Sanborn, Henson and Palombo grab honors for Guilford College Quakers

Guilford’s Tyler Sanborn was named the D3hoops.com South Region Player of the Year and Quakers’ head coach Tom Palombo was named South Region Coach of the Year Tuesday. Guilford’s Clay Henson earned first team all-region honors. Sanborn is Guilford’s third South Player of the Year, joining former teammate Ben Strong ’08, who captured the prize in 2007 and 2008. Palombo’s prize is his second D3hoops.com South Region Coach of the Year honor in three seasons.

Guilford plays defending national champion Washington (Mo.), a 79-64 winner over previously unbeaten St. Thomas last Saturday night. Tip-off is 5:00 p.m. Friday March 20 in Salem, Va. Ticket books for the four weekend games are on sale in Guilford’s Athletics Department. Tickets cost $25, $12.50 for students. Individual game tickets will not be on sale at Guilford, but through the Salem Civic Center.

Guilford rallied to defeat Texas-Dallas last Saturday night, 64-59 in overtime, to advance to the NCAA Division III national semifinals for the first time in school history. The Quakers trailed by 12 points with 5:27 left in regulation before the comeback started. Clay Henson forced the extra period with a leaning three-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining in the second half. Sectional Most Valuable Player Tyler Sanborn led the Quakers with 18 points and 13 boards.

Nearly 2,000 fans gathered the Quakers’ Jan. 31 win over Randolph-Macon College, which capped Guilford’s Basketball Legacy Weekend. Six former basketball student-athletes were honored with retired jersey numbers and the Ragan-Brown Field House game court was dedicated in honor of former men’s basketball coach Jack Jensen. Men’s honorees included Dan Kuzma ’64, Bob Kauffman ’68, M.L. Carr ’73 and World B. Free ’76. Elizabeth Parker Haskins ’76 and Laura Haynes Spainhour ’98 were honored from Guilford’s women’s team Friday night.

Former Guilford standouts Ben Strong ’08 and Caleb Kimbrough ’08 signed professional basketball contracts after graduating from Guilford. Stron plays with the Maccabi Haifa Heat of Israel’s Ligat HaAl. Kimbrough with the Washington Generals, best known as the opposition to the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters.