Mark Sanford (basketball)

Eumarkjah (Mark) Sanford

Mark Sanford
Forward Guard
Personal information
Date of birth	February 7, 1976 (1976-02-07) (age 35)
Place of birth	Dallas, Texas
Nationality	USA
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
College	Washington
NBA Draft	1997 / 31st overall
Selected by the Miami Heat
Pro career	1997–2008
Career history
Miami Heat (1997-1998) Sacramento Kings (1999-2000) New Jersey Nets (2002–2003)
Career highlights and awards
1994 McDonald All-America Nom 1994 Gatorade All-America 1994 Parade All-America 1995 Sporting News NCAA All Freshman Team 2nd 1995 All Pac 10 Freshman Team 1995 2nd Team All Pac 10 1995 Under 21 USA World Games 1996 1st Team All Pac 10 1996 Honorable Mention All-American 1997 1st Team All Pac 10 1997 AP All-American 1997 John Wooden Award Finalist
Stats at NBA.com

Mark Sanford.

Mark Sanford (born Eumarkjah Tywan Sanford) February 7, 1976 in Dallas, Texas), is an American professional basketball player, formerly for the University of Washington, Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, and New Jersey Nets.. He is currently The Head Women's Basketball Coach at Northwood University (Florida Campus).

Personal life

Mark Sanford was born in Dallas, Texas to Beverley and Richard Sanford. He is the second oldest of five children, Richard, Anthony, Zakirah, and Crystal. In his early years he was a big football fan. He played and was coached by his father Richard until his untimely murder in 1990. Richard Sanford never saw his son play basketball. When he died, Mark was 14 years old, stood 5 foot 8 and played football. Mark told his father that he would play in the NFL, but in his heart - even back then - he felt he would never leave the impoverished neighborhood of South Oak Cliff, Texas. In the year following his father's death Mark grew 8 inches going from 5'10 to 6'6. He stopped growing at 6'10.

High school career

Mark attended Dallas Carter High School and did not start playing basketball until he was in the tenth grade. In his first year of playing organized basketball Mark won a share of the Sophomore of the Year award with Maceo Baston of Spruce High School. Half way through his Junior year he transferred to Carter's cross town rival Kimball High School. That year he led Kimball to an undefeated record the second half of the season while averaging 26ppg 14rebs and 4blk. Their only loss came in the Championship game to Waco High School. Kimball finished the season ranked number 6 in the Southwest.

The Summer after Mark's Junior year his mother moved him to San Diego California where he enrolled into Lincoln High School. He led Lincoln Prep to the city of San Diego's first ever State Championship. Along the way he collected numerous honors from California State POY to All-State and All-American. He ranked 22nd nationally by Parade All-America in the class of 1994. Mark was voted the MVP of the San Diego City All-Star Challenge after managing a record 10 3pts on 13 attempts and amassing 48pts. In 1996 He was inducted into the San Diego Sports Hall of fame. In his brief High School Career he scored 2,373 points, grabbed 1,059 rebounds, and 413 blocks.

College career

Mark Sanford goes on offense.

At the University of Washington, Sanford played for the Washington Huskies. He played three seasons with the team before he entered the 1997 NBA Draft. Originally, Mark had intended to declare for the 1996 NBA Draft, but he withdrew his name from consideration. He played a total of 82 games for the Huskies scoring 1319 career point.

It did not take Mark long to get into the Husky record books by scoring 15 points as a true Freshman in the 1st game/start of his career. In doing so he amassed the most points ever by a player in their 1st game. He is the fastest Husky to score 500 points doing so in just 32 games. He amassed 37 career 20+ point games and scored his career high of 35 points twice against USC and Jackson State, both during his sophomore year.

