The 2012 NBA Draft will be held tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and Fairfield University men's basketball player Rakim Sanders will most certainly be watching.
In an interview on NBA TV earlier this week, Senior Director of NBA Scouting Operations, Ryan Blake, discussed the draft and the players that might be selected Thursday night. One of the final questions of the interview was “what sleepers are there in the 2012 draft?” The first of the sleepers mentioned was Sanders, who Blake followed with Kim English of Missouri. (Watch – Sanders mention at 4:40)
Blake said of Sanders, “He is a 6-5, 230 pound, utility guy. He can rebound, he can score, he gets inside and battles. He brings toughness to a team. And that can be infectious. When you look at our league we don't have just five positions, we have 9-11. He can be that guy that can come in and make that spark. And he is going to do that on the defensive end.”
Sanders was named All-District by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and All-Jesuit, an award given to student-athletes from the 28 Jesuit colleges. He was also honored by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association with All-Met Second Team accolades.
Sanders finished his senior season as the team's top scorer (16.6 ppg), rebounder (8.2 rpg), and steals (1.4 spg). He also became the first Stag to score 600 points and grab 300 rebounds in a season. He tallied 615 points this year, which is the second-highest single-season scoring total in Fairfield history. Tony George tallied 630 points during the 1985-86 season.
Following his contributions to the Stags run to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament semifinals, Sanders accepted an invitation to the NBA's Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. He averaged 19.3 points per game over three games at the event and was named one of the top breakout players.
"Since the end of our postseason run in the CIT, I've fielded a number of calls from NBA scouts and executives about Rakim as a 1st Team All-MAAC performer for us,” said Stags head coach Sydney Johnson. “What I am most pleased about is that Rakim's performances during the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, the NBA Combine in May and several NBA work-outs, have only added to his value as an NBA prospect. Rakim is assured of a lucrative European career but his opportunities in the NBA will start to take real shape tonight. Our University and basketball program couldn't be happier for him and his family."
Regardless of tonight's draft outcome, Sanders is expected to participate in the NBA Summer League, July 13-22. The 24-team, 60-game event features a mix of veterans, draft picks and free agents. Played at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, six of the last seven NBA Rookies Of the Year have made their league debut at the event.
The 2012 NBA Draft coverage begins at 7 p.m. tonight on ESPN, ESPN3, watchESPN.com and can be heard live on ESPN Radio.
