Notre Dame Hoops Offers Versatile 2020 F Tony Sanders
The Notre Dame men’s basketball program isn’t finishing chasing prospects in the Class of 2020 just yet as evidenced by the offer the Irish sent out to 2020 Florida forward Tony Sanders on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-7 prospect from Miami’s Gulliver Prep also counts Florida State, Georgia, South Carolina and Dayton along with some Ivy League programs on his offer sheet.
Sanders plays for Game Elite Florida on the adidas Summer Circuit and head coach Russ Powell points to the intangibles.
“Honestly, it has nothing to do with basketball,” Powell says of Sanders’ potential. “It’s his maturity and just the way he goes about things on a day-to-day basis, which carries over to the basketball court. He’s a hard worker in life in everything he does period.
“Obviously, he loves basketball tremendously, so he works hard at that as well. He’s honestly one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever been around and one of the most mature kids I’ve been around. He just works extremely hard at his craft and everything he does.”
He’s obviously gifted as well.
“He has a really good game,” says Powell. “He can score it on all three levels. I think one of his best attributes is going to be how he’s able to defend a lot of different positions being 6-7 and having long arms. He can literally guard the 1 through the 4 positions in some cases.
“I think his versatility is one of the things Notre Dame likes in him. He’s one of those guys they can play at a few positions.”
Powell spoke with Sanders shortly after receiving the offer from the Irish and believes it’s one he’ll look at closely.
“I think he will definitely consider it,” Powell says. “For him, it’s about taking his time and going through the process and seeing what’s a great fit for him. When I talked to him, he was pretty excited about getting an offer from Notre Dame.”
With no in-person recruiting allowed now because of COVID-19 concerns, Sanders can’t rush to do anything, but it isn’t clear if he’ll be able to visit South Bend before needing to decide.
“I think there are a lot of kids who are being put in that position with the circumstances that have been given to them right now,” Powell says.
“I think he and his parents do a great job of being informed on the schools that are recruiting him. They’re getting familiar with all of the staffs that are recruiting him and then just going from there.”