Future is bright for 6-foot-8 freshman at Grand Rapids Christian
Grand Rapids Christian freshman Pabegg Anyijong puts up a shot against Portage Northern on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. It was the first varsity game for the 6-foot-8 center. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Pabegg Anyijong is hard to miss. He’s usually the tallest person in the room.
When the 6-foot-8, 200-pound center checked into the game in the third period on Saturday night, it was his first varsity contest and it certainly won’t be his last. Anyijong finished with 10 points, three rebounds and two blocked shots as Grand Rapids Christian beat Portage Northern 68-38 in the Cornerstone University Holiday Tournament.
“I was a lot of fun,” Anyijong said. “I got some minutes and scored. I had been practicing with varsity this week. The day before the game, ET (coach Eric Taylor) asked me if I wanted to play. So I was pretty excited.”
Oh, and he’s just a freshman.
“It was great,” Taylor said. “The guys were cheering him on. Him being in practice helped and they supported him. It helps his confidence.”
It’s pretty rare to have a 6-8 freshman in the program.
“People ask ‘why isn’t he on varsity?’” Taylor said. “But I’m a big believer in getting him prepared first. We want to get him some reps in JV first. But he’ll practice a lot with us. We’re bringing him along slowly.”
Taylor said he wasn’t planning on bringing Anyijong up this season. But GR Christian was missing 6-foot-7 senior center Will Doezema on Saturday.
“Thursday, I knew Will Doezema would be gone,” Taylor said. “So I had (Anyijong) practice with us just in case we needed to use him. We knew we’d need some size. It was a great opportunity to bring him in.”
Grand Rapids Christian freshman Pabegg Anyijong grabs and offensive rebound and puts up a shot against Portage Northern on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. He finished with 10 points in limited minutes. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
Basketball runs in the family for Anyijong.
Pabegg’s uncle is Justin Anyijong, was a 6-foot-8 star at East Grand Rapids High School and at the University of Toledo from 2007-2011.
“It’s inspiring,” Pabegg said. “I want to try to be better than him. That pushes me a little more. A lot of people recognize my last name and realize he’s my uncle. They let me know how good he was.”
Anyijong, who played travel ball with West Michigan Premier, said he’s averaging 15 points per game on JV.
Taylor is looking forward to having Anyijong on varsity the next three years.
“The big picture is getting him to play some minutes during the second part of the season,” he said. “We lose a lot next year. So I’m looking at how big of an impact he can have next year.”
Grand Rapids Christian is 5-4 after the win over Portage Northern. The Eagles have been playing the past three games without star guard Carl Thompson, who is dealing with a hamstring strain.
Grand Rapids Christian coach Eric Taylor, center, gives freshman Pabegg Anyijong instructions during a timeout in a game against Portage Northern on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).