Albany, NY — Former Sage men's basketball player, Elva Shelton (St. Louis, MO) has continued his career in the United Kingdom. Shelton, who played for the Gators from 2015-2017, is now playing as a member of the Derby Spartans in the BUCS League.
Shelton is working on his master's degree in Max information technology at the University of Derby and hoping to bring home a league championship to his new team.
Head men's basketball coach Brian Barnes said of Shelton, "Our entire Gator family is incredibly proud of Elva taking the next step in his basketball career." Barnes added, "Elva's work ethic and leadership were instrumental to our 2016-17 team being crowned Skyline Conference regular season North Division Champions. We look forward to following the Derby Spartans and wish them much success this season and beyond."
As a senior with the Gators, Shelton averaged 9.5 ppg with an impressive 54.8 shooting percentage from the floor. He played in 47 games with Sage from 2015-2017 and arrived at Sage in 2015 after previously playing at Lindenwood-Belleville and Sinclair Community Colleges.
With the conclusion of the 2016-2017 basketball season, Sage's men's basketball program and several individuals were ranked nationally among the top performers for the season. By year's end, Sage earned a 17-10 record, while also bringing home the 2017 Skyline Conference Runner-up Trophy after winning the league's North Division III regular-season crown.
The Gators were ranked in 32 different statistical categories, while also standing in the Top 100 programs charted in 14 areas. Among the top national rankings for the Gators, Sage was 15th in forced turnovers (18.48), 21st in steals per game average (9.9), No. 22 in total steals (266), 29th in three point field goal percentage defense (31.0%), as well as 34th in both blocks per game (4.7) and field goal percentage defense (40.6%).
Shelton joins former Sage men's basketball players, Marcus Patterson, Chris Kidd, and Ryan Sager who have all continued their basketball careers following their time at Sage with a professional contract to their credits.
