Saline’s Jonathan Sanderson finds beauty in pressure of being basketball phenom

SALINE – Jonathan Sanderson welcomes the pressure.

After having one of the best freshman seasons in the state of Michigan last year and earning more than a dozen Division I basketball offers, the expectations only increased for Sanderson entering his sophomore year with Saline.

But unlike other underclassmen who may have shied away from the spotlight, Sanderson has walked into it, and has become of nation’s top sophomore guards.

How does he do it? It’s simple to Sanderson.

“I just love the journey,” Sanderson said. “Just putting in the work. I find it’s pure beauty and I love it.”

Sanderson’s game has been a thing of beauty for the Hornets, who are off to a 9-2 start this season.

The 6-foot-2 guard is averaging well over 20 points per game and has had scoring outputs of 30, 32, 40 and 51 points this year, all while being the focal point of opposing defenses.

“The gameplan is usually on me,” Sanderson said. “It’s almost every team, but we just gotta cut off that. What (the opponents) do, we have to counter.”

The Hornets counter with a solid cast of players around Sanderson, who take some of the load off the 4-star recruit each night.

“It is easier, but at the same time, all of (the opponents’) game plans are to stop Jon,” said Saline coach Michael Marek. “We have to play chess with them and counter. We’ve got a cast around him and we’re young, which means we have a bright future.”

The future is bright for the Hornets and Sanderson, who continues to climb the ranks of the best players in the country at his position.

And those expectations haven’t been overwhelming for Sanderson, who knows that all eyes are on him to deliver each time he steps onto the floor.

“My mindset always going into the game, even though it’s cocky or confident, is just I don’t feel pressure,” Sanderson said. “Pressure will build me. It will help me out. I like the crowd; it helps me out overall.”

Sanderson’s cool demeanor has helped him earn Power Five offers from Michigan, Indiana, Virginia and Illinois, among many others.

“It’s been an awesome experience overall just going to each school and checking them out,” Sanderson said of the recruitment process. “I’m truly blessed.”

With all the added expectations and weight on the young standout’s shoulders, he hasn’t shown any signs that he will be slowing down any time soon.

“I don’t think anything’s different,” Marek said. “He’s still doing what he does. He loves the game, and he perfects it because of how much he loves it.”