Josiah Sanders on his newfound leadership and brotherhood as regular season begins
Josiah Sanders, a Sophomore Guard and Colorado native entering his second season for the Colorado Buffaloes, is ready to expand on the momentum he created during the second half of last season.
Sanders was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, where he graduated from Cherokee Trail High School academically, but played basketball for Colorado Prep. Sanders ended his high school career as a four-star recruit and was rated unanimously as the No. 1 recruit in Colorado for the 2025 class. He averaged 23 points, six rebounds and five assists at the Elite International Basketball Conference (EIBC), and led Colorado Prep to a near-upset over the No. 3 team in Prolific Prep, scoring 38 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for his team.
Sanders entered his freshman year for the Buffs as a 6 '5, 210-pound guard who became one of two Buffs to play in all 33 regular season games. Sanders averaged 4.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He was ranked as the second-best offensive rebounder and fourth for total assists among the Buffs’ roster.
Sanders ended the season with seven starts in the last 12 games, and during his first start on Nov. 1 against the TCU Horned Frogs, Josiah recorded a career-high 12 points and six assists in a thrilling home win.
“I feel like those were pretty important games, not just for the team. But for myself as well,” Sanders said. “I learned so much during my Freshman year and was able to apply it at the end…I feel like, when I was starting those last games, I had a bigger role and carrying it over into this season is gonna be important.”
College basketball is expanding and adapting every season, yet one of the most prolific shifts in college hoops and even at the professional level is the uptick in the 3-point shot rate. The NCAA has been reporting a record high in 3-point shot attempts over the past couple of years, nearly a 40% average for all recorded field goal attempts. The Alabama Crimson Tide shoot the 3-ball 54.4% of the time, and the Big 12 powerhouse Texas Tech Red Raiders shoot it 47.5% of the time.
Because of this, when asked about what Sanders needs to improve on from last season, he pointed to his 3-point shot as the skill needing the most work.
“Honestly, It’s gotta be the 3-ball,” Sanders said. “Everything else is gonna open up from that. If I’m able to do that, then teams are gonna have more trouble with not only me, but just the rest of the team.”
Not only has the 3-pointer made a huge difference in playstyles for the NCAA, but so have the integration of NIL and the transfer portal. Last year, over 2,600 Division I players made the switch to another team. Colorado specifically is experiencing a new squad with new additions/transfers such as Noah Fedderson and Justin Neely.
Because of the new transfers, Sanders has had to adapt to new faces and playstyles in only a matter of months during the offseason to prepare himself and the team for November.
“I feel everybody’s pretty open to learning our system,” Sanders said. “I feel like we have a really close-knit group and that’s something that’s gonna help us in the long run this year.”
With new faces and playstyles, the Buffs are capitalizing on their newfound brotherhood to prepare themselves for the NCAA tournament this coming March. The men’s last appearance was in 2024 when the Buffs made a memorable run to the round of 32 where they got bounced by the No. 2-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles, losing by just four points.
While the Buffs didn't make the tournament last year, Sanders and the squad know what needs to get fixed in order for the Buffs to represent a tough Big 12 conference.
“I feel like the main thing is defensive rebounding,” Sanders said. “I feel like if you can do that, you give yourself a chance on any night. We have talent on offense, but at the end of the day, everybody’s gonna have an off-day at some point.”
After an interesting offseason and becoming a leader as a second-year player for the Buffs, Sanders' player profile stands out to Colorado fans because of his loyalty to the state. Sanders talks about how special the team’s brotherhood is and emphasizes the Buff legacy that so many talented athletes left behind for Sanders to continue.
“I mean, I feel like what’s special is just the brotherhood we have here,” Sanders said. “If you see one of us, you're gonna see another one of us. And so I feel like we're always together, doing things; that's what’s really special to me.”
With the regular season approaching, Sanders and the Buffaloes will have their first regular season game on Monday, Nov. 2, at the CU Events Center against the Abilene Christian Wildcats. After a long offseason and a few exhibition games, Sanders claims the squad is ready for the opportunity and is impressed with their preparation.
“I feel really good,” Sanders said. “I feel like the first two close scrimmages and exhibition games were good for us, and especially for me individually, just trying things out…We’re coming off a pretty good couple of weeks, so to carry that momentum into Monday will be big.”
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