On Feb, 10, 2024, Serbia beat Brazil in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament and punched their tickets to Paris. That win wouldn’t have been possible without Yvonne Anderson, the 5-foot-6 guard born in Springdale, AR who handles the playmaking duties for the White Eagles, as the Balkan team is known. In this three-part deep dive, we get into Anderson’s performance that day, explain how she got there and what made her the player and the person that she is today.
In the third quarter, Serbia is up by four points when Anderson again drives to the basket with 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso close behind. The Brazilian star of the South Carolina Gamecocks tries to reach Anderson, but despite an extended arm, the guard scores and makes the score 47-41.
With less than four minutes left in the quarter, Anderson rebounds the ball and dribbles up the court. Seeing an opening underneath the basket, she dribbles in front of Brazil’s Tainá Paixao, moves towards the low post, takes a step back and shoots a perfect fadeaway jumper. The ball goes in and Serbia keeps the six-point lead, 53-47. On playing point guard, Anderson shares:
It’s a huge responsibility, but it’s amazing to be the one with the ball in your hands that leads your team to a victory. To me what makes…
