Having redshirted this past season, Antwaun Boyd’s collegiate basketball résumé, naturally, is wall-to-wall goose-eggs.

For now.

However, invisible behind the zeroes there has been growth, maturity and an increased sense of purpose and responsibility from the former Anderson High School standout.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard currently is in the process of applying final touches to his freshman year at Middle Tennessee State University and looks forward to the 2008-09 school year.

“This year went fast. I ended up having to sit out this basketball season, so I’m just getting ready for next year,” Boyd said. “It’s really nice down here ... not too big of a town, and everyone is friendly.”

Located in Murfreesboro, a city of 93,000 residents 35 miles south of Nashville, MTSU Nation should be abuzz next winter as coach Kermit Davis returns every one of his 13 roster players from a 17-15 team that lost to Western Kentucky in the title game of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

That includes leading scorers Desmond Yates, a 6-7 forward, and 6-4 guard Demetrius Green.

And it includes Boyd, whose ozone-layer vertical leap, athleticism and knowledge of the Blue Raiders system are expected to be on display in the form of significant minutes.

Or so says the other member of Middle Tennessee State’s program possessing strong Anderson ties, second-year Blue Raiders assistant coach Artie Pepelea.

“Antwaun is as strong a college basketball player as I’ve ever coached on a basketball court. Not weightroom strong, but court strong. Just hard to knock off-balance and that’s pretty good for a freshman,” said Pepelea, 37, who played for former Indians coach Norm Held at AHS.

“He did very well this season. If you base it on practices, he probably would have started five or six of the 18 games he was eligible.”

Yes, there existed a window of time during which Boyd could have played for MTSU as a true freshman.

Davis, however, chose to redshirt him because of the number of guaranteed remaining games on the schedule after Boyd had been declared academically eligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

Thus, Boyd’s role during Blue Raiders’ games wasn’t to bury 3-pointers or defend the perimeter. It was to sit, watch and absorb.

No points. No rebounds. No assists. But all sorts of growing up.