At 6-foot-8 Kobe Sanders is a swingman with guard expertise and a defensive edge, as he turned heads all yr at Nevada. Sanders solidified his inventory on the 2025 Portsmouth Invitational Event, the place his really feel, dimension, and maturity stood out resulting in an invite to attend the 2025 NBA Draft Mix. Sanders grinded his method by means of Cal Poly, evolving from a job participant into the crew’s engine by his senior yr. The transfer to Nevada gave him the stage and system to scale up as he thrived in a hybrid position
Sanders isn’t only a former mid-major hidden gem climbing draft boards, he’s the newest 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 faculty 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 following technology. 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 better look per HoopsHype’s Draft Workout 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 ground as a rotational wing and the instruments to do extra, Sanders trending up as a reputation to observe late within the first spherical.
In a sit-down with HoopsHype, Sanders opened up about battling by means of the lows at Cal Poly, embracing the reset in Reno, how his recreation developed below a brighter highlight and extra.
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KS: I began highschool at about 5-8. Me and my brother at all times educated to be guards, watching little guards like Allen Iverson and Marcus Paige. My dad had us learning movie, educating us to assume the sport like level guards. Then yearly, I hit a progress spurt, by senior yr I used to be 6-6, and now I’m 6-8. However whilst I grew, I by no means misplaced that mindset. It was a blessing.
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KS: Undoubtedly. Yearly my position modified. As a freshman, I used to be attempting to play protection and hit photographs. Sophomore yr, I turned extra of a defensive man. Junior yr is once I actually took the helm, I ran the offense, was the chief, facilitator, level guard. My senior yr, I did all the pieces, I used to be the primary 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 a whole 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 a lot of the yr 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 crew wanted. That flexibility got here from how I used to be raised. My dad at all times advised me, “If you wish to be an actual level guard, you must know each place, know what every man is pondering and the place they must be.” That formed how I view the sport. So studying totally different positions didn’t simply assist me alter, it made all the pieces simpler. My IQ saved evolving.
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KS: It was a easy transition as a result of I’d already achieved that type of shifting earlier in my profession. However the huge factor was protection. I knew early on that to get on the ground, I needed to defend. My sophomore yr, me and a teammate would problem ourselves to select up full courtroom each time we checked in. I used to be guarding guys 94 ft, smaller guards, simply attempting 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 lots, not everyone will get that chance. I talked to my agent and folks round me, they usually all stated, “Go be you.” That caught. You see a whole 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 method with out forcing it.
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KS: That’s the fact of professional basketball, you don’t at all times get to select your position, so I’ve been getting ready for something. My journey hasn’t been simple. I went by means of some actual lows at Cal Poly, and people moments taught me grind. I’ve needed to struggle by means of shedding streaks, robust practices, robust stretches mentally, however that constructed me up. I’ve received 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 received 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 capturing it properly or end sizzling, however by no means actually maintain it throughout a full yr. 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 area 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: Taking pictures, for positive. Individuals look at a stat sheet and assume they know your shot, nevertheless it doesn’t at all times present the entire image. In exercises, I’ve been capable of actually present groups the best way I shoot, the footwork, the discharge, the power to hit off motion. Plenty 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: Development, in each sense. Being round a successful tradition once more helped reset me. Coach Steve Alford runs robust practices, high-level, structured, detailed. Coach Noodles is similar method. You’ve received to indicate up locked in daily, no excuses. I discovered be constant, be a frontrunner, and increase the usual for myself and my teammates. It wasn’t nearly basketball, it was about being reliable each single day. That modified my method to all the pieces.
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KS: It means all the pieces. 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 received hoopers within the metropolis, however we don’t at all times get the highlight. So I’m carrying three names: Cal Poly, Nevada, and San Diego. I wish to symbolize all three the precise method and open the door for the following child who’s being neglected.
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KS: It gave me starvation. San Diego doesn’t at all times get love as a result of we’re proper below LA, and town type of will get slept on. However we’ve received expertise, actual hoopers. Being from there made me play with a chip on my shoulder. I knew I needed to work twice as laborious simply to get seen. And even now, I carry that with me, that pleasure, 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: Undoubtedly Norman Powell. He was that man. I bear in mind watching him play at Lincoln Excessive, then seeing him go to UCLA, and ultimately 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 can truly 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 regarded 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 crew there. Earlier on, once I was youthful, I performed for San Diego Choose. That crew had a whole lot of dudes who went on to play at a excessive degree, like Chibuzo Agbo and Ziaire Williams. We had critical expertise. These video games have been intense, they usually compelled me to boost my degree. It was aggressive daily. That early AAU expertise helped form my mentality, put together, compete, and play in opposition to high guys.
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KS: I picked Cal Poly initially to remain nearer to residence. I’ve at all times been actual shut with my household, that bond is all the pieces to me. However after going by means of what I did at Cal Poly, Nevada felt like the precise reset. It was nonetheless on the West Coast, however simply far sufficient that it was a brand new atmosphere. It wasn’t simple being away from residence, however my “why” was my household, my religion, was at all times only a telephone name away. They saved me grounded. That shift gave me area 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 research a whole lot of Jalen Williams from OKC. He performs the sport the precise method, he’s easy, managed, performs each ends, and doesn’t pressure something. He creates area, scores inside 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 atmosphere I wish to be in, the place IQ and belief matter.
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KS: I take items from a whole lot of guys. CJ McCollum, his potential 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 at all times calm below stress. Defensively, I watch how greater guards use their size and anticipation to influence performs. I’m at all times watching, looking for the little issues, particulars most individuals miss and determine 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 cell. On the courtroom, I’m working towards being each the handler and the screener in actions, pick-and-roll, DHO, off-ball motion. Defensively, I’m guarding 1 by means of 4, studying totally 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 position, execute it, and do it with power. That’s what retains you on the courtroom.
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KS: Little doubt, my time at Cal Poly. Shedding 39 straight convention video games, that does one thing to you mentally. You begin to query all the pieces, 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 means of that, it made me more durable, extra centered, and hungrier than ever.
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KS: Completely. At Cal Poly, you began to really feel that shedding turned regular for some guys, and that’s harmful. It kills your power, your fireplace. At Nevada, that tradition flipped. Day-after-day, 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 fireplace. Whether or not we have been up or down, my effort by no means modified. That atmosphere helped me rediscover myself and jogged my memory of what I really like in regards to the recreation.
Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Photographs
KS: Staying sharp in each space. Staying in form bodily, but in addition maintaining my thoughts clear. Groups wish to see if I can guard a number of positions, if I can hit photographs, and if I could make the precise 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 crew? I’ve simply centered on being myself and letting my IQ and flexibility communicate. I’m prepared for any alternative they throw at me.
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KS: That I gave it all the pieces I had, each follow, each recreation, each movie session. That I cherished the sport and confirmed it by means of 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 crew, each locker room. If I can end my profession with no regrets and relationships I constructed by means of the sport, I’ll be proud.