Mark led the huskies in both scoring and rebounding in his Sophomore and Junior seasons. In his true Freshman year, he led all Pac 10 Freshman in scoring and rebounding. After his Freshman year he was invited to try out for the Under 19 Junior World Games in Athens, Greece. At the trials amongst other notable player such as Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Kerry Kittles, Vince Carter, Stephon Marbury, Tim Duncan, and Marcus Camby, Sanford finished in the top 3 in 5 statistical categories (1st-scoring, 1st-steals, 2nd blocks, 2nd-FGP, 3rd-rebounds) becoming the first player to rank as high since Charles Barkley who finished number 1 in the same five categories.

He is the first player to ever leave the University of Washington early for the NBA draft . He was ranked 13th on Washington's all-time scoring list after only 3 seasons and 82 games played. He was Washington's most recognizable Husky since Detlef Schrempf. He was the Huskies' Shawn Kemp - a crowd-pleasing, high-flying dunker capable of bringing fans out of their homes on a rainy December evening and into Edmundson Pavilion.

During Sanford tenure at Washington Season-ticket sales increased nearly 11.8 percent. Prior to his Sophomore season, Washington sold 3,261 men's season tickets. His Junior season, 3,701 were sold. Twelve Washington games appeared on cable television while two aired on network TV. The Huskies sold out home crowds against top-ranked Cincinnati, No. 11 Arizona and No. 13 UCLA.

When asked about the support and exposure for the program Sanford stated, "We've finally got the exposure this year after years when nobody cared too much about Washington basketball." He went on to say, "Now that we got the exposure and expectations, we need to win."

For his career he was a 2 time 1st Team All Pac 10 selection and 1st Team all Freshman. He was also an All-American selection following his Junior year. He's scored 1,000 points faster than any other Washington player, but his place in UW history had yet to be determined. When his career ended, he became widely remembered for his role in reviving Husky men's basketball. Had he not left school it is likely that he would have reach number 2 on the all-time scoring list. With one step he was known to have a 41" leap able to reach as high as 12'4".

Harlem Globetrotters

In 1999, during the strike-shortened NBA lockout season, Mark opted to join the Harlem Globetrotters. For his jumping ability, he earned the nickname "Airplane".

NBA

Mark Sanford was projected to be drafted as high as #11 to the Sacramento Kings in the 1997 NBA draft. Former Sacramento Kings Head Coach Eddie Jordan said that he thought that Mark Sanford was the best defender in college basketball and compared him offensively to Billy Owens. After putting Mark through a workout, former Indian Pacers Head Coach Larry Bird stated that he thought that "Mark Sanford was the most athletic and skilled player that he had seen enter the draft in the last 5 years".

Mark would later watched his stock plummet in the days prior to the draft after being involved in an altercation with his then agent. As a result of the altercation, questions about his character arose and he was eventually selected with the second pick in the second round (31st overall) by the Miami Heat.[1] After signing a guaranteed contract with the Miami Heat, he was injured in training camp and had to miss his entire rookie season.

In 1999 he signed a league minimum contract with the Sacramento Kings going by his middle name Tywan. He suffered another injury in training camp and was released in December upon his return. In 2002 Mark re-entered the NBA with the New Jersey Nets on another non-guaranteed contract after turning down two other non-guaranteed offers in previous years with Utah and New Jersey. He sustained another injury and left the NBA for good after his recovery mid-way through the season.[2]

International

Mark Sanford in midair.

Mark was a somewhat obscure player for most of his career but he was regarded as one of the best international players ever at the height of his career. In 2001 his agent Warren Legarie passed on an opportunity to play for Frankfurt of the Euroleague and sent Mark to play in Japan. A decision Mark said that he would later regret. That decision ended the working relationship with Warren as his representation. At 6'10 220lbs he was the fastest, most athletic, and most talented player on the floor on most nights. His 4 International Championships and 7 international Finals appearances are a testament to his abilities and the match-up problems that they caused. He possessed the speed of a point guard, the shooting ability of a prominent shooting guard, superior athleticism, and the ability to post on the block. He did a lot of his damage from the mid post taking advantage of his mid-range jumper and quick first step to beat defenders to the rim or creating space to get off one of his silky smooth jumpers. Mark has played basketball internationally for several clubs outside the US, including France, Belgium, Spain, the Philippines, Japan, and Australia, in which he played for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (Australia). Most everyone that watched him play knows that he had the talent but believes that his attitude and his decision making off the court kept him from being a star in the NBA. At times he was a very difficult player to coach.

