Submitted by South Puget Sound Community College
Elijah Sanders’ tenacity on the basketball court led the Clippers to some great moments in his South Puget Sound Community College hoops career. Now the outgoing sophomore is seeing it pay off individually too, as Sanders signed his national letter of intent with Denver’s Regis University. Sanders officially signed on April 23. He will attend Regis on a full athletic scholarship.
Sanders, a member of the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) West Region All-Defensive Team this year, led the Clippers in scoring (13.8 points per game), rebounding (7.2 boards per game) and blocks (1.96 per game; second overall in the NWAC). Now he’s excited to continue his collegiate career at Regis, a NCAA Division II school under first-year coach Brady Bergeson (formerly of Western Oregon University).
“I think I am a perfect fit for the program and Regis is a great fit for me,” Sanders said of his new destination. “I love the city of Denver and enjoyed my time with coach Bergeson during my visit. I knew before I got on the plane to come home that Regis is where I want to be.”
SPSCC Athletic Director and Men’s Basketball Coach Aaron Landon is not at all surprised to see Sanders’ continued success.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Elijah,” Landon said. “Regis is a great school, and he’s playing for one of the brightest young coaches in the country. Elijah is a great example of what our level is all about: he set a goal, worked hard, kept his focus through the ups and downs and now he leaves our program with an associate’s degree and a scholarship to continue his basketball career and complete his bachelor’s.”
Sanders said he thanks all those who supported him during his time as a Clipper.
“I came to SPSCC because I wanted to be a part of building this program with the coaching staff and I wanted to play in my hometown,” the Timberline High School graduate said. “I have been taking classes here since Running Start during my senior year of high school. The people at SPSCC have always been supportive of me. I owe a lot of thanks to the college for helping me reach my goal of transferring and continuing my career at a school I love. I owe everything to my mom, grandma and the rest of my family for all the support and love. My mom was the motivating factor in me pursuing a college education.”
