Deion Sanders is not happy with daughter Shelomi Sanders' return to SWAC basketball

Former Jackson State women’s basketball player Shelomi Sanders is transferring from Colorado to Alabama A&M to play for newly hired head coach Dawn Thornton.

Sanders made the announcement on YouTube, posting a video in which she said, “I am about to commit to Alabama A&M." During the video, she FaceTimed Thornton and told her of her decision.

Her father, Colorado and former Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders, was not happy with her decision to leave Boulder, Colorado.

“Which was stupid,” Deion Sanders said. “You get a team before you enter the portal. That’s what I would advise a child. I know it’s illegal, c’mon, c’mon. Everybody knows somebody that knows somebody, that knows somebody. You kind of want them to do something. … And she truly has been advised.

"You have to understand. I am a real father; I am a real man and a real dad. Where I come from and historically, kids follow their parents. When do parents start following their kids? That doesn't work in my book. That does not work where I am from. I am the leader of the family, I have been dictating where my kids go, not them dictating where I go.”

Thornton was hired at Alabama A&M on April 6. She coached the past five years at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

“Shelomi is just what we need on 'The Hill,'" Thornton told the Clarion Ledger on Friday. “Not only does she want to make a name for herself, but we also have the platform and the resources for her to do it. She is well-known for her game behind the arc, and I love big guards that can score the ball. She has great athleticism and will make it very hard for teams to zone us. Shelomi's commitment and determination will send her potential through the roof.”

Shelomi Sanders played at Jackson State under former coach Tomekia Reed, on a team that went 22-10 in 2022. She saw action in two games playing nine minutes and attempted five shots while scoring two points.

Sanders will have three years of eligibility left. At Colorado, she played five minutes and hit a 3-pointer against Air Force.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Deion Sanders not happy with daughter's return to SWAC basketball