At 6-foot-8 Kobe Sanders is a swingman with guard expertise and a defensive edge, as he turned heads all 12 months at Nevada. Sanders solidified his inventory on the 2025 Portsmouth Invitational Match, the place his really feel, dimension, and maturity stood out resulting in an invite to attend the 2025 NBA Draft Mix. Sanders grinded his means by Cal Poly, evolving from a job participant into the staff’s engine by his senior 12 months. The transfer to Nevada gave him the stage and system to scale up as he thrived in a hybrid function
Sanders isn’t only a former mid-major hidden gem climbing draft boards, he’s the most recent chapter in North Dakota’s storied Driscoll athletic lineage. His mom, Sara Sanders (née Driscoll), was a highschool hooper, and her 4 brothers all performed school ball. Three of them, Pat and Mike at North Dakota State, and Jim on the College of North Dakota, are of their respective colleges’ Halls of Fame. The fourth, Tom, additionally performed basketball and tennis at NDSU.
Their athletic legacy continued with the subsequent era. Cousins Jake and Jordan (Jim’s son) each performed at Minnesota State Moorhead (MSUM). Jordan was a standout in highschool, beginning as a freshman and lighting it up from deep. Their cousin Amber Abraham, daughter of Sara’s sister Kathy, is the one D1 athlete within the household, she performed 4 years at Arkansas State. Earlier than that, she scored over 900 factors in highschool, set a number of three-point information, and was later inducted into the Corridor of Fame.
A number of groups have already gotten a more in-depth look per HoopsHype’s Draft Exercise Tracker. Sanders has labored out with the Celtics, Clippers, Hornets, Magic, Pistons, Raptors, Spurs, Thunder and Warriors.These organizations holding picks squarely in his projected vary (picks No. 24 to No. 45), and every presents an intriguing touchdown spot. Amongst that group, Phoenix at No. 29, Boston at No. 28, and Golden State at No. 41 stand out as pure matches. With a excessive flooring as a rotational wing and the instruments to do extra, Sanders trending up as a reputation to look at late within the first spherical.
In a sit-down with HoopsHype, Sanders opened up about battling by the lows at Cal Poly, embracing the reset in Reno, how his recreation advanced beneath a brighter highlight and extra.
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KS: I began highschool at about 5-8. Me and my brother all the time educated to be guards, watching little guards like Allen Iverson and Marcus Paige. My dad had us learning movie, instructing us to suppose the sport like level guards. Then yearly, I hit a development spurt, by senior 12 months I used to be 6-6, and now I’m 6-8. However at the same time as I grew, I by no means misplaced that mindset. It was a blessing.
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KS: Positively. Yearly my function modified. As a freshman, I used to be making an attempt to play protection and hit pictures. Sophomore 12 months, I turned extra of a defensive man. Junior 12 months is after I actually took the helm, I ran the offense, was the chief, facilitator, level guard. My senior 12 months, I did every little thing, I used to be the principle scorer, facilitator, playmaker. As you develop, coaches ask for various issues, and I adjusted. I used to be blessed to have a coach who believed in me, Coach John Smith, and we spent quite a lot of time speaking and watching movie. That helped me develop and play at a excessive degree. Then I used to be blessed to go to Nevada, the place I ran level many of the 12 months till late-season accidents modified issues.
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KS: It undoubtedly helped me develop. Taking part in at that degree challenged me in new methods, and it made me faucet into my versatility. I performed throughout, typically I used to be on the one, typically the 4, relying on what the staff wanted. That flexibility got here from how I used to be raised. My dad all the time instructed me, “If you wish to be an actual level guard, that you must know each place, know what every man is considering and the place they must be.” That formed how I view the sport. So studying completely different positions didn’t simply assist me alter, it made every little thing simpler. My IQ saved evolving.
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KS: It was a easy transition as a result of I’d already finished that type of shifting earlier in my profession. However the massive factor was protection. I knew early on that to get on the ground, I needed to defend. My sophomore 12 months, me and a teammate would problem ourselves to choose up full court docket each time we checked in. I used to be guarding guys 94 toes, smaller guards, simply making an attempt to make my mark. That effort caught with me. I took each matchup personally. That turned my identification, protection, power, and energy.
