Anderson flies high with the Eagles
Utah State University Eastern in Price is Utah State’s largest campus outside of Logan. Additionally, USU Eastern is the only other subsidiary of Utah State with university sanctioned sports. USU Eastern has baseball, volleyball, softball, archery, rodeo, Esports, spirit squad, and mountain biking, as well as men’s and women’s soccer and basketball.
Utah State University Eastern women’s basketball is well through the 2025 season, boasting a 13-12 record overall and a 5-6 record in conference play. A key part of the Eagle’s success this season has been six-foot sophomore forward Madison Anderson.
“She did a great job for us as a freshman, but this year, just the sophomore side of things, she’s just a leader for us on and off the court,” said Chelsey Warburton, USU Eastern head coach. “She does a lot just on the campus in general, but just a great leader, a great teammate. We go to her a lot for confidence and flow for our team.”
Warburton is a former USUE player and Price native who now coaches the program alongside her sister, Morgan Warburton-Nelson.
Anderson hails from West Jordan, Utah and graduated from West Jordan High School where she was a varsity starter during all four seasons and put together a prolific high school career. Some of her accolades include First Team All-Region, Offensive Player of the Year, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, a four-time All-Region Academic Team member and a Utah Girls Basketball Coaches Association All-Star.
Anderson made herself known as a West Jordan Jaguar, which wasn’t always the plan. She originally planned to attend Copper Hills High School until she started to play for the Bantam team from West Jordan.
“Two of my best friends that I just met in Junior Jazz that still played basketball, they were in the boundaries for West Jordan, and we had played on club teams together and all that. So, they told me, ‘Hey, come play on West Jordan Bantam, because that at least gives you a team to play on,’” Anderson said.
Bantam is a competitive youth winter basketball league organized according to high school boundaries rather than club team signups. While playing for the team, Anderson built a connection with the head coach, who was also the head coach for West Jordan.
“I went and I played with them, and that’s where I met coach Lei [Lolohea], and that’s honestly just where it all started. She cared about us so much from a young age, she always came. She’d never miss a game, no matter Bantam, sophomore games, JV, all that. She loved every single girl that would wear the jersey,” Anderson said.
During her time playing for Lolohea, Anderson was convinced to change her plans and go to West Jordan despite her initial reservations.
“I wanted to be with my friends, but then once I kept playing for her, I realized how important she was to me and how West Jordan would be a better fit for me. Just because that program was such a family, and coach Lei made it such a big deal for everyone to feel involved, and she’s shown me culture that I’ve never felt anywhere before,” Anderson said.
“It was bigger than just basketball to them,” she said. “They always went out of their way just to make us and shape us into women too, instead of just basketball players. She will always be someone that I look up to.”
Anderson has now moved on to play at Utah State Eastern, but a similar theme runs through the program in Price.
“Part of my job is to be their coach and help them expand and get better and move on, but also, another big part of our job is just to help them off the court,” Warburton said. “Are they happy? Are they having fun? Are they getting better? Are we able to help them in any areas needed? So that’s a big deal for me and my sister and our program.”
Anderson, now in her sophomore season at USU Eastern, is averaging over eight points per game, which is nearly double her record from her freshman season. Anderson credits her improvements to time spent working out with coach Lolohea over the summer and several mechanical adjustments she’s made to her technique.
“I did a lot of work over the summer, training with my previous coaches to really improve my game, and I think I also adjusted my shot a little, and I think that has helped me more than I thought it would,” Anderson said.
Additionally, Anderson has gained more confidence now in her second and final season at USU Eastern. In addition to nearly doubling her point averages from her freshman season, Anderson has emerged as a premier rim protector for the Eagles, partially stemming from her increased confidence on the court.
With 38 blocks on the season as of last Wednesday, Anderson ranks 20th in the nation in blocked shots at the NJCAA level.
“My confidence is a lot higher, and I feel like I just knew it was my time to prove to Eastern and all of our opponents that I’m the one they need to stop and not play in as much fear,” Anderson said. “The confidence is a lot higher than coming in as a freshman.”
In addition to gaining some additional confidence, coach Warburton cites the offseason work she’s done as a large part of her jump this season.
“She’s done her work. She’s put the work in, and she’s very coachable. I think that’s a huge part for her success,” Warburton said. “She just has all the talent in the world. And again, she’s done the work on her own time to just keep getting better, and we’re excited to see where this takes her.”
As a junior college, Utah State Eastern only offers two-year programs. While Anderson’s time at USU Eastern is finished after this year, she can continue her basketball career at a four-year institution if she wants.
“Academically, I think it’s a big deal for her as well. So, I think, you know, it needs to be a good fit academically, athletically, but she’ll find a program where she can fit well,” Warburton said. “She’s very coachable, and she has skill on both ends of the court. So, I think she should keep the doors open like she’s doing, and see what is the best fit for her all around.”
While Anderson has gotten some traction, she’s still far from reaching a final decision.
“I have had some schools reach out to me. I’m hoping to go to Westminster, but it’s not set or anything,” Anderson said.
Anderson has her sights set on a future beyond USU Eastern, but she’s still trying to enjoy her time with her team while she can while also serving as the athletic representative in the USUSA Eastern Service Region.
“My favorite thing is definitely how close everyone is. We all live together in a 12-person room, and then two of our girls live a room over, so we’re always together,” Anderson said. “I definitely met my best friends here and created a family that I never knew that I could have.”
For the Eagles, Anderson is a key part of creating that culture that she herself enjoys.
“She’s coachable and she’s very approachable, but I think she kind of can bring a calming effect to everybody, no matter what the situation is,” Warburton said. “She’s just very fun to be around.”
With just two games left in the regular season before the Region 18 Tournament, Anderson will look to put her final stamp on the USU Eastern Eagles before hopefully moving on and continuing her basketball career.