PSYCHO 1949 - 2016
A man never in a hurry
A special feature celebrating the life of Alexander Kojo Anderson
by Stephen jaitoh koffa, jr.
Class of '79
TESTIMONIALS
alexander kojo anderson - psycho
KASSA PRATT '78
It’s hard to believe that it has already been a year since you left us. I was shocked when I received that phone call that you were gone. I naturally thought of the last time I saw you and the “guilt” of the missed opportunity to see you on a recent trip back to Liberia. Through it all though, I’m confident you know our friendship was genuine and meant the world to me. As coach, you taught me so much about the importance of teamwork and the contributions of team members to a goal. We may not have had the most athletic players, but you always taught us that if we believed and worked as a team, we could compete with the best athletes and gave us an opportunity to win. As a 16-year old, those life lessons have stayed with me and played a major role in my work ethics as an adult in the work force. I will always remember you and deeply cherish your “Dash” years with us.
BTW – Till we meet again, work on an alternative to the “Blue Moon” ….LOL!!!
FAUSTINA BONNER '84
Alexander Kojo Anderson, your legacy lives on. We will never forget you. Thanks for all that you imparted in us. A true highlight. The greatest Coach and surrogate Dad of our lifetime. Saints, Friskies and the entire sport of basketball still benefit from what you brought to the game. Even in imparting education...you delivered. Role model, unwavering, humble, diligent, gifted writer and so much more. May God bless and keep you. We love you "Psycho”.
ALSTON WOLO '83
I do remember my first and second appearances playing for SPHS, and want to share them.
I was in the 9th grade, the event-SPHS Gala Day Game against BW Harris aka The Spartans. The gymnasium, American Cooperative School - ACS, the year was 1980. Thirty seconds to the end of the game, Psycho put me in and I did not disappoint him nor the spectators.
My second appearance was a game against Monrovia College, aka, The Monkeys. Prior to the end of the school day for the upcoming third game, Psycho announced “Alston Wolo, aka, the Spearhead is on the starting five, He led us to victory in game two against the Monkeys. All should come out tonight to see game three against The College of West Africa, CWA, aka the Foxes”.
I was known first as the Spearhead, and then A-1.
Psycho was my English teacher and he coached me all throughout my basketball career. High School - St. Patrick’s, National Basketball League – H, Celtics and Green Hornets and lastly, The Liberian National Basketball Team - Lone Star. I was also called ‘Psycho Baby’. After so many years of being physically distant (I was still in contact with him by way of phone calls, Facebook, and third-party persons), my visit to Liberia reunited me with Psycho in October of 2016.
Thank you, Psycho. You will also be remembered and all that you imparted in me will not perished.
JULIANA DIXON '86
What I admired most about Psycho is that he sacrificially gave of his time without asking for anything in return. He was not only a coach to the Friskies basketball team, he was a father figure, a big brother and most importantly a friend to all of us. I remembered whenever we were on St. Patrick’s campus we would all just go and sit in Psycho’s office and talk and laugh before starting practice. We had a lot of fun times with the Great Psycho!. He is FOREVER LOVED! and FOREVER MISSED
TERRENCE KRANGAR '84
Sharp, inspirational, down-to-earth, just ... cool! A trailblazer who challenged the I.E.-Barolle dynasties. Hmm .... Can we say enough? RIP, Psycho.
EVELYN DUKE-DESHIELD
He and I had so many private father-daughter conversations about my life off the court. He was truly my confidante. Oh Psycho, why now?
GREGORY TUGBE
Psycho was more than a coach. He was such a special person to be around, if you were smart, you always took something positive with you everytime you interacted with him.
ANTHONY KROMAH
Well respected teacher of the game of basketball! RIP coach
FATU GBEDEMA '83
Apart from being a brilliant coach and strategist, I can say, he is the only Basketball Coach in Liberia, as far as I know, who never played around with the girls under his charge. Integrity was Psycho. We felt safe with him. Our father, teacher, mentor, coach, friend, counselor, Inspiration, Builder, Ride or Die! From your Girls. You will be missed but never forgotten because you etched your name into our hearts. So much love and respect for you Psycho!
S. JAITOH KOFFA '79
Like all ballers who attended SPHS, Psycho was my coach, teacher and mentor. I was a member of his Saints 1979 basketball squad, and he taught my class Economics.
To be around Psycho was to feel a sense of kindred spirits. One incident I remember was a game against the Spartans of BW Harris in 1979. We were down late in the game, and Psycho wanted no easy layups from the Spartans. “Foul them if you have to,” he said. I got in the game and give up two quick layups. Psycho immediately called timeout and calmly lit into me for giving up easy buckets. Never raising his voice, he said, “Jaitoh, do you want to take the fouls home? What will you do with the fouls when you get home?” The game was serious, but we all busted out laughing. In that moment, he provided both levity and clarity. And that personified Psycho. He was patient, deliberate, and always purposeful. Guess who left all their fouls on the floor that night? You guessed it. We lost, but I felt vindicated anyway. I didn't take any fouls home cause I fouled outta the game LOL!
RIP Psycho. You are sorely missed.
ANDREA KIAHON KNOWLDEN '83
He had such a profound impact on so many of our lives at such a formative state! RIP Kojo! You left your imprint on this earth for sure!!! Our hearts are heavy….
MICHAEL WOTORSON '85
Excellent role model!
ARCHIEMORE FREDRICKS '86
On December 28 2016, we lost a great man. He was a parent, grandfather, father, son, coach, vice principal, teacher, poet as well as an inspirational speaker to all of us. Psycho, as he was affectionately known, impacted the lives of thousands of young and older men and women from Liberia.
WULWYN PORTE '90
My thing with Psycho ... he didn't yell. But those DAMNING eyes that would pierce your soul and you self-corrected so quickly. He never screamed @ his players but you got the message with those rhetorical questions.
SHUPAN ABRAHAM '84
Psycho was always fun and loving when in a social setting. But during basketball practice and on the court, he was a totally different person, very stern and serious in a good way. He made practice so much fun. I always looked forward to the next one. He took his job as a coach very serious and it showed in the results that he/we got.
OTHELLO SMITH '88
The genius of a man is never determined by his financial validity nor his physical strength but his ability to synthesize an ideology and watch it develop to overshadow our competitive society. The successes of Hornets, Nets, the Saints and many others were surely a testimony of what a character Mr Anderson was.
JOEY ROBERTSON
Psycho for me is the best who ever did it. He brought the best that was in U out. He inspired U to believe that U could achieve anything both on and off the court. He will be missed. RIP "Bill Fitch".
CALVIN JOHNSON
For me, Psycho’s legacy was putting the ULIB Basketball team together, and coaching ULIB in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. ULIB was very competitive in the Ivorian League with less support on a foreign ground. RIP Psycho!!