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KS: Simply being invited meant so much, not all people will get that chance. I talked to my agent and other people round me, and so they all mentioned, “Go be you.” That caught. You see quite a lot of guys attempt to go to Portsmouth and do an excessive amount of, attempt to show they’re one thing they’re not. However I didn’t wish to fall into that. I simply stayed true to my recreation, competed, performed with power on each ends, and let my coronary heart present. I believe folks noticed that I belonged. It wasn’t about placing up wild numbers, it was about displaying I can influence the sport in each means with out forcing it.
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KS: That’s the truth of professional basketball, you don’t all the time get to choose your function, so I’ve been making ready for something. My journey hasn’t been straightforward. I went by some actual lows at Cal Poly, and people moments taught me learn how to grind. I’ve needed to struggle by dropping streaks, powerful practices, powerful stretches mentally, however that constructed me up. I’ve bought maturity now. I perceive that whether or not it’s 10 minutes on the 4, half-hour within the G League, or 5 minutes as a backup guard, I’ve bought to remain prepared. My IQ and my versatility let me adapt. That’s what groups are in search of, somebody who can plug into a number of spots and lift the group.
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KS: It’s been an enormous focus. In previous years, I’d both begin the season taking pictures it nicely or end sizzling, however by no means actually maintain it throughout a full 12 months. That consistency is what I’ve locked in on. I’ve labored on my mechanics, stability, and rhythm, simply tightening each a part of my shot. I wish to be somebody who can house the ground confidently and knock it down at a excessive degree. I’ve put within the reps to make that a part of my recreation second nature.
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KS: Capturing, for positive. Folks look at a stat sheet and suppose they know your shot, nevertheless it doesn’t all the time present the entire image. In exercises, I’ve been capable of actually present groups the best way I shoot, the footwork, the discharge, the flexibility to hit off motion. Lots of groups walked away saying, “We didn’t know he might shoot like that.” I believe I’ve opened some eyes with that.
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KS: Progress, in each sense. Being round a successful tradition once more helped reset me. Coach Steve Alford runs powerful practices, high-level, structured, detailed. Coach Noodles is similar means. You’ve bought to indicate up locked in each day, no excuses. I discovered learn how to be constant, learn how to be a frontrunner, and learn how to elevate the usual for myself and my teammates. It wasn’t nearly basketball, it was about being reliable each single day. That modified my strategy to every little thing.
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KS: It means every little thing. Cal Poly’s by no means had a participant drafted, so simply having that chance is a blessing. I wish to be that man who breaks that barrier, not only for myself, however to indicate that you could come from a small program, keep the course, and nonetheless attain the league. On high of that, being from San Diego, which doesn’t get the identical recognition as LA or the Bay, provides one other layer. We’ve bought hoopers within the metropolis, however we don’t all the time get the highlight. So I’m carrying three names: Cal Poly, Nevada, and San Diego. I wish to signify all three the correct means and open the door for the subsequent child who’s being missed.
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KS: It gave me starvation. San Diego doesn’t all the time get love as a result of we’re proper beneath LA, and town type of will get slept on. However we’ve bought expertise, actual hoopers. Being from there made me play with a chip on my shoulder. I knew I needed to work twice as exhausting simply to get observed. And even now, I carry that with me, that delight, that edge. I play for my metropolis each time I step on the ground. I wish to be a voice for all these children who haven’t been seen but.
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KS: Positively Norman Powell. He was that man. I keep in mind watching him play at Lincoln Excessive, then seeing him go to UCLA, and finally thrive within the league. He made it really feel actual for all of us in San Diego, just like the NBA wasn’t only a dream, however one thing you might really attain. He got here from the identical streets, identical gyms, identical metropolis, and that meant one thing. Norm was the blueprint. He confirmed us what it appeared like to hold your self like a professional, on and off the ground. He holds weight in our metropolis, for positive.
