The survivors are San Miguel Beer’s Art Long, Alaska’s Galen Young and Coca-Cola’s Mark Sanford. It’s no coincidence that their squads are hovering at the top of the 10-team heap.
Of the three standouts, Sanford is the least known. Long was a high-profile star at the University of Cincinnati and played for four teams in three National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons. Young was the Milwaukee Bucks’ second round pick in the 1999 draft and finished his North Carolina at Charlotte varsity career as the school’s all-time No. 3 scorer, No. 2 shot blocker and No. 4 rebounder.
Sanford, measured at 6-7 1/ 4, is averaging 34 points and 13.3 rebounds in nine games for the Tigers so far. He’s hitting .423 from the field, .333 from three-point distance and .713 from the line. The 220-pound forward has led Coca-Cola to three straight wins entering the game against Sta. Lucia Realty in Zamboanga City tonight.
Nicknamed "Big Dawg," Sanford isn’t shy to admit he’s a force to reckon with on the court. In his PBA bio-sheet, he opted to skip detailing his honors from basketball and just scribbled "too many." Sanford, 28, was born in Dallas. His full name is Eumarkjah Tywan Sanford which, according to writer Jeff Faraudo, has Biblical connotations. "My mom (Beverly) is the only one who calls me by that name," once said Sanford, quoted in the Seattle Spokesman Review. "She just kind of threw it together."
When Sanford was 14, he was devastated by the brutal murder of his father who was shot twice at close range. His mother was in the line of fire when shots rang out at the Lincoln Prep parking lot in San Diego. Sanford was then a junior in high school.
Losing his father made Sanford more determined to excel in the game he loves. As a senior prepster in 1993-94, he averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds to blossom as a highly-touted college prospect.
University of Washington coach Bob Bender recruited Sanford whom he called "the steal of the country." Bender said, "he’s got a great understanding of the game and the flexibility to play all over the floor." Bender described Sanford as "a natural in the wing, a thin player (who) just needs to have more attention to detail." Writer Andy Katz said Sanford is "a versatile swing forward who could elicit instant excitement."
Sanford didn’t waste time proving his worth as a Huskies starter. As a freshman in 1994-95, he averaged 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds. Sanford shot .428 from the field and .603 from the stripe. He was the Pacific-10 Conference’s top freshman scorer and third overall in rebounding. In six of his last eight games that season, Sanford scored at least 20 points. He created a stir after hitting a buzzer-beating layup to lift Washington to a 74-73 overtime win over the University of California at Berkeley. Sanford wound up the second highest scoring freshman in campus history.
That summer, Sanford saw action for the US team that placed seventh at the World Junior Championships in Athens.
Washington, incidentally, was the same school that produced NBA star Detlef Schrempf and former PBA import Eldridge Recasner.
As a sophomore, Sanford hit at a 16.5 clip and erupted for 35 points in games against Jackson State and the University of Southern California. Writer Jonathan Dalton said he "developed the potential to take the Huskies on his back and carry them to victory." Sanford led Washington in scoring in 14 of 28 outings as the Huskies raised their record from 9-18 to 16-12.
After two years at Washington, Sanford decided to turn pro and played at the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago. But he eventually withdrew his application. "I know the NBA watches everything," he said. "They want to see what type of person they’re going to get."
Apparently, Sanford felt another year of college play would prepare him better for the pros. He used the extra season to work on his defense, ballhandling and perimeter offense.
"Thank God he used his head and made the right choice," said his mother after Sanford postponed his jump to the pros. "I’m just glad to see it’s more balanced for him now."
In 1996-97, Sanford averaged 17 points and eight rebounds as a Washington junior. He hit .484 from the floor and .698 from the line. Sanford posted seven double-doubles and grabbed a career-high 15 boards against Oregon State. He led the Huskies in scoring in 15 of 28 games and compiled 61 assists, topping the 58 total from his first two years combined. Clearly, Sanford’s game had matured.
Sanford, a sociology major, renounced his final year of varsity eligibility and applied for the NBA draft in 1997. He was picked on the second round by the Miami Heat over the likes of Bubba Wells and Talk ‘N’ Text import Jerald Honeycutt.
Sanford never made it to the NBA although he had close calls with the Heat, New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Lakers. But he distinguished himself overseas, leading his team to titles in Belgium and the Dominican Republic. Sanford has also suited up in France, Japan, Denmark, Israel, Venezuela and Spain. His resume includes stints with the Harlem Globetrotters and in the Continental league and the American Basketball Association.
Sanford was ecstatic when he powered the Tigers to an 88-85 win over previously unbeaten San Miguel Beer at the Big Dome last Sunday. At the final buzzer, he approached Purefoods import Eddie Elisma, watching at courtside, and slapped palms. But Long—-who collected 39 points and 30 rebounds—-was unimpressed, growling, "it don’t matter, we’re still No. 1."
Sanford, who scored 51 points against Shell in a losing cause, has been held to his lowest totals in two San Miguel games. He was limited to his conference-low 19 points in the Tigers’ 100-73 loss to San Miguel last March 18. Then, Sanford fired "only" 23 last Sunday but his consolation was the Tigers finally pulled the rug from under the Beermen.