His career scoring and rebounding averages in Europe and Asia combined are 24.4 points and 11.2 rebounds. He has help four teams win the Championship while failing in 3 other attempts.

For his International career he has twenty two 40+ point games and 3 games of more than 50 points with a career high of 57. Over a 6 year period he had at least one game in which he scored 40+ points. That streak expanded over 9 different countries. He once scored 41 points in 3 quarters of a game while making 10 of 11 from 3pt range and had another game in which he scored 51 points in 36 minutes(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDf8ftYJ7Y4). In another game he scored 32 straight points for his team expanding over 2 quarters finishing with 47 points. Because of his shooting ability he had numerous 30+ points game in which he did not attempt a single free throw.

Eurobasket Profile: He is an athletic forward who is not a long range boomer but is a pretty good 3pt shooter, and is at his best from 18 feet and in; is a very good catch and shooter; Possesses very good speed and quickness; very good leaper and slam dunker who loves to attack the basket; He is a pretty good rebounder who can play both small and power forward. His natural position is the 3 spot. He is also a really good defender from the 1-5 position. He declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft after his sophomore and junior season.

College Statistics

• 1994-1995: Washington (NCAA): 14.5ppg, 5.7rpg

• 1995-1996: Washington (NCAA): 16.5ppg, 6.1rpg

• 1996-1997: Washington (NCAA): 17ppg, 8rpg

NBA Statistics

• 1997: drafted and signed by Miami Heat (NBA, 2nd round).
• 1999: signed by Sacramento Kings.
• 2002: signed by New Jersey Nets.

European Career & Statistics

• 1998: Sunair Oostende (Belgium), was signed in Mar.'1998: 18.1ppg, 6.4rpg

• 1998-1999: La Crosse Bobcats (CBA): 4 games, 2.7ppg 1.2rpg, in Mar.'99 signed with Harlem Globetrotters for the summer season

• 2000: in Dec.'99 was signed by Évreux (France-ProA), but injuredafter 1 game: 21pts 11rebs,(dislocated shoulder) finally replaced in Mar.'00 by Dathon Brown due to injury: 13 games: 12.3ppg, 3.4rpg

• 2000-2001: Great Danes Magic (Denmark): the team created just for NEBLLeague games: 27.3ppg 13.3rpg 2.1apb 2.1spg 1.8blpg,

• 2001-Los Angeles Stars (ABA, starting five): 17ppg, 5.9rpg, 1.8apg, 1.2spg,2FGP: 49%, 3FGP: 40.3%, FT: 80.1%

• 2001: In June signed with Los Potros de Villa Francisca (DominicanRepublic): 14 games: 24.4ppg, 11.1rpg, 2FGP: 47%, 3FGP: 41%, FT: 72%

• 2001-2002: At the beginning of season was signed by Matsushita ElectricPanasonic Kangaroos (Japan-Superleague): Score-4(24.5ppg), 9.3rpg,3.1apg, 2.2spg, 2FGP: 51%, 3FGP: 38%, FT: 73%

• 2003: Played shortly at Hapoel Tel-Aviv (Israel-Premier League): 3games: 12.3ppg, 4.0rpg, 2ast, 1.0spg, FIBA Champions Cup: 2 games:16.0ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.0apg, 2.5spg, but decided not to join, in March '03agreed terms with CPN Pueblo Nuevo (Dominican Republic): 30.2ppg,12.7rpg, 1.8bpg, 2.1apg, 2.3spg, 2FGP: 52%, 3FGP 43%,

• 2003: In April was signed by Cocodrilos de Caracas (Venezuela-LPB):never played a game due to injury received in finals of (DominicanRepublic)

