Following-up on something that I mentioned in today’s DAILY DIRT. Here’s the official release from UNCW:
Monty Sanders, a former standout at Elon and experienced recruiter and assistant coach, has joined head men’s basketball coach Takayo Siddle‘s new staff at UNCW.
The addition of Sanders completes the on-the-floor coaching staff for the newly-hired Siddle. He joins veteran coach Kurt Kanaskie and former Seahawk staffer Travis Hackert on the North Carolina coast. Sanders brings extensive experience to the position, including coaching stints on the high school, AAU and college levels.
“Monty and I have known each other for over 15 years through playing and coaching,” said Siddle. “My comfort level in his ability to teach, build relationships with our student-athletes and knowledge of the CAA makes him an ideal fit. He’s a terrific addition to our staff and I welcome him to UNCW.”
Sanders comes to UNCW after spending the last two years on Mark Prosser’s staff at Western Carolina. Sanders previously served eight years at his alma mater, Elon, as Director of Operations and Assistant Coach.
“My family and I are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join such a tradition-rich basketball program and a wonderful university,” said Sanders. “Combined with the chance to work with Coach Siddle, whom I have known and respected for a very long time, it’s a dream come true for me.
“Coach Siddle’s vision for the program and how to get there is one that I truly believe in. I promise to work tirelessly to help him build a program that our students, alumni and Seahawk faithful will be proud of.”
A native of Raleigh, N.C., Sanders began his playing career at Richmond before transferring to Elon following the 2005-06 campaign. He was a two-year letter winner with the Phoenix and served as a team captain in his senior year under former head coach Ernie Nestor.
Sanders continued his association with Elon as Director of Basketball Operations in August of 2010 and was promoted to assistant coach in the summer of 2013. In Sanders’ five seasons as assistant, Elon posted double-digit victories each year, including a pair of 18-win seasons.
Sanders was a tireless recruiter for the Phoenix, signing players from across the United States as well as international talent from Canada, Germany, Croatia and England. He was instrumental in signing Elon’s top career 3-point shooter, Tanner Samson, who drained 324 career treys and racked up 1,320 career points.
Working mostly with Elon’s big men, Sanders aided in the development of the program’s all-time blocked shots leader and 1,600-point scorer Lucas Troutman. He also worked closely with all-time great Tyler Seibring, the first Elon player from the program’s NCAA Division I era to finish in the top-10 all-time in scoring and rebounding. Seibring was a three-time All-CAA and two-time NABC All-District 10 selection and finished his Phoenix career with 1,794 career points (6th all-time) and 779 career rebounds (10th all-time).
Sanders helped the Phoenix pile up 21 wins in the 2012-13 season, the school’s most victories in the NCAA Division I era, and the program’s first D-I postseason berth in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament as Elon captured the Southern Conference North Division regular season championship. Sanders was also part of Elon transition’s to the Colonial Athletic Association in the 2014-15 season.
Prior to returning to Elon as a member of the staff, Sanders served as assistant boy’s varsity basketball coach at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh and head coach of the Garner Road Basketball Club AAU 15U team.
As a player, Sanders was a popular standout for the Phoenix, on and off the court. One of Sanders’ career highlights came in the 2009 Southern Conference Tournament when he scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds in an upset victory over Wofford in Chattanooga, Tenn. Away from the court, he served on Elon’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council from 2007-2009 and spearheaded the annual “Phoenix Field Day” for inner-city youth of Burlington, a program still continued by Elon students today.
Sanders earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration at Elon in 2009. He is married to the former Page Hall and the couple has a daughter, Emmerson Sloane Sanders.
https://uncwsports.com/news/2020/4/8/mens-basketball-siddle-adds-sanders-to-coaching-staff.aspx
