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[[Category:1996 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Nederland, Texas]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Texas]]
[[Category:American basketball coaches]]
[[Category:American basketball coaches by state|Texas]]
[[Category:American motivational speakers]]
[[Category:American motivational writers]]
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Corey Sanders (Corey Classic) |
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|---|---|
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| Born |
Corey Sanders November 21, 1996 |
| Other names | Corey Classic |
| Occupation(s) | Basketball coach, author |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Spouse | Dalel Ben Belaid (m. 2023) |
Corey Sanders (born November 21, 1996), known professionally as Corey Classic, is an American basketball coach, author, and former exhibition player from Nederland, Texas. He is best known for his work as a show-style basketball performer and coach, as well as the author of the motivational sports novel Nothing but Grit: From Small Town to City Streets.
Early life and education
[edit]
Sanders was born in Nederland, Texas, and grew up in East Texas, where he began playing basketball at a young age. According to 12NewsNow, he aspired to become a Harlem Globetrotter while still in high school, earning national recognition for his advanced ball-handling and showmanship skills.[1]
Coaching and playing career
[edit]
In 2022, The Daily Sentinel reported that Sanders served as a head coach at a Top-40 junior-college showcase event, where he worked with collegiate athletes from across the nation.[2]
Earlier, The Beaumont Enterprise profiled him as a show-style basketball performer pursuing opportunities on professional entertainment teams inspired by the Harlem Globetrotters.[3]
His creative mix of trick dribbling, coaching, and motivational performance led to his nickname “Corey Classic,” which he continues to use professionally.
Later in 2017, DailyTrib.com reported that Sanders was hired as head boys’ basketball coach at First Baptist Christian School in Marble Falls, Texas.[4]
Sanders is the author of Nothing but Grit: From Small Town to City Streets (2024), a motivational sports novel following a young underdog basketball player overcoming adversity and personal struggle, inspired by Sanders’s own path as a player and coach.[5]
Sanders stands 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) tall. He married Dalel Ben Belaid in 2023. He resides in Texas and continues to mentor athletes and coach.
