NC State’s big man on campus has gotten a little thinner. Looking to improve upon his game, sophomore forward BeeJay Anya underwent dramatic weight loss over the summer.
When Anya came to Raleigh last year, the Washington, D.C., native weighed upwards of 350 pounds, a dramatic increase from the 275-pound player who head coach Mark Gottfried scouted at DeMatha Catholic High School.
Due to the added weight that he packed on during the 2013 offseason, Anya was unable to perform at the level that the State coaching staff had hoped for. Despite playing in 33 of the Pack’s 36 games during the 2014 season, Anya only totaled 388 minutes of court time, approximately half the playing time of fellow freshmen forwards Kyle Washington (718) and Lennard Freeman (811).
“Last year, even when I was playing well, Coach couldn’t keep me in the game for a long time because I would get winded,” Anya said. “That’s when things would go from good to really bad.”
However, when Anya did see the court, he was a powerful asset for the Wolfpack. Anya recorded the second-highest field goal percentage among State players last season with a .587 clip and led the team in blocked shots with 46. Despite standing at 6’9”, Anya boasts an outrageous 7’9” wingspan, bigger than any player to ever play in the NBA.
After the 2014 season, Anya and his coaching staff decided to put the forward on a weight loss plan, which included a healthier diet and lots of exercise. In short, the North Carolina newcomer had to cut down on the Cook-Out, no matter how fancy the shakes may be.
Anya said that during his weight loss program, he drew inspiration from his enormous fan base around campus.
“I love Wolfpack Nation,” Anya said. “They’re the best fans in America by far. They’re the reason I want to do my best. I know if I do my best, it’ll make them happy, and I’m just trying to please my fans.”
However, the process was not easy for the big man—no diet ever is. Senior guard Desmond Lee said the State team helped Anya along the way, making the big man stick to his routine, even when he wanted to sneak in those late night snacks.
“I’m really proud of BeeJay and what he’s done with his body,” Lee said. “Eating, it was tough for him. We had to stay on him, and he’d get upset about us getting on him, but it was all out of love because we wanted the best for him. That’s serious, what he did.”
Despite all the hard work and suffering, the weight-loss program ended up paying dividends for Anya, as the sophomore lost “between 50-60 pounds” on his way to a sleeker frame, according to Gottfried.
According to Anya, the biggest improvements in his game are his speed and stamina. Due to the youth of this season’s Wolfpack squad, Anya said it was important to be able to keep up with the amount of running that this team will have to do.
“I’m just able to play for a longer period of time,” Anya said. “I’m more explosive, faster. I’m going to be able to do things that I wasn’t able to do last year in terms of playing for longer periods of time and being more effective on the court. I can get up and down now, so if we decide to be a fast-break team, I can get down and run with them as well.”
Gottfried also expressed his happiness with Anya’s success in shedding the weight. However, the Pack coach said the weight loss is only a jumping off point for the post player.
“He’s done a really nice job, and what I have told BeeJay is that it’s only step one,” Gottfried said. “Now he has the chance to become a really good player; at 350 pounds, he had no chance. This gives him a chance to start the process.”
“The fact that he lost weight is great, but that’s not the end-all.”
