Fayetteville's Sanders earns third stint with Spurs
March 16, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
Fayetteville Patriots News Release
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. March 16 - The San Antonio Spurs announced today they have signed Fayetteville Patriots guard Melvin Sanders, making him the 12th GATORADE Call-Up of the 2005-06 NBA Development League season, the sixth since March 1 and the 62nd overall since the league began play in November 2001. Per club policy terms of the deal were not released.
Sanders, 6-5, 210, returns to the Spurs where he signed a 10-day contact on January 22, 2006. He began the season with San Antonio before being waived on November 19, 2005. In eight total games with the Spurs this season, Sanders has averaged 9.6 minutes, 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds. In 19 games (15 starts) with Fayetteville, he averaged 31.6 minutes,
14.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
"Our coaches and staff have known all along that Melvin's talent and attitude are exactly the kind of thing the NBA is looking for," said Patriots president Todd DeMoss. "We weren't surprised when he was called up the first time. And we've actually felt lucky to have him here as long as we have. We hate to lose him, but that's our mission - to provide that opportunity to get to the highest level. We're happy and excited for him."
Fayetteville leads the D-League in call-ups this season with four. No other team has more than two.
Following is the list of 2005-06 GATORADE Call-Ups:
Player D-League Team NBA Team Date
1. 1. John Lucas III Tulsa 66ers Houston Rockets Dec. 29
2. 2. John Lucas III Tulsa 66ers Houston Rockets Jan. 8
3. 3. Kaniel Dickens Fayetteville Patriots Los Angeles Clippers Jan. 10
4. 4. Chuck Hayes Albuquerque Thunderbirds Houston Rockets Jan. 18
5. 5. Melvin Sanders Fayetteville Patriots San Antonio Spurs Jan. 22
6. 6. Mateen Cleaves Fayetteville Patriots Seattle Sonics Jan. 28
7. 7. Andre Barrett Florida Flame Phoenix Suns March 1
8. 8. James Lang Arkansas RimRockers Atlanta Hawks March 2
9. 9. Luke Schenscher Fort Worth Flyers Chicago Bulls March 5
10. 10. Marcus Fizer Austin Toros Seattle SuperSonics March 8
11. 11. Andre Barrett Florida Flame Toronto Raptors March 15
12. 12. Melvin Sanders Fayetteville Patriots San Antonio Spurs March 16
The NBA Development League includes the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Florida Flame (Ft. Myers), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.). The Bakersfield Jam (Calif.) will compete in the league beginning with the 2006-07 season.
The D-League offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Forty-two (42) players have been called up to the NBA on 62 separate occasions. Eleven (11) former D-League coaches, six athletic trainers, 14 referees and 30 front office executives have also been called up since the start of the league's inaugural season in November 2001.
Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. The D-League is a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 30 teams and is a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions.
For more information on the Patriots or the NBA D-League, visit fayettevillepatriots.com or call (910) 213-1000.
• Discuss this story on the NBA G League message board...
NBA G League Stories from March 16, 2006
- Flame Acquires Former FGCU Forward Roman Brown - Florida Flame
- Fayetteville's Sanders earns third stint with Spurs - Fayetteville Patriots
- Flame Acquires Brown, Waives Smith - Florida Flame
- Glyniadakis Returns to Albuquerque, Tabuse Waived - New Mexico Thunderbirds
- Girl Power to Shine at Dazzle Game on Friday Night - Roanoke Dazzle
- Nuggets Recall Hodge From D-League - Austin Spurs
- Patriots Guard Melvin Sanders Signs With Spurs - Fayetteville Patriots
- Andriuskevicius reassigned to Arkansas - Arkansas RimRockers
- NBA D-League daily developments - G League
- Flame's Barrett Signs with Raptors - Florida Flame
- Flame and King Group Team Up for "$200,000 Win A Home Sweepstakes" - Florida Flame
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
