Ref Sanders sti c By PAUL HELGREN He never played in the pros or even in college, and he was only an assistant high school coach for a couple of years. But some people will come a long way to hear Sandy Sanders teach basket- ball. By the same token, Sanders himself has come a long way to become such a respected teacher of the game. Sanders, who earned his masters degree in administrative supervision from Michigan in 1977, is a true sports entrepreneur. Besides refereeing many college and high school basket- ball games in southern Michigan, he also runs a local summer basketball league comprised of both college and professional players, and runs his own basketball and football camps. IT'S NO WONDER why he recently gave up his position as the assistant football coach at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School. There are only 24 hours in a day, after all. The success of Sanders' sporting en- deavors appears to be growing. For example, last summer a group of youngsters came all the way from Sweden to participate in his basketball ce. He exnects his football camp. love was sports." SO HE transfered to Michigan to get his degree in health and physical education. And while he did not play in any sport ("I was a real good athlete but . . . I was picking, screening, and rolling while the kids from the big cities were doing 360s"), he did stay involved by refereeing basketball. "Officiating is a sport in itself, really," Sanders said. "It's a career, something you can do 'til: you're 55 or so. It really makes you stay in shape." His rise in the officiating world was meteoric. By the time he was 20, he was refereeing games for the Pontiac Chaperelles of the old Continental Basketball Association. Not long after that he was also officiating high school and college games. Around the same time he became involved in officiating in summer camp leagues, an experien- ce which would later help him establish his own summer camp. He also served as the assistant basketball coach at Huron High for three years. BUT THE greatest influence on his life came in graduate school in 1975-76 when he did research for a national assessment of juvenile corrections in- stitutions. The study had an impact on the eventual government decision to close down many juvenile institutions in favor of halfway houses. It also had a personal impact on Sanders. "It made me want to devote my life to helping kids any way I could," said Sanders. "I went all over the country and I found most of these kids weren't bad, they just needed direction and guidance. That's why I like being in- volved in sports. It gives me a chance to work with kids and help them out a little." One kid Sanders helped out was a Jamaican by the name of Valentine Notice, beginning when the youngster was 14. Sanders helped Notice work on his basketball skills and encouraged him to get an education. "HE WASN'T ready for college ball," Sanders said of the Jamaican, "but he got his degree (from Eastern Michigan.) After that I encouraged him to give European basketball a try. He winded up having a successful career over there." Notice spread the word in Europe about his American mentor. A coach in Sweden heard about Sanders and arranged a trip to the United States so that his young team could learn from him. "I was very honored," said San- ders. "Those kids worked for six mon- ths so they could come here." If his basketball camp is a source of pride for Sanders, so too is his summer basketball league. Sanders formed his league two years ago, because of what he perceived as a lack of good com- petitive basketball in the Ann Arbor area. The teams are made of professional players like Terry Tyler, ks to irs John Long, and Alan Hardy, as well as many collegiate stars, including nearly the entire Michigan basketball team. The games, which are played at Pioneer High, are school yard hoops at their very best, with lots of running and jamming,; but of course very little defense. AFTER TWO successful summers, Sanders is planning to expand the league to include coaches. he also hopes to create a women's league. "I knew if we could get past that first year, it would really take off," Sanders love said. Because Sanders gets to see the Michigan players closely over the off season, he feels he has a good idea on how they will perform. His prediction for this year? "I'm excited about this year's team," Sanders said with obvious enthusiasm. "Hey, I'm an alum. I think they're going to be a great team. I think the chemistry is right this year." Perhaps this is one of the few times when most Michigan fans would agree with the ref. which he started last year at Spring Ar- bor College, to expand to 150 kids, up from 60. And he is planning on adding coaches to his competitive summer league next year, as well as adding a women's league. With so much hap- pening, Sanders barely has enough time left to spend with his newborn daughter, Gabriel. But Sanders doesn't mind the harried pace because it keeps him in touch with this "first love" - sports. There was a time, however, when Sanders thought that art - not sports - would be the ob- ject of his life's goals. "MY PARENTS didn't really like my headlong approach to sports," said Sanders. "So they encouraged trying a variety of things." So Sanders gave art a try and it quickly paid dividends. In his senior year at Muskegon Reese-Puffer High School, a Sanders' sculpture won him = art scholarship sponsored by actor Vincent Price. He attended Northwood Institute filled with dreams of becoming a great artist. But harsh reality soon sunk in. "They (art teachers) wanted me to concentrate on commercial art," San- ders explained. "You know, selling Chevys and Buicks. That wasn't for r2e. It was then that I realized my first Athletes fight for a rebound in Sandy Ann Arbor Pioneer High School. Daily Photo by DOUG McMAHON Sanders' summer basketball league at 3AirIE!Ik DarLr Why do fraternity men fare 'so poorly in Gridde picks? You see, fraternity men always pick the best rushing teams, because those are the teams with the most members. They never pick teams like Notre Dame or Penn State because they believe all independents are losers. A frat rat thinks a fair catch means leaving Charley's with an average looking girl. Sorority girls don't do much better. They like to pick teams from the Atlan- tic Coast Conference because that's where their summer home is. They don't like to pick teams from the Big Ten because it reminds them how many pounds they are overweight. Top the Greeks. Turn in your Gridde picks at the Daily offices or at Pizza Bob's on S. State or Church. Deadline for all picks is midnight Friday. R l6M 1. Iowa at MICHIGAN (pick score) 2. Illinois at Purdue 3. Michigan State at Ohio State 4. Indiana at Wisconsin 5. Minnesota at Northwestern 6. Colorado at Nebraska 7. Texas at SMU 8. Arizona at Stanford 9. West Virginia at Penn St. 10. Kentucky at Georgia 11. South Carolina at LSU 12. USC at Notre Dame 13. Tulane at Southern Mississippi 14. Maryland at Duke 15. Pittsburgh at Navy 16. Oklahoma St. at Kansas 17. Colgate at Wyoming 18. Princeton at Harvard 19. Sacramento St. at Humboldt St. 20. Iowa Chicken-hawk eyes at DAILY LIBELS Any time's a wild time when you add the great taste of Two Fingers... and this wild Two Fingers T-shirt! 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