Whirlwind. Yeah, that's a good word to describe the last few months of Ryan Anderson's life.

The highs have been exhilarating. The low was terrifying. And right now, Anderson is at peace.

"I really feel fortunate," said Anderson, his thoughts not far from Thanksgiving, which the New Jersey Nets rookie will spend with his family in El Dorado Hills thanks to the NBA scheduling gods.

With the Nets playing the Kings tonight in Sacramento, the Oak Ridge High School product will play at Arco Arena for the first time since winning a state championship there in 2005.

Then, on Thursday, he will enjoy a rare off-day with his family, including his mother, Sue Anderson, whose health scare two months ago has given the Anderson clan another reason to be thankful.

"It's going to be great to see everyone," the former Cal standout said. "I couldn't tell you how many people will be (at Arco)."

But it promises to be quite the gathering considering that the church the Andersons attend has postponed a Thanksgiving eve service to allow its 300 members to go to the game.

"I feel so blessed to be here with these teammates and having an opportunity to play," Anderson said. "It has been a whirlwind time. It's blown by so fast. I haven't had time to look back."

But he knows where it started. Anderson waited until the last possible day to declare for the June draft after his sophomore season. Ten days later, Anderson was chosen 21st, and he celebrated with a small circle of family and friends at his parents' home in El Dorado Hills.

It was among the best moments of his life, he said. Months later, he would be introduced to one of the worst.

In September, his mother was in New Jersey, where she had planned to put her interior decorating background to use while spending two weeks helping her son spruce up his new town house.

Instead, Sue Anderson spent 15 days in the hospital, including nine in intensive care, after needing an emergency hysterectomy.

"I almost bled to death," she said. "I was down to 1 percent of my blood."

Meanwhile, Anderson was in training camp, trying to remain focused despite being scared and stressed.

"This is definitely a year of extreme highs and lows," Sue Anderson said. "In one year, he went from a college student living in an awful house that should have been condemned to this."

By "this," she means a successful transition from the college game to the NBA.

Anderson had the league's third-best three-point percentage (55 percent) in 10 games entering Tuesday, having hit 11 of 20. The 6-foot-10 forward led the category at one point this season, showing the rookie had no problems moving back from the college distance of 19 feet, 9 inches.

"I worked out with the NBA three (23 feet, 9 inches) pretty much right after my sophomore season (at Cal)," Anderson said. "I knew I had the range; it's just about doing it every time. I'm 100 percent used to it now."

The Nets' facility has become a second home for Anderson, who said he's happy to have fellow rookies to share the experience with in former Stanford center Brook Lopez and ex-Memphis Tigers guard Chris Douglas-Roberts.

"It's great to have two rookies, so I'm not alone," he said. "There are a lot of great veterans on the team. Vince Carter has been a great mentor. He's helped me through things."

A mentor can come in handy considering the ups and downs of the last few months. Then there are the just silly, albeit frustrating, moments.

Anderson fell on his right shoulder in practice earlier this season, then felt pain while playing ping-pong. A few news stories called his shoulder strain a ping-pong-induced injury, while reporters queried coach Lawrence Frank as to whether the paddle sport was on the list of banned activities, along with riding a moped.

"Oh my gosh, I shouldn't have even said anything," Anderson said. "My shoulder has been fine for a month now."

He said he has devoted his time to improving all aspects of his game to become more than a "perimeter guy."

Anderson was averaging 7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 16.6 minutes entering Tuesday.

"The most important thing for me is my role on this team," Anderson said. "In college, I was the main scorer. I was the go-to guy. Here, I am basically an energy guy. I'm still working out the kinks."

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.