ESPN<\/a> and The Athletic<\/a> both have Sanders projected within their top 60 rankings and selected in the 50-60 pick range in their mock drafts. He intrigues teams with his size for a guard and a strong feel for the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n If Sanders gets drafted, he would become the first player from Cal Poly to get drafted and the second player to play in the NBA since David Nwaba in 2016.<\/p>\n \u201cIt means a lot,\u201d said Sanders about what it would mean to be the first drafted player from Cal Poly. \u201cJust all the work I put in at Cal Poly and all the tough times we\u2019ve been through, all the fans that have supported me and the coaches that have been there for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Sanders wasn\u2019t on the typical track for an NBA player. He was an All-League standout at Christian High School in San Diego, but he only received low-major Division I interest, including from Cal Poly. Even when he reached the Division I level, it took him three seasons before he emerged as one of the best players in the conference. At the same time, he grew from 6 foot 4 entering college to 6 foot 7 by the time he finished his collegiate career.\u00a0<\/p>\n In his senior season, he averaged nearly 20 points per game before transferring to the University of Nevada for a fifth season. With the Wolfpack, he established himself as one of the top players in a competitive Mountain West conference and began to generate NBA buzz after averaging 15.8 points, 4.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game.<\/p>\n He credits his ascension to the work ethic instilled into him by his \u201cearly bird\u201d parents from a young age.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sanders\u2019 family is filled with hard workers. Their father, Roland, returned early in the morning from his night shift to wake his sons up and take them to the gym. Their mother, Sara, came from a family of farmers who spent the summers working on the farm and picking crops. Their grandfather worked on a plantation with 13 other siblings.<\/p>\n \u201cThose types of stories that we\u2019re being told early on within our family, wired us a little differently,\u201d said Sanders\u2019 brother, Gage. \u201cThese are the sacrifices our generations before us have made, and now it\u2019s our opportunity to reap those benefits\u2026Those little lessons like that give Kobe that chip on his shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n Former Cal Poly head coach John Smith witnessed Sanders\u2019 morning routine on a trip he took to San Diego while recruiting him. He took a late-night flight from San Luis Obispo to catch a 5 a.m. workout before Sanders went to school.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Kobe Sanders finished his Cal Poly career 26th in points in program history, with 1008. Mustang News. Credit: Maura Shernisky \/ Mustang News<\/p>\n