Fresno State Athletics
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East to West, Better than the Rest -- Chris Sandy
2/13/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. - From Brooklyn, N.Y., to Westark, Ark., to Fresno, Calif., junior Chris Sandy has taken an unlikely western route to play Division I basketball. But as Sandy noted, it was all about opportunity.
"It has always been my goal to play for Division I college basketball for a big time coach and possibly be a Top 25 team," Sandy said.
As for the obscure path to stardom, Sandy said he simply chose the schools he had the chance at.
"Anyone that knows city colleges knows that you're going to go where you have the best opportunities. I went to Westark because I felt it was there that I had the best opportunity," Sandy said.
Sandy was recruited by many other prestigious colleges besides Fresno State, including UConn, Hawai'i, St. John's, Boston College, Rutgers and UNLV. Though UConn stuck out in his mind as a possible choice, he ultimately chose Fresno State. Sandy based his decision on coaching and because he felt is would be with the Bulldogs that he would have the best opportunity.
No one was happier than Sandy himself when he finally got the break he had worked for -- his first game which came Dec. 27 versus Hawai'i.
After sitting the first semester in order to meet NCAA requirements, Sandy lived out his dream of playing Division I basketball. While the other Bulldog players saw court time a full two months before him, Sandy kept focused by practicing hard.
"I just worked out every day with coach [John] Welch," Sandy said. "I knew that I didn't do anything wrong, so that just motivated me to come to practice every day and work hard so when I had the opportunity to play I would be ready."
While the wait was long, Sandy's patience paid off on the court. Sandy's presence was key in filling a hole at point guard, a position junior Travis DeManby, normally a shooting guard, dutifully played at the season's start. In addition to the contributions Sandy made at one guard, he also played a role in achieving mental team balance. Each player was able to feel confident in their shoes at their respective position.
In his first Division I start, Sandy remembers being very excited and a little nervous. Sandy played 28 minutes in his first game where he scored seven points. It took him no time at all to improve leaps and bounds. Just two weeks later against Nevada, Sandy scored a season high 21 points.
Sandy is the WAC leader in assists. After Fresno State's home game against Louisiana Tech, Sandy was averaging 6.57 assists in league games, and had 10 assists three times. His played his best game against Nevada where he set or matched personal bests in field goals (7), three-point field goals (2) and rebounds (4).
Not only does Sandy make plays offensively, he is also defensive leader. He nabbed four steals against SMU, and is averaging two steals per game.
Sandy has reached his goal of playing college basketball, but he's not satisfied yet. "I am happy with where I am, but I definitely want to improve my skills and my game," Sandy said.
While playing for Westark City College, Sandy was selected the Region 2 Player of the Year and named to the National Junior College Athletic Association second-team All-America squad. He guided his team to a 30-4 record and fifth place finish at the NJCAA national tournament, where he was selected to the NJCAA all-tournament team.
Sandy played one full season of basketball at Newtown High in Brooklyn, N.Y. He led his team to a 26-1 record and was named All-City in 1998. He was the runner-up for New York City Player of the Year.
Fresno State hosts two more conference games before embarking on its last road trip to play Louisiana Tech on Feb. 21, and SMU on Feb. 23. The Bulldogs play San Jose State and Hawai'i at home in their last regular season games. The WAC tournament will be held in Tulsa, Okla., March 5-9.
