Former Tampa Prep star Sanders arrested by Tampa PD

Posted Jan 14, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Jan 14, 2012 at 10:17 PM

Former McDonald’s All-American Casey Sanders, a former Tampa Prep hoops star and member of Duke University’s 2001 national championship squad, was early Saturday morning on a charge of driving under the influence.

Sanders, now 32, was released Saturday afternoon from the Hillsborough County jail after posting a $500 bond. Tampa police arrested him at 2:59 a.m. this morning near Howard and Swann avenues, a popular nightclub and bar area in South Tampa. According to the arrest report, Sanders’ blood alcohol level was above .15 percent. The legal limit is .08 percent. Typically, the higher percentage of alcohol in the blood, the more intoxicated the individual is and the more severe the offense is.

In 1999, the 6-foot-11 Sanders was voted Mr. Florida Basketball and a Parade All-American as a senior at Tampa Prep, where he finished with more than 2,400 points and 500 blocked shots. Sanders played on the USA Basketball men’s junior national team and was one of 10 finalists for the Naismith male prep player of the year award. He was even spotlighted in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd.”

During his Duke career, Sanders started 34 games, including the NCAA title match against Arizona, and averaged 4.7 points and 5.3 rebounds his senior season. Despite great promise coming out of high school, Sanders’ career never really soared at Duke and, after graduation, he went undrafted by the NBA.