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KS: Yeah, for positive. I performed with Gamepoint, Brandon Angel was one of many guys on my staff there. Earlier on, after I was youthful, I performed for San Diego Choose. That staff had quite a lot of dudes who went on to play at a excessive degree, like Chibuzo Agbo and Ziaire Williams. We had severe expertise. These video games have been intense, and so they compelled me to lift my degree. It was aggressive each day. That early AAU expertise helped form my mentality, learn how to put together, learn how to compete, and learn how to play in opposition to high guys.
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KS: I picked Cal Poly initially to remain nearer to house. I’ve all the time been actual shut with my household, that bond is every little thing to me. However after going by what I did at Cal Poly, Nevada felt like the correct reset. It was nonetheless on the West Coast, however simply far sufficient that it was a brand new setting. It wasn’t straightforward being away from house, however my “why” was my household, my religion, was all the time only a telephone name away. They saved me grounded. That shift gave me house to develop and focus, and being in a brand new tradition like Nevada’s, the place successful mattered, was precisely what I wanted.
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KS: I examine quite a lot of Jalen Williams from OKC. He performs the sport the correct means, he’s easy, managed, performs each ends, and doesn’t power something. He creates house, scores throughout the circulation, and guards at a excessive degree. That’s somebody I attempt to emulate. I additionally watch the entire Thunder squad, their system, how they transfer the ball, how unselfish they’re. That’s the kind of setting I wish to be in, the place IQ and belief matter.
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KS: I take items from quite a lot of guys. CJ McCollum, his capability to make use of angles, how he alters speeds, how good he’s as a scorer. Jalen Brunson, his footwork within the mid-range is elite, and he’s all the time calm beneath stress. Defensively, I watch how greater guards use their size and anticipation to influence performs. I’m all the time watching, looking for the little issues, particulars most individuals miss and determine learn how to add them to my very own recreation.
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KS: I’ve been locked in all offseason. I’m within the weight room engaged on power and explosiveness, doing plyometrics to remain gentle and cellular. On the court docket, I’m training being each the handler and the screener in actions, pick-and-roll, DHO, off-ball motion. Defensively, I’m guarding 1 by 4, studying completely different reads, and dealing on switches and closeouts. I wish to be that man a coach can throw anyplace on the ground, and I’ll know the function, execute it, and do it with power. That’s what retains you on the court docket.
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KS: Little doubt, my time at Cal Poly. Dropping 39 straight convention video games, that does one thing to you mentally. You begin to query every little thing, your recreation, your future, your confidence. However I leaned into my work, my religion, and the folks round me. I reminded myself, “I constructed this confidence. No one gave it to me, and no one can take it away.” That stretch might’ve damaged me, however I didn’t let it. I’m pleased with how I got here by that, it made me more durable, extra targeted, and hungrier than ever.
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KS: Completely. At Cal Poly, you began to really feel that dropping turned regular for some guys, and that’s harmful. It kills your power, your hearth. At Nevada, that tradition flipped. Daily, we have been anticipated to compete and win, whether or not it was a recreation, a drill, or movie. That aggressive customary gave me life once more. I matched that power and introduced my very own hearth. Whether or not we have been up or down, my effort by no means modified. That setting helped me rediscover myself and jogged my memory of what I really like concerning the recreation.
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KS: Staying sharp in each space. Staying in form bodily, but additionally retaining my thoughts clear. Groups wish to see if I can guard a number of positions, if I can hit pictures, and if I could make the correct reads in game-speed conditions. However past that, they wish to see how I carry myself. Can I be a communicator? Can I make successful performs? Can I elevate a staff? I’ve simply targeted on being myself and letting my IQ and flexibility converse. I’m prepared for any alternative they throw at me.
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KS: That I gave it every little thing I had, each follow, each recreation, each movie session. That I beloved the sport and confirmed it by how I performed and the way I handled folks. I wish to be remembered as a man who introduced power, who cared, and who made folks round him higher. Not simply somebody who scored or made performs, however somebody who left a constructive influence on each staff, each locker room. If I can end my profession with no regrets and relationships I constructed by the sport, I’ll be proud.
