TOWSON, Md. – Nakye Sanders doesn't have to look far for motivation.
A quick glance at the tattoo on his right arm makes Sanders smile. That's where the names of his immediate family members along with the phrase "Beautiful Struggle" permanently rests.
There's his dad, Corey, on his upper arm. He has both of his brothers names, Nakeem and Donte, inked on his inner forearm right below the elbow. Then at the base of his wrist in big letters is "Maureen" with the picture of an anchor coming from the name. That's mom.
"She's my everything," Sanders said following Tuesdays practice. "She's the person that ties it down and that's why I have the anchor there. She's just my everything.
"Everything I do is for my family. Everything that my family has been through, I feel like I owe them my all to go out there and give 100 percent each time to step on the court. I lost my father at a young age (in a motorcycle accident) so I play for him. I also have a brother that's locked up right now and he's the reason why I wear the number 20 because that's his favorite number and I started playing basketball because of him."
Life hasn't been easy for Sanders, a 6 foot 8 inch redshirt junior forward of the Towson University men's basketball team.
Fortunately for Sanders, his older brother, Nakeem, played a huge role in lifting his spirits and getting him focused.
"He was my main father figure in my life after my dad passed away." Sanders said. "I was shocked for a long time (after his father's passing). I was 15 and I didn't say much to anybody for almost a whole year. I started drifting off and that's the main reason why my brother is so close to me. He saw me starting to drift off and he made sure I stayed right with basketball. It got me here."
Here is Towson after playing two years at Duquesne.
After sitting out all of last year because of transfer rules, Sanders averaged 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds this season for the Tigers, who begin the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament presented by Jersey Mike's Saturday against James Madison Saturday at 4 p.m. in the first round inside of the North Charleston Coliseum.
Sanders struggled early to get comfortable after a year of being away from competitive hoops. He became frustrated. He fouled often. He even got down on himself a few times. Fortunately for Sanders, he knew he could always turn to his brother for guidance, support and inspiration.
"He would tell me to 'take my time and you know how to play the game," Sanders said. "He also told me to 'be comfortable and let the game come to you because I know how hard you've worked.' He knows how hard I am on myself and that's another reason why he felt I was struggling early on. He reminded me that, 'you're going to make mistakes, you sat out a whole year so let that feeling of a game come back to you and stop trying to force it."
Sanders has taken his brothers advice to heart because he finished the regular season with a flourish. He's contributing 11.4 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game over the Tigers' past five games. Sanders had consecutive double-doubles against Drexel (career best 17 points, 10 rebounds) and Hofstra (16 points, season best 11 rebounds). He also scored 13 points and pulled seven rebounds against Northeastern.
"Being able to talk to my brother is important to me because I know he's not going to sugar coat nothing," Sanders said. "He's going to be cut and dry. He knows how to calm me down and when to get on me. It helps me a lot to have somebody I can relate to. He talks to me a lot about basketball and how hard I need to keep going. He's always that extra energy boost I need right before a game or when I don't feel like going to practice. He always tells me to keep pushing and he leads me in the right way."
Majoring in communications, Sanders wants to play professionally once he earns his degree from Towson. When his playing days are finished, Sanders plans to fulfill what he believes is his obligation of transforming lives.
"I love basketball so much that I honestly want to coach," Sanders said. I've seen the impact that coaches have had on my life that I would love to do that. I know how much I care about people and giving back. I would love to take a group of kids and change their lives like some of the mentors in my life did for me.
"All the people I know like my brother and so many kids I grew up with are at home and I am here still chasing my dreams. I have a chance to wake up every day and do what I love and get a free education, so I know I am extremely blessed."
