Arizona basketball: Boston College transfer Ryan Anderson commits to UA

Boston College transfer Ryan Anderson has committed to the Arizona Wildcats following a visit to Tucson on Thursday, reports the Arizona Daily Star's Bruce Pascoe. Anderson will sit out the 2014-15 season -- during which time he's recover from shoulder surgery -- before having one season of eligibility left in 2015-16.

During his junior season at Boston College this past year, Anderson averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, a slim drop-off in production from his sophomore year of 14.9 points and 8.0 boards per game. An average athlete, Anderson is still considered a fringe NBA prospect.

He's an aggressive scorer in the paint despite lacking a consistent jumper. Namely, the 6'8, 220 pound forward is able is face up and use a dribble move to get to the hoop. When he does, he's excellent at getting to the foul stripe, something the Wildcats struggled to do at will this past season. Last season Anderson shot 211 free throws at 6.6 attempts per game, which was well above Arizona's leading free throw taker in 2013-14. Nick Johnson took a total of 187 foul shots.

Anderson isn't a great jump-shooter, hit just 30 percent of his jumpers taken but scored well enough at the rim. Fifty-six percent of his shots in 2013-14 came at the cup.

Perhaps an underrated skill coming from a leading scorer on a squad that went 8-24 is Anderson's passing out of the post. He averaged 1.4 assists per game, and there's even a grainy highlight reel of his post passing abilities on YouTube.

Anderson, who chose Arizona over Iowa State and Indiana, will be joined in 2015-16 by a roster quite possibly without power forward Brandon Ashley. If Ashley leaves for the NBA after his junior season, then 2014 commitment Craig Victor and Anderson would be the only two true power forwards on the roster.