Rangers’ Jaylon Sanders signs with Mississippi Valley State

Photo: Jaylon Sanders (seated, center) is joined by his family as he signs with Mississippi Valley State. Sanders played a pivotal role in the Rangers’ lineup for three seasons, averaging 14.9 points per game this season. (Brian Oakley/nwccrangers.com)

First member of the 2022-23 team to sign with four-year program

After a strong three-year career at Northwest, sophomore guard Jaylon Sanders is heading to the Division I level next fall.

Sanders, a native of Southaven, signed with Mississippi Valley State, becoming the first member of the 2022-23 squad to ink with a four-year program. He is also the seventh four-year signee for Shane Oakley since taking over the head coaching reins for the 2018-19 season.

In his three seasons at Northwest, Sanders’ swan song campaign was the best, as he started all 23 games and averaged 14.9 points per game. Sanders scored 20-plus points in six games this season, including a career-best 29 at Meridian on Feb. 18. He also scored in double figures 19 times this season.

After missing the first half of last season, Sanders took the floor just in time for the start of conference play, averaging 7.2 points per game in 15 games. His best performance that season came in a Feb. 14 battle at Southwest Mississippi, where he scored 19 points to help lift the Rangers to a crucial late season victory.

Sanders’ freshman season came as part of a COVID-19 shortened schedule in 2021, where he started in nine of 13 games, averaging 9.8 points per game. He reached double figures in six games that season, including a season-high 17 points in a double overtime home loss to Holmes.

Sanders is the first Northwest alumnus to join the Delta Devils’ basketball program, which competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).