Men's Basketball

James Saunders is a graduate of Union-Endicott High School Class of 2013. After high school, James attended SUNY Broome where he received his Associate’s in Criminal Justice and played on the men’s basketball team. During his sophomore season with the Hornets, he averaged 14.0 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game on 45.7% from the field. James stepped it up in conference play where he averaged 15.4 points per game and 5.9 rebounds. His most notable performance came in a tight 85-80 loss to Onondaga CC when he scored 28 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and added 1 block on 60% shooting from the field. Coach Saunders then accepted an opportunity to continue playing at SUNY New Paltz, where he played his final two years of collegiate basketball. In the 2016-17 season he averaged 13.9 minutes per game and shot 51% from the field. Saunders averaged 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. His most notable performance came when he went 7-for-11 from the field and scored a season-high 14 points against Fredonia State. James tallied five double-digit scoring outings that season.

After receiving his Bachelor’s in Sociology from SUNY New Paltz in 2018, James started his coaching career fresh out of college as a volunteer assistant with the SUNY Broome men's basketball team. He remained for one season in 2018-19. After volunteering as a coach for his church’s CYO boy’s JV basketball team in 2019-20, he was appointed the JV boy’s basketball coach at Harpursville High School for the 2020-21 season. Most recently, James was an assistant coach for the Chenango Valley boy’s JV basketball team where he assisted the head coach, and brother Patrick Saunders, leading the Warriors to a 12-3 record. James also has experience coaching AAU where he assisted newly appointed head coach Brendan Doherty with the City Rocks Binghamton program. Saunders was recently the head coach of the class of 25’ City Rocks Binghamton team.

After graduating from college, James spent time working with at-risk youth at the Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference. James then worked in the Harpursville School District as a Community Schools Coordinator, implementing the community school model employed by SUNY Binghamton College of Community and Public Affairs. Coach Saunders is currently employed by Broome County as a Probation Officer.