• 2003-2004: In Nov.'03 signed at C.B. Aracena-Ponts (Spain-LEB1): 10 games: 12.7ppg, 4.7rpg

• 2004: Coca-Cola Tigers (Philippines-PBA): Score-3(28.8ppg) 12.7rpg,2.3apg,1.4spg, 6 games of 40 plus points and 1 game of 51 pts,2FGP:43%, 3FGP: 36% FT: 63%

• 2004-2005: At the beginning of season signed at Sydney Kings(Australia-NBL): 36 games: 16.7ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.4apg, 1.2spg, in May'05 moved back to Coca-Cola Tigers (Philippines-PBA):Fiesta Conf: 10 games: Score-3(24.6ppg), 14.0rpg, 3.0apg,Steals-3(1.7spg), 1.0bpg, 2FGP: 42.3%, 3FGP: 29.4%, FT: 54.7%

• 2005-2006: Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut (Lebanon-Div.A), tested in Oct.'05, but chose not to sign, in Jan.'06 joined Sioux Falls Skyforce (CBA,starting five): 24 games: 15.0ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.5apg, 0.9spg, FG: 47.9%,3PT: 31.8%, FT: 69.3%

• 2006: Dubai- 12 games: 33ppg, 19rpg, 4blk, FG: 52.7%, 3pt: 41.1% FT: 79.7%

• 2006: Plaza Fernando Valerio (Dominican Republic-SRT)

• 2007: In January signed at Panteras de Miranda (Venezuela-LPB, starting five):

• 2007-2008: Before the season signed at Daegu Orions (Korea-KBL), but did not play due to an injury

Awards/Achievements

• Texas State Co-Sophomore of the year -92
• Dallas 2nd Team All DISD 10-5A -92
• Dallas 1st Team All DISD 10-5A -93
• Texas State 2nd Team All-State -93
• Parade Magazine All American -93
• Gatorade All-American Nominee-93
• Blue Chip All American Nominee -93
• High School McDonald's All-American Nominee-94
• Parade Magazine All-American -94
• Gatorade All-American -94
• Blue Chip All American -94
• Division 4 California State POY -94
• California State All-Star Game -94
• Sand Diego City All-Star Challenge MVP -94
• All State California-94
• Division 4 State Champion Lincoln Prep-94
• State Tournament MVP -94
• Pac10 All-Freshman Team -95
• Sporting News NCAA All-Freshman Team 2nd -95
• USA Under 19 World Games Athens Greece -95
• Pac10 2nd Team -Pre96
• Pac10 1st Team -96
• AP All American Nominee -96
• Pac10 1st Team -97
• John Wooden Award Finalist -97
• AP All-American Nominee -97
• Belgian Cup Winner -98
• Belgian Cup Tournament Most Outstanding Player -98
• Dominican Rep. League Champion -01
• Dominican Rep. Tournament MOP -01
• Dominican Rep. League Champion -02
• Dominican Rep. Tournament MOP -02
• Summer Pro League Los Angeles Finalist -02
• Santiago Regional Tournament Finalist -03
• Santiago Regional Tournament MVP -03
• Philippines PBA Fiesta Cup Semifinals -04
• Australian NBL Champion -05
• Australiabasket.com All-NBL Player of the Year -05
• Australiabasket.com All-NBL Forward of the Year -05
• Australiabasket.com All-NBL Import Player of the Year -05
• Australiabasket.com All-NBL 1st Team -05
• Australiabasket.com NBL All-Imports Team -05
• CBA Western Conference Runner-Up -06
• Santiago Regional Tournament Finalist -06
• Assistant Coach to NAIA College National Coach of the Year -11

References

External links

• NBA.com player profile
• Seattle Times article
• [1]
• [2]
• Sydney Morning Herald article

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Persondata
Name	Sanford, Mark
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	February 7, 1976
Place of birth	Dallas, Texas
Date of death
Place of death