High school senior basketball player Anne Pedersen moved last year to the United States from Copenhagen — the largest city in Denmark — and she will soon take the court at LSU, Louisiana’s largest university.
Pedersen, a guard and wing player listed at 6-foot-1-inch, is currently a student at The Rock School in Gainesville, Fla., and signed with LSU on Nov. 11.
Many immigrants to the U.S. take a while to ease into the American lifestyle, but Lady Lions coach Fabian Chapov said he didn’t see any major hurdles for Pedersen.
“She has incredible command of the English language,” Chapov said. “It didn’t seem like there was any kind of transition period. It was very seamless. She is a pretty mature girl for her age, very intelligent. If you’d see her, you’d think she’s been living here her whole life.”
Pedersen played on the Denmark Under-18 National Team in 2009, and most recently, she was nominated for the 2011 McDonald’s All-American Games.
Chapov said she carries her composure onto the basketball court and motivates her teammates to act similarly.
Pedersen was recruited by several basketball programs around the country this season and received official offers from Alabama-Birmingham and UNC-Wilmington, along with LSU.
Chapov said one of Pedersen’s requirements was to attend a large university, and she fell in love with LSU. The feeling was clearly mutual, as LSU coach Van Chancellor called Pedersen “a difference-maker” when she committed to the Lady Tigers.
“It was an easy choice for her,” Chapov said. “She loved the coaching staff and loved the facilities. She’s one of those players that, because of her maturity, reliability and experience, the coaches will give her key minutes. And she doesn’t turn the ball over.”
When Pedersen gets to LSU in the fall, she will likely have a chance to play as a freshman, said Mark Lewis, national recruiting coordinator for ESPN HoopGurlz. LSU will lose two guards next season in Katherine Graham and Latear Eason, who are both seniors.
Lewis said Pedersen’s most valuable assets are her size and “well-rounded” game.
“She combines textbook fundamental skills with good size,” Lewis said. “It’s that European skill set putting players up in the high post or the high perimeter, wherever they’re stuffing the block. Anne and [LSU freshman guard Jeanne] Kenney are really the backcourt together.”
Pedersen was not available for an interview, as she tore her meniscus about two weeks ago and flew to Denmark on Friday to undergo surgery. Chapov said she will return to the U.S. on Feb. 1.
Then Pedersen will be back to lead the Lady Lions, now 12-6, down the stretch of her final season at The Rock School. Chapov said he is proud of how calmly she conducts herself day in and day out.
“Her demeanor is the same whether we’re up by 20 or down by 20,” Chapov said. “She never gets frantic.”
Pedersen joins 6-foot-4-inch forward Krystal Forthan, the No. 5 player in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz, as LSU’s early signees. Lewis said Pedersen is more of a savvy player, while Forthan is naturally more aggressive.
“[Pedersen] did struggle with the nature of the game here a little bit with the aggressive play,” Lewis said. “Her preference is more of a finesse game, but she’s willing to mix it up. You have to do that in the SEC.”
 
 
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Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]