Sugar Land's Sanders turns into triple threat at Liberty

Those who know Liberty University point guard Jesse Sanders have a common denominator in their description of him: hard-working.

Perhaps hard work played a major role in Sanders' triple-double against High Point University earlier this season, making him the only player in NCAA Division I history to record one in each of his four seasons.

Shaquille O'Neal (LSU), Adonal Foyle (Colgate) and Shawn James (Northeastern, Duquesne) had triple-doubles in each of three seasons before deciding to play professionally.

"It's an attitude," said Sanders, a senior. "I want my teammates to know I'm going to be fighting on every play."

Homeschoolers ruled

That attitude stems from Sanders' days as a home school student in Sugar Land, where he played for the Homeschool Christian Youth Association Warriors. Their schedule regularly included public and prep schools around the area.

"We started five kids that didn't look like your typical inner-city Houston basketball player," Sanders said. "A lot of teams would look at us and think, 'We can punk these guys.'?"

The Warriors did most of the punking with a 41-3 record in Sanders' final year. He also was named Home School National Player of the Year in his final two seasons.

Tom Sanders, Jesse's father, was the head coach of the HCYA Warriors during those years. He didn't play as much basketball as his kids did growing up, and a lot of what he had learned about the game was through trial and error.

"I was a much better coach at the end than I was at the beginning," Tom Sanders said.

The success of the program helped Jesse Sanders' visibility during the recruitment process. After coach Willis Wilson was let go by Rice, Sanders rescinded his commitment with the Owls and committed to Liberty, which had recruited him immediately afterward.

Sanders, who is 6-3 and weighs 200 pounds, averages 12.7 points, 8.0 assists and 7.9 rebounds a game for the Flames. Liberty coach Dale Layer attributes that production to his work ethic in practice.

"He's like clockwork," Layer said. "He never takes a play or a day off, and I think that's the heart of his productivity."

That kind of production - especially in Division I - requires a certain level of conditioning. A lot of it was done away from a gym. During his years in home school, Sanders worked in a landscaping business he and his brothers started with the help of their parents, mowing lawns, trimming trees and power washing.

"We would get in a full day of work, hit the shower and head to the gym for a game," Sanders said. "We learned to play through it."

An athletic family

Older brothers Thomas and Ethan both played at the college level. Thomas currently plays professionally in Israel. Younger brother John Caleb is a teammate at Liberty who averages 11.6 points per game. And older sisters Caroline and Amy played basketball and volleyball, respectively, in home school.

Like his brother, Sanders hopes to play professionally wherever he receives an opportunity. However, his focus remains on finishing his final season with Liberty on a high note, despite a 12-16 record this season.

"I'm just trying to write this chapter the best way possible," Sanders said.

love.patel@chron.com

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Sugar Land's Sanders turns into triple threat at Liberty