The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

ANOTHER in the pipeline of Bahamians to matriculate through Sunrise Christian basketball programme has been afforded the opportunity of an NCAA Division I basketball scholarship.

Andre Sands took advantage of the early signing period when he officially signed his letter of intent to attend Sam Houston University and join the Bearkats programme this fall.

Sands, a Grand Bahama native, is a 6-8, 250-pound forward who spent the past two seasons with the Casper College Thunderbirds in Casper, Wyoming where he averaged 6.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

Casper posted a 22-8 record. Sands shot 53 per cent from the floor and produced 12 games with seven or more rebounds.

As a JuCo transfer, Sands will enter Sam Houston as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining with the Bearkats. He joins a Bearkat programme led by head coach Jason Hooten.

“We’re excited about Andre becoming part of our Bearkat family,” Hooten said. “He is a big, strong player who has a physical presence under the boards we really like.”

Sands is Sam Houston’s third signee for the 2015-16 season and coach Wooten said it is a part of a larger plan to replace outgoing big men from the 2014-15 season.

“Andre is going to help fill the void left by the graduation of Michael Holyfield,” Hooten said. “He plays hard and works to get better every day. We really like his toughness and his motor. He has tremendous upside. He has been well-coached under Dan Russell at Casper and his coach at home, Darrell Sears, who coached former Bearkat Antuan Bootle.”

Sands is Sam Houston’s third signee for the 2015-16 season. Previous signings have been Marc Fortin, a 6-9, 230-pound post play from Cegep De Sainte-Foy in Quebec City in Canada and Ameer Jackson, a 6-4 guard from Dodge City Community College in Kansas.

In Grand Bahama, Sands was a member of a powerhouse Sunland Stingers team that made back-to-back appearances in the Hugh Campbell final.

Following his tenure with the Stingers, Sands joined the Sunrise Christian Academy programme under head coach Kyle Linstead.

Sands was one of several Bahamians on the Buffaloes roster alongside Buddy Hield, Lourawls Nairn Jr, Travis Munnings and Nathan Bain.

Following his high school career, Sands spent his freshman season at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.

Of the aforementioned group, four of the five have gained scholarships to NCAA DI programmes thus far.

Hield completed his junior season for the Oklahoma Sooners, Nairn was a freshman at Michigan St, and Bain signed his letter of intent to join the Stephen F Austin University Jacks programme for the Fall 2015 semester.