine points and grabbed seven clutch rebounds.

People have started to take notice of Anderson despite his being slowed by a lingering stomach flu and back problems that caused him to miss five games. They'll also find out that he is his own harshest critic.

"The strength of the drop-step at (the college) level, I just don't possess it,"Anderson commented about play in the pivot. "And I miss too many easy shots. It's a mental thing."

He also hears it from DeChellis. Over and over again.

"It's like hearing a recording," Anderson added.

Stop for a minute and rewind the tape of Anderson's basketball career, all the way back to the eighth grade, when for the first time he became intensely involved with basketball. During that time, he improved radically. And at Kennedy-Christian high school he sprouted six inches and put himself into position to play college basketball. But not necessarily at Penn State.

Anderson was looking for the best possible accounting program among Lafayette, Lehigh, Kent State, Navy and George Mason.

So, Parkhill and the School of Business, are fortunate that their backup center knows how to mow his lawn.

Because if he didn't cut his grass one spring day last year, then he may never have ended up at Penn State.

"I was out cutting the grass one day and their was a lady walking her dog," Anderson recalled. "She lives in my neighborhood and she asked me, 'Did you ever think about going to Penn State?' I was like, 'No, I really haven't.' She said , 'You ought to check into it. It's a really nice place.'

"So I went home and I told my mom that so and so said Penn State was a really nice place. She said we'll have to see it."

By coincidence, DeChellis was present at Anderson's final high school game -- to scout another player.

"I went to see a junior at (Kennedy-Christian High School) who just wasn't what we wanted," DeChellis said. "But I liked some of the things that I saw from Brian. I thought he could turn out to be a nice player for us.

"People said I was crazy for pursuing him to walk-on. They told me that this kid can't run, he has no feet, and that you're just wasting your time."

Even after Anderson visited Penn State, he still wasn't sure.

"I wasn't worried about a scholarship," Anderson said. "What made the impression on me was that this team was a great group of guys and that they were close."

Anderson's lawn, however, hasn't always been green. In fact, there have been times where its been worn out and weeded brown.

"At the beginning of the year, even before Oct. 15, I didn't even think I had a spot on the team," Anderson said. "I wasn't feeling good about playing."

And that stemmed from the team's informal pickup games in the summer.

"I'm not a pick-up type player," he said "It wasn't really that exciting for me because I was just getting worked on every day.

"But when I came out in the structured game I was well-coached and those little things helped me compensate. I started getting confidence with doing things and that made me play harder."

Those struggles now seem like they took place a long, long time ago.

"We're really high on Brian," Parkhill said. "He hasn't even begun to tap his potential."

After all, he's still only a freshman with three years of eligiblity left and The Big Ten to look forward to next year. With Degitz graduating, redshirt John Amaechi and himself will step into the limelight.

"It's totally up to him if he's willing to pay the price," DeChellis said. "He needs to work on form running, he needs to get stronger."

Anderson is extremely optimistic.

"I think Penn State basketball is on the verge of becoming something great," Anderson said.

And Brian Anderson plans to be a part of it.