Patriots sign former Oklahoma State standout
January 4, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
Fayetteville Patriots News Release
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., January 4 - The Fayetteville Patriots have acquired guard Melvin Sanders from the NBA Development League available player pool and waived forward Mark Karcher.
Sanders, 6-5, 210, was in vet camp with the San Antonio Spurs this season after averaging a team-high 15.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.2 steals for the Spurs team in the 2005 Rocky Mountain Revue. He also appeared in four games for the New Jersey Nets in the Reebok Summer League, averaging 8.0 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist.
He played from 2000-2003 at Oklahoma State, averaging 13.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in his senior season. He was named to the All-Big 12 Team and the All-Big 12 Defensive Team in 2003. In 2002, he was honored as a member of the Academic All-Big 12 Team. Sanders started all 94 games in his three seasons at OSU.
"Melvin is a very athletic shooting guard who can also play small forward," Patriots head coach Mike Brown said. "San Antonio had great things to say about him. He was a sprinter on the track team in college so he's fast and he has a high basketball IQ. Coach Owens coached him for a couple of years and was very high on him"
Sanders was a member of the Continental Basketball Association's Dakota Wizards the last two seasons, playing for Patriots assistant coach Casey Owens, who was a Wizards assistant in 2003 and the head coach in 2004.
"Melvin is an extremely exciting player," Owens said. "He's an outstanding defender and that's always appealing as a coach. He can guard two or three positions. And he's an athletic player that fans are going to enjoy watching."
Sanders averaged 18.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists over 48 games last season and made the CBA All-Star Team. In 2003, he was part of the Wizards' CBA championship team.
"For a rookie to come in and do what he did was impressive," Owens said. "His defense kept him on the floor. But then he made the winning free throws that sealed the win when we won the championship. And last year, he scored 54 in a game, which was the season high points total in the CBA."
Sanders is expected to be in uniform when the Patriots (3-10) host Roanoke (6-9) at the Crown Coliseum on Friday. He will wear jersey No. 34.
"It takes everybody a couple of games to get their feet wet, but he can really change the game. The D-League is very fortunate to get a player of his caliber."
Karcher played in 10 games (one start) for Fayetteville, averaging 23.8 minutes, 10.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
The D-League offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Thirty-four (34) players have been called up to the NBA on 50 separate occasions. Ten (10) former D-League coaches, five athletic trainers, 11 referees and 30 front office executives have also been called up since the start of the league's inaugural season in November of 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.
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