Legendary basketball coach John Wooden often would preach the following message to his UCLA players: “Happiness begins where selfishness ends.” If Coach Wooden were looking for a present-day role model to exemplify the timeless truth of his words, he would have to look no further than Furman University senior basketball player Nicholas Sanders.

“He is one of the most giving athletes I’ve ever seen,” says Furman head basketball coach Larry Davis, who has coached Sanders for the past four years. “People are always coming up to me telling me how they have been blessed by something that he has done for them.”

The results of Sanders’ giving lifestyle are noticeable to Davis and others. “I’ve never seen him having a bad day,” Davis notes. “Every day he has a smile on his face, and he doesn’t seem to have the constant highs and lows that you see with other athletes.”

The 6’7” Sanders is the most experienced member of the Paladin basketball team and clearly is the squad’s emotional leader. He is described in the Furman basketball media guide as an “unselfish, blue-collar performer and vocal leader”—a description that fits Sanders both on and off the court.

Shortly after arriving on the picturesque Furman campus in Greenville, S.C., in 2001, Sanders began his involvement with the Furman FCA at the encouragement of former teammate and current FCA staffer, Ryan Carson (see below). When Sanders began attending Furman’s FCA meetings there were only about 20-25 regulars. Now as the president of the Huddle, Sanders has seen that number grow to approximately 150. This includes participation from student-athletes in nearly every sport.

According to Assistant Athletic Director Chris Colvin, who also serves as the Furman FCA faculty representative, the leadership provided by Sanders and others has been the catalyst for the growth and impact of FCA on campus.

“Nick has a very giving mindset,” says Colvin. “His personality has transformed the basketball program at Furman, as well as helped transform the perception of FCA on campus.”

Sanders’ generosity with his time and talents has extended beyond the grounds of the Furman campus. In the summer of 2004, Sanders led an effort to bring an FCA Camp to a group of inner-city youth in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in Greenville. He recruited teammate Cedric Price to help him lead a basketball day camp for a group of middle school boys who might not otherwise have had the opportunity to experience an FCA Camp.

“Working with those kids made me feel like there was nothing more valuable that I could have been doing with my time.” Sanders says of the camp. “It was amazing to see in just a short amount of time how the kids responded to having a positive male influence in their lives.”

Typically, the life of a Division 1 college basketball player is extremely busy. Classes, basketball practices, studying, conditioning workouts, film sessions and other campus responsibilities severely limit an athlete’s amount of free time. Sanders, however, prioritizes his life with a ministry focus. Whether it’s speaking at a local elementary school during a drug-awareness week, discipling a group of high school students on Sunday afternoons, or giving his energy to the Furman FCA leadership team, Sanders makes time for others.

“I believe that if you are blessed with certain gifts and abilities, then you have a responsibility to share those with others,” Sanders reflected. “There is great joy that comes from knowing that you may have the ability to impact someone’s life in a positive way and be a part of what God can do in their lives.”

Sanders, who began his involvement in FCA as a freshman at Leavenworth (Kans.) High School says that his favorite verse in the Bible is Philippians 4:13, “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” He confides that this verse helped him through challenging times, including a season-ending knee injury his senior year in high school and the anxiety he faced as an 18-year-old when he chose to attend a college that was a thousand miles away from his friends and family.