NBA D-League's Grand Rapids Drive Sign Former Ferris State Star Jerrell Sanders
Big Rapids, Mich. - The NBA D-League's Grand Rapids Drive, who are an affiliate of the NBA's Detroit Pistons, have officially signed former Ferris State University men's basketball standout Jerrell Sanders (Grand Rapids/Creston) in advance of the team's final regular-season home game on Friday night.
Sanders, who was drafted in the sixth round by his hometown Drive in the NBA D-League Draft last fall, has spent parts of the 2014-15 campign working out with the franchise following his first season of professional hoops overseas in Germany with the BG Bonn Meckenheim club in one of the country's top leagues.
The Drive, who are in their first season in Grand Rapids, will host the Erie Bayhawks on Friday (April 3) with tipoff set for 7 p.m. (ET) at the DeltaPlex Arena in Walker. They then visit Delaware on Saturday (April 4) evening for the final regular-season matchup in Newark, Del. Grand Rapids is currently 22-26 overall this campaign under former NBA player Otis Smith.
Sanders originally impressed the Drive staff during a pair of open tryouts held prior to the draft last fall in Auburn Hills and in Grand Rapids. He also took part in the team's training camp held back in November.
The Drive's talented roster this season has included such as collegiate stars as UConn's Hasheem Thabeet, Kentucky's Daniel Orton, Ben Hansbrough of Notre Dame, Adonis Thomas of Memphis and Nate Wolters of South Dakota State.
The NBA Development League is the NBA's official minor league, preparing players, coaches, officials, trainers, and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league's research and development laboratory. Featuring 18 teams with direct affiliations with NBA franchises for the 2014-15 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.
A talented forward, Sanders concluded his Bulldog career in 2011-12 while helping Ferris State to a second consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division Championship. He totaled 11.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and five assists per game in his final season with the Bulldogs while ranking third among the team's scoring leaders and second in rebounding in addition to starting all 27 contests.
In his initial season with the Bulldogs during the 2010-11 season, Sanders played a key role during the season's first seven games prior to suffering a season-ending knee injury. The Bulldogs eventually went on to reach the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen while capturing the first of back-to-back GLIAC North Division crowns.
Before the injury, Sanders made a big impression with a successful debut in a near-upset exhibition game against the Big Ten Conference's Indiana Hoosiers followed by a highlight-reel dunk on the road versus Kentucky Wesleyan that landed him on ESPN's Top 10 Plays.
The 6-6 forward initially joined the Ferris State program at the semester break during the 2009-10 campaign. Prior to his arrival at FSU, Sanders spent two seasons at Columbus State (Ohio) Community College where he led the Cougars to a 29-4 mark and a trip to the national tournament. He was a two-sport prep standout at Grand Rapids Creston in football and basketball before embarking on his collegiate career.
Along with BG Bonn Meckenheim, Sanders also had several other professional offers a year ago from teams in Luxembourg, Brazil and Germany. He was first noticed while earning Most Valuable Player honors at the 16th annual Slammers Basketball Pro-Tryout Tournament held a year ago in Bonn, Germany.
Sanders is one of several former Bulldog standouts who have had an opportunity to compete at the professional level in the past decade on the hardwood after concluding their collegiate eligibility with the Bulldogs.