Former Davis High guard Josh Sanders to walk on with Weber State men’s basketball
In this Jan. 5, 2018, photo, Davis High guard Josh Sanders dribbles the ball in a game against Layton High School in Layton.
In this Jan. 23, 2018, photo, Davis High's Josh Sanders goes airborne to save the ball from going out of bounds during a game against Weber in Pleasant View.
Josh Sanders left on his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hoping to keep playing basketball when he returned. He had interest from junior colleges when he left but had no set plans for where to play.
Now, he’s taking an opportunity to walk on to his hometown team.
The former Davis High guard says he’s walking on to Weber State men’s basketball for the 2020-21 season.
Sanders is a 6-foot-3 guard and native of Kaysville. As a senior in the 2017-18 season, he led Davis in scoring at 16.1 points per game, adding 4.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest.
BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner
In this Jan. 5, 2018, photo, Davis High guard Josh Sanders gestures during a game against Layton High School in Layton.
He returned home from his mission in the Philippines at the end of March, a few months earlier than planned due to the coronavirus pandemic. He reached out to Weber State coaches via email and eventually was offered a spot to walk on to the team.
“Growing up here, we had season tickets to Weber State basketball games, watching Damian Lillard and guys like that,” Sanders said. “So when I got the chance to go there, it was a little bit meant to be.”
Walk-ons don’t have glamorous roles. They spend much of their time playing on the scout team to help scholarship players prepare for each opponent.
Sanders said he’s prepared for that reality and chose to walk on instead of pursue scholarships at other levels.
“Academically, I think I’ll have some scholarship money so that kind of played into it. But the big thing, the hometown stuff, it kind of just sunk in with me that I wanted to play here,” Sanders said. “The coaches have been really great, they’ve been straightforward.
“My plan is just to work as hard as I can and help the team win games, whether that’s helping the team during practice or working really hard in the weight room. I’m ready to just work hard and help the other guys succeed.”
Sanders described himself as “more of a shooter” in high school but, thanks to “a lot of good people willing to help me out,” has spent lots of time in the gym and feels he’s developed a more all-around game in the last few months since returning home from missionary service.
He plans to join the rest of the team in July to begin workouts and will study business administration.
Sanders ostensibly represents the last addition to Weber State’s roster, which will have 13 scholarship players and four walk-ons. After the busiest recruiting offseason in at least 15 years, 12 of the roster’s total 17 players will be new to the program.
Below is a breakdown of WSU’s 2020-21 roster by class. Walk-ons are denoted with an asterisk.
SENIORS: Dontay Bassett, Isiah Brown, Kham Davis, Michal Kozak, Bálint Mócsán
JUNIORS: David Nzekwesi, Tavian Percy, Zahir Porter
SOPHOMORES: KJ Cunningham, Darweshi Hunter, Donatas Kupsas, Seikou Sisoho Jawara, Jake Furgerson*
FRESHMEN: Dillon Jones, Mitch Brizee*, Hunter Humpherys*, Josh Sanders*