Problems for NIU basketball’s Anthony Maestranzi began before he was even born.

“He didn’t come from a very good gene pool,” said the freshman’s father, John.

With his dad at 5-foot-9 and mom at an even 5-foot, Anthony is set with 155 pounds strapped onto his 5-foot-10 frame. His size, or lack thereof, is just one issue Anthony has had to deal with.

Genetics have been only one of several picks that Anthony has had to maneuver around in his life.

Coming out of Bartlett High School, located about 40 minutes from DeKalb, Anthony’s college interest was minimal.

Despite playing on the same AAU team as the Mr. Basketball in Illinois, Dee Brown — now a starting freshman at the University of Illinois — Anthony’s college interest didn’t stack up to his more-hyped teammate.

“Northwestern and Loyola started talking to me late [in my senior year], but Northern was the only DI program talking to me all throughout my senior year,” Anthony said.

The only problem with NIU, it already had given up its available scholarships.

Despite being out of scholarships, second-year Huskie coach Rob Judson continued recruiting Anthony. With Bartlett playing in DeKalb High School’s conference, Judson made it out to many of his games, and every time Anthony’s performance only reaffirmed what Judson already knew.

“We knew he was a terrific player,” Judson said. “I’ve seen him ever since he was a freshman with his dad’s AAU team. He loves the game.”

With his decision to verbally commit to NIU, it was under the stipulation that if any scholarship opened, it would go to a quiet, well-mannered local boy.

With the cards always stacked against Anthony, they fell in his favor for once.

Junior guard Sean Ezell transferred to Southern Vermont College in the middle of the summer, leaving open a spot, which would fall squarely on Anthony’s lap.

Anthony was excited about coming to NIU before knowing a scholarship would be waiting for him. He grew even more excited when he heard the news.

“Northern seemed like a great place to come to,” he said. “It’s a program on the rise; I love being here, I love playing here and I love the coaches.”

After Anthony took up Ezell’s scholarship, he still had to show the coaches that he was worthy of it. Or did he?

“He didn’t have anything to prove to us,” Judson said. “Anthony is the kind of player that you love to have. The more players that we can find and recruit for here like him, the better we’ll be.”

Judson and his staff have developed so much confidence in the freshman that they added him to the starting lineup against Drake on Wednesday.

All Anthony did was break a school record for consecutive three-pointers made, going 2-for-2 in the game — which, combined with his 6-for-6 on Saturday against Valparaiso, gave him the record.

“I’m in a good rhythm right now, and my teammates are doing a good job kicking it out to me,” he said. “When teams double down in the post, me and Al [Sewasciuk] have got to make them pay with our outside shooting.”

Expected to start again in NIU’s 12:05 p.m. Saturday game against Marshall at the Convocation Center, Anthony has filled the role of durable point guard for the Huskies this season. In the past, the position has been high on turnovers and low on dependability.

In the past three games, Anthony has played 76 minutes while committing only seven turnovers, despite having the ball in his hands the majority of the time.

However, his acclimatization to the college game didn’t come easy for Anthony.

In the first home game, in front of 8,041 fans, Anthony first came into the game looking like a seasoned veteran. But, actually, his juices were bubbling inside with the butterflies going rapid.

“I tried to stay calm out there, but the first game I was definitely nervous,” he said. “But I’ve been getting more calm every game out there. Every game it feels like I get more confidence and the coaches are getting more confidence in me.”

The coaches love his dedication to the game and his persistence to detail.

One stat the team keeps track of is box outs and how many times they do during games. In a recent game, Anthony had 25 opportunities to box out and did so in 24 of the times, which Judson called pretty impressive.

“His progress is terrific,” Judson said. “He’s a gym rat, has great court awareness, is a lot stronger than you think and low to the floor. We just wish we could give him a couple of inches.”

Overcoming his lack of size has been another problem he’s learn -ed to deal with since he’s been at NIU.

“It’s been hard work for him,” said Anthony’s father. “Everything has been a struggle for him, even to get a pass off in practice at the beginning. At his position, he’s a quiet leader and gets everyone in their spots. He’s very humble and keeps his emotions in check. He’s got a father with a big mouth, so I guess that’s why.”

If any road blocks await him, this soft-spoken freshman has proven that he has the foresight to get around them.