Evan Anderson interrupted Bo Ryan's dinner with friends in Myrtle Beach Saturday night when he called up the University of Wisconsin men's basketball coach's cell phone to give him some news.

Ryan didn't mind, considering that Anderson, a 6-foot-11, 250-pound sophomore center from Eau Claire North, told him that he was making a verbal commitment to play for the Badgers.

"He was pretty excited," said a laughing Anderson. "He probably enjoyed his shrimp more than he thought he was going to."

No doubt. The Badgers scored their second recruiting coup of a top in-state sophomore in less than a week with Anderson's commitment. Madison Memorial guard Vander Blue verbally committed to Wisconsin last Monday.

Anderson chose Wisconsin over a list of seven other schools, including Kentucky, Kansas, Boston College, Marquette, Iowa State, UCLA and North Carolina. All but UCLA and North Carolina had offered him a scholarship, Anderson said.

"I would just say that I like what Wisconsin does with its program, especially because it's close to home," said Anderson, who took the last remaining scholarship for the UW freshman class of 2010. "I just kind of knew what I wanted to do for a while."

College coaches have been enamored with Anderson for over a year as they've watched him continue to grow into his large frame. He has impressed coaches because he already can move well and has good hands, which are necessary ingredients for big men to be successful.

What really opened coaches' eyes are his intangibles that include a nasty, fiery side to his game that is all part of his quest to keep learning. He has been likened by some coaches to a young Eric Montross, who was an Indiana prep star before playing and starring collegiately for North Carolina.

Compared to centers from the state, Anderson doesn't possess the perimeter game of former UW forward Brian Butch, but he's already well ahead of where Butch was in high school when he has his back to the basket.

That explains why, at a recent AAU event, there was a who's who of college coaches watching all of Anderson's games. The list included North Carolina's Roy Williams and Kentucky's Billy Gillispie as well as Wisconsin's Ryan.

"Coaches and others who watch me play say I'm improving a lot. I don't notice it myself because I was always thinking that I'm not a very good player and things like that," said Anderson, who mixes his growing inside game with a solid mid-range jumper. "But my confidence is getting a lot better and people around me are saying I'm making huge strides, especially the Wisconsin coaching staff."

Anderson said he understood what Blue was talking about when he said last week that he wanted to get his commitment over with so it wouldn't turn into a major distraction.

"Yeah. That was a big part of it, too. All the other colleges bothering you," said Anderson, referring to why he made his decision early. "It's nice to just get it done with, especially if you have a pretty good idea of what you want to do and where you're going to fit in and stuff. I was pretty positive about my decision and getting it done early."