2007 Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Ron Sanchez was recognized as a 2019 Alumni of Distinction by the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association.  Sanchez was one of 20 honorees at a ceremony that took place on Friday, Oct. 4^th.
 
Sanchez is a 1997 graduate of SUNY Oneonta where he starred on the basketball team for four seasons. He earned State University of New York Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship Most Valuable Player honors in 1996.
 
As a senior, Sanchez scored 621 points while leading the Red Dragons to the ECAC Upstate New York title.  Twice an All-Conference selection, Sanchez scored 1,264 points, grabbed 518 rebounds dished out 126 assists and had 117 steals during his career.
 
Sanchez will be entering his second season as the Head Coach of the UNC-Charlotte men's basketball program in 2019-20.  Sanchez became the 11th head coach in the program's history on March 19, 2018.
 
Prior to taking over the 49ners, Sanchez was an integral part of three-time National Coach of the Year Tony Bennett's staff for 12 years building Washington State and Virginia into national powers winning multiple conference titles and making numerous appearances in the NCAA tournament.  While at Washington State, he played a major role in the recruitment of NBA All-Star Klay Thompson.
 
Before being promoted to an assistant at Washington State, Sanchez spent three seasons as the program's director of basketball operations from 2003-06. Prior to those three years, he spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Indiana. While at Indiana, Sanchez earned a master's degree in athletic administration/sports management. During his two seasons at Indiana, the Hoosiers reached the NCAA Tournament Championship game in 2002.  
 
Sanchez began his coaching career as an assistant coach at his alma mater for the 1998-99 season. Then, he was the associate head coach at Delhi College (N.Y.) for two years (1999-01). In the 2000-01 season, Delhi won 31 games, captured the Region III championship and finished fourth in the National Junior College Athletic Association Championship Tournament.
 
Not only has he enjoyed success as a college basketball coach but in the summer of 2013, Sanchez was an assistant coach for the Dominican Republic National Team, which finished fourth at the FIBA Americas Championship to qualify for the 2014 FIBA World Championships for the first time since 1978.
 
About the Award
The Alumni of Distinction honor recognizes just a few of the thousands of alumni who have made significant contributions to society, and whose accomplishments, affiliations, and careers have honored the legacy of excellence at the college. This honor illustrates the great value of the academic experience and increases the pride alumni, students, staff, and faculty have for the college. Selected from nominations submitted by faculty, staff, alumni, and friends, these individuals must meet the criteria below.
·         Completed a bachelor's or master's degree at SUNY Oneonta
·         Made professional contributions in their field and/or communities and through their achievements bring distinction to themselves and the college
·         Demonstrated leadership, character and service
·         Made significant impact in their area of expertise
·         Been recognized by their peers and community
·         Demonstrated leadership in philanthropic endeavors
·         Made significant contributions to community through volunteerism or philanthropic giving
·         Been an exemplary role model for others
·         All self-nominations require a letter of support from separate individual in addition to the written nomination noting the required criteria above