Leading off today: Cornwall junior running back Tyree Smallwood has opted to skip the most hectic part of recruiting and verbally committed to play football for Syracuse University in 2011, The Times Herald-Record reported yesterday.
"I want this season to be about concentrating on winning a championship," Smallwood said. "Now my teammates won't have to deal with this."
Smallwood said he also had offers from Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Maryland and Michigan. He has been told be could line up at running back, receiver or in the secondary with the Orange.
The 5-foot-11, 173-pound standout was a NYSSWA third-team all-state choice in Class A last fall after scoring 27 touchdowns to lead Cornwall to its fifth straight Section 9 title. He ran for 1,549 yards in just 174 attempts.
Galasso earns national honor: West Islip senior Nicky Galasso, who piled up 500 career points and won four NYSPHSAA Class A championships with the Lions, was selected MaxPreps.com's first national player of the year in lacrosse. The award is sponsored by the U.S. Air Force.
Galasso scored 66 goals and 70 assists during a 21-1 senior season that concluded with a 13-5 victory over Fairport in the NYSPHSAA championship game at SUNY Stony Brook. Galasso posted a goal and six assists in the game, in the process breaking the Long Island career points record.
Culver turning pro: There's no way the New York Yankees were going to invest their first-round pick on an un-signable prospect, and now Chris "Cito" Culver has confirmed the obvious. The Irondequoit shortstop, taken with the 32nd pick of baseball's draft last week, told the Democrat and Chronicle he will not attend college.
Culver signed a letter of intent with Maryland in April when he was regarded as a fourth- or fifth-round prospect at best, but says he recently told Terrapins coach Erik Bakich that he will go pro. "He was very understanding," Culver said. "Coach Bakich is a great guy."
Culver will fly to Tampa, site of the Yankees’ minor-
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league complex, for his physical and meetings with the organization brass and then return home for his high school graduation over the weekend.
Culver appears to be one of 13 New York high school players selected in the draft. The others are:
Mike Antonio, George Washington SS, third round (Kansas City).
Robbie Aviles, Suffern, P, seventh round (Cleveland).
Christopher Bates, Regis, P, 15th round (Milwaukee).
Jonathan Bobea, Francis Lewis, P, 19th round (L.A. Angels).
Jonathan McGibbon, Lindenhurst, 1B, 29th round, (Seattle).
Melvin Garcia, Bronx Monroe, 33rd round (Toronto).
Esteban Gomez, Bishop Ford, 1B/P, 35th round (Houston).
John Franco Jr., Poly Prep, SS/P, 42nd round (N.Y. Mets).
Joe Carcone, New Hartford, INF/OF, 47th round (Houston).
David Roseboom, LaSalle-2, P, 47th round (Boston).
Thomas Pecoraro, Half Hollow Hills West, P, 48th round (Houston).
Alexander Simone, Syracuse CBA, OF, 49th round (Milwaukee).
California led the way with 93 players selected, followed by Florida (66) and Texas (46).
Extra points: If Steve Lavin is going to rebuild St. John's into a basketball power, he has a good idea where to start. The new Red Storm coach reportedly has offered a scholarship to dynamite guard Tavon Sledge, coming off a big junior season for state Class AA finalist Half Hollow Hills West. . . . Dave Whitcomb's appointment as football coach at Fairport could be added to the board meeting agenda tonight. Whitcomb has been coaching at Geneva, where he won a NYSPHSAA Class B title in 2006.
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