Monty Sanders completed his fifth season as an assistant coach at Elon in 2017-18. A 2009 Elon graduate and former captain of the Phoenix basketball team, Sanders returned to Elon as the Director of Basketball Operations in August of 2010. He was promoted to an assistant coach on the Elon men's basketball staff in the summer of 2013.
Elon completed its fourth season as a member of the CAA in 2017-18 and Sanders' guidance helped junior forward Tyler Seibring earn All-CAA Second Team honors for the second straight season and a spot on the NABC All-District 10 Second Team. Seibring was also rewarded with his work in the classroom with a second-straight Academic All-America selection, as well as the CAA's Dean Ehlers Leadership Award, which is presented annually to the men's basketball student-athlete who "embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity and sportsmanship in conjunction with his academic athletic achievement." The Phoenix had three players reach 1,000 career points, as Seibring, Dmitri Thompson and Dainan Swoope all reached the milestone. Elon finished the season with eight or more wins in non-conference play for the fourth consecutive season, which included the program’s first win over an American Athletic Conference opponent in South Florida, a victory over defending 2017 CIT Champion Saint Peter’s, and a win over 2018 Big South Champion Radford. Elon was also ranked as high as 22nd in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll and was ranked in the poll for three weeks. With the assistance of Sanders, the Phoenix showed a lot of balance offensively as four of its five starters averaged double-figures in the scoring column. Defensively, the maroon and gold ranked first in the league allowing CAA opponents to only shoot 44.8 percent from the field. Additionally, senior Dmitri Thompson reached the final four of the Dark Horse Dunker fan vote contest, missing out on the 2018 State Farm College Slam Dunk Championships by one round.
During the 2016-17 campaign, the Phoenix finished fourth in the CAA, which was ranked the 11th-best conference in the nation. Elon got off to hot start and began the season with a 6-1 mark, the best start in 29 years for the program. The Phoenix cracked the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll on Nov. 23, 2016, holding a spot at No. 23 for two straight weeks. Elon finished first in the conference only allowing CAA teams to shoot only 41.7% shooting from the floor. For the season, opponents shot 31.9% from three-point range, which ranked second in the league. Sophomore standout Tyler Seibring became the second player under head coach Matt Matheny to earn Academic All-America honors. Seibring was also named to the All-CAA Second Team and was selected as the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year. For the third straight season, the Phoenix shined in the classroom and had a league-high four student-athletes on the CAA All-Academic Team. Elon also picked up big wins during the season, earned a road win against South Florida and won the NIU Thanksgiving Classic, defeating Northern Illinois, UIC and Cal Poly to win the championship.
In its second season in the CAA, which was ranked the ninth-best league in the nation during the 2015-16 campaign, Sanders helped an Elon squad of 18 players with 10 underclassmen to 16 wins and an increase in total league victories. For the second time during Elon’s Division I era, the team finished with a winning road record of 8-7 overall. Only the 2013-14 team finished with a wiining record on the road with a 7-6 mark. Under the coaching staff's guidance, freshman forward Tyler Seibring earned a spot on the CAA All-Rookie team, the 11
th player in the program’s Division I era and fifth under the head coach to earn the honor. For the second consecutive season, the Phoenix shined in the classroom and had a league-high three student-athletes on the CAA All-Academic Team. The senior class of Tanner Samson, Tony Sabato, Sam Hershberger and Wes Brewer ended their career with 70 wins - the most by a senior class during the school’s Division I era.
In its inaugural season in the CAA in 2014-15, Sanders helped Elon to a 15-win campaign following a season in which the team graduated four seniors with 1,000+ career points. Sanders helped the Phoenix to the quarterfinals of the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship after the maroon and gold topped Towson in the first round in overtime. Elon also shined in the classroom, putting a league-high three student-athletes on the CAA All-Academic Team. The senior class of Austin Hamilton, Kevin Blake and Ryan Winters ended their career with 69 wins – the most by a senior class during the school’s Division I era. Elon ended the year winning four of its last five games.
In 2013-14, Sanders helped the Phoenix to an 18-14 record, including an 11-5 mark against league competition. The team's eight-game winning streak tied the 2012-13 and 2005-06 teams for the longest winning streak during Elon's Division I era. Elon finished the year with four 1,000-point scorers on its roster in Lucas Troutman, Jack Isenbarger, Sebastian Koch and Ryley Beaumont, becoming only the third school in the nation to accomplish such a feat. Elon ended the year ranked first in the conference in free throw percentage (87th nationally) at 72.3 percent and second in the league (34th nationally) in threes per game at 8.0.
In 2012-13, Sanders helped the maroon and gold to 21 victories and the Southern Conference North Division title. Elon also made its first-ever postseason appearance at the Division I level in 2013 when it earned an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).
Prior to returning to Elon, Sanders served as an assistant boys’ varsity basketball coach at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh and the head coach of the Garner Road Basketball Club AAU 15U boys’ team.
“We are very excited to have Monty Sanders as a part of our staff,” said Elon head coach Matt Matheny. “Monty loves Elon and his knowledge of not only the school and the basketball program, but the Elon community, makes him a valuable addition to our team.”
Sanders was a two-year letter winner on the Phoenix basketball team, serving as a team captain his senior year. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in two seasons at Elon after transferring from the University of Richmond following the 2005-2006 campaign. Sanders scored a career-high 21 points while adding nine rebounds in a 2009 Southern Conference Tournament victory over Wofford.
“My time as a student-athlete at Elon was one of the best times of my life,” commented Sanders. “I’m extremely excited to be back in this community and working with the program that I poured my blood, sweat and tears into.”
Sanders served as a leader away from the basketball court at Elon as well, serving on the Student Athlete Advisory Council from 2007-2009. He was the brainchild behind the annual “Phoenix Field Day” for inner city youth of Burlington, a program that has continued to be successfully run by Elon student-athletes. Sanders graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Concentration in Marketing.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity in a better place, and I’m extremely lucky to have the opportunity to learn under such a great staff,” said Sanders. “Coach Matheny has the ball rolling on something special here at Elon and I can’t wait to contribute.”
Sanders and the former Page Hall were married in May 2016. They have a daughter named Emmerson Sloane Sanders, who was born in January 2018.
