The college basketball community was stunned when Shelomi Sanders, daughter of NFL legend Deion Sanders, announced her unexpected departure from the University of Colorado to transfer to Alabama A&M. Her decision to join head coach Dawn Thornton's squad has sparked conversation and speculation throughout the sports world.
In a candid Instagram live session, Shelomi shed light on her reasons for leaving Colorado, stating, “I don’t want to say anything too bad. It just wasn’t good energy. It wasn’t good vibes. There wasn’t enough being poured into me as a player and young lady. If I didn’t leave when I did, I promise you I would’ve quit.”
Her father, Deion Sanders, known for his no-nonsense attitude, was less than thrilled about her abrupt departure. “It was stupid,” he remarked during an interview with DENVR Sports. “You get a team before you enter the portal. That's what I would advise a kid. I know, ‘Well, it's illegal.' C'mon, man. Everybody knows somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody. You kind of want them to do something, and she has been truly advised.”
Despite the family dynamics involved, Deion was quick to clarify that Shelomi’s decision does not affect his commitment to coaching at Colorado. “You've got to understand I'm a real father,” he asserted. “Where I come from, historically, kids follow their parents. When did parents start following the kids? That doesn't work in my book. That doesn't work where I am from. I am the leader of the family. So, I've been dictating where my kids go. They're not dictating where I go. I'm happy. I'm cool. I'm sound in Boulder. I love it 100%. We're going to build a monument. You see those mountains over the stadium? I want my head on one of them.”
The discussion continued on YouTube, where Pilar Sanders, Shelomi's mother, responded to Deion's comments in April. Joined by Shelomi, she highlighted the challenges Shelomi faced during her recruitment process. “Shelomi was never given a fair chance to really get recruited, okay? Because when recruitment started out of high school going into college, and she was having colleges and universities starting to contact her, but the minute they did—”
“Everyone already thought I was going to JSU,” Shelomi interjected.
Pilar elaborated, “People who are in sports have a certain level of respect just because of the time that [Deion] did in the NFL and in baseball and whatever, and we were told about that. Coaches told me about that, coaches told other professional athletes that we know about that, so that completely stopped Shelomi short of having the whole experience of being recruited, which I thought was very unfair.”
In the video, Pilar Sanders was very complimentary of Shelomi making her own choices about her career.
“Since Shelomi has taken the lead of her own life, there have been many teams that have reached out. So, thank you everyone. Thank you, thank you to all who have contacted her and the people assisting her too. She's navigating through this transition seamlessly. It's not stupid. What's ignorant are the comments being made about Shelomi. She's doing beautifully, wonderfully. Coaches want her, teams want her, and she's happy. She's experiencing what it's like to be a wanted player, something she didn't get to experience before.”
Shelomi's basketball trajectory includes being a standout prospect in high school, where she earned first-team All-District honors for District 10 6A in Texas at Rockwall-Heath High School, with impressive averages of 16 points, six rebounds, and three steals per game in her senior year. However, her college career hasn't mirrored her high school success, with minimal playing time at both Jackson State and Colorado—only appearing in two games at Jackson State and five games at Colorado.
Now, she heads to Alabama A&M to once again compete in the SWAC as the conference looks to find who will build the next dynasty following the departure of Jackson State head coach Tomekia Reed to Charlotte.
Follow Us
Subscribe