Twiggy Sanders facts for kids
James "Twiggy" Sanders is a retired American basketball player and coach. He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. Twiggy is famous for playing with the legendary Harlem Globetrotters for many years. After his playing career, he became a successful coach for different teams and schools.
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Early Basketball Days
Twiggy Sanders started playing basketball at Ligon High School. He was a fantastic player there! He earned many special awards, including:
- All-Conference honors
- All-State honors
- All-American honors
After high school, Sanders continued to shine at Johnson C. Smith University. He was so good that he was voted onto the CIAA All-Tournament team in both 1973 and 1974. This means he was one of the best players in the tournament! He earned his college degree in Physical Education in 1974.
Becoming a Harlem Globetrotter
In 1974, James Sanders joined the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters. This was a huge step in his career! The Globetrotters are known for their amazing basketball skills and entertaining tricks. Twiggy played with this iconic team for 17 years, showing off his talent all over the world. He retired from the team in 1991.
Coaching and Teaching
After his incredible time with the Harlem Globetrotters, Twiggy Sanders continued to share his love for basketball. He became a coach for many teams.
Coaching Basketball Teams
- He was the head basketball coach at Bonner Academy in Raleigh.
- He coached the Raleigh Cougars in the United States Basketball League (USBL) for two years.
- He worked as an assistant coach at Morris Brown College for two years.
- In 2004, Twiggy Sanders became the very first head coach for a new team called the Maryland Nighthawks. This team was part of the American Basketball Association.
Teaching in Schools
Twiggy also enjoys working with young people in schools. He is a substitute teacher at schools like Carnage Middle School in Raleigh, North Carolina. He even used to be the basketball coach at Carnage Middle School!
Family Life
Twiggy Sanders has three children. His son, Monty Jackson, is also involved in basketball. Monty is currently the Director of Operations for the men's basketball team at Elon University in North Carolina.
