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Time was moving slower than ever on Wednesday to Sickles boys basketball standout John Henson.
Rated the No. 3 recruit in the country by ESPN, Henson had anticipated the early signing period for years, and at 3:25 p.m., he finalized his commitment to the University of North Carolina.
“It’s good seeing all of your hard work pay off and moving on to the next level,” Henson said. “I’ve been practicing my signature for a while.”
North Carolina men’s basketball coach Roy Williams anticipated Henson’s signing as well.
“We’re excited to have him,” Williams said by phone. “He’s a wonderful kid and he’s a darn good basketball player, too. Every time I’ve been around John, he’s passed every test with flying colors.”
Henson is UNC top recruit for the Class of 2009, rated by ESPN as the No. 1 incoming freshman class.
“We feel very fortunate to have this class,” Williams said. “John is something else.”
Henson, a 6-foot-10 power forward, will appear on ESPNU Friday at 5:05 p.m. to talk about signing with the Tar Heels. He’s also a finalist for the McDonald’s All-American Team. Although he will wear No. 33 this season, he may have to switch numbers at UNC.
“(Antoine) Jamison was No. 33,” he said. “They retire your number when you’re named National Player of the Year. I might wear No. 30 or No. 31.”
Henson, who averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds per game as a junior, committed to UNC in January. He moved to Tampa from Texas in August.
As cameras flashed, Sickles head coach Renaldo Garcia laughed to himself. When he signed with the University of Florida in 1987, signing day was a little different.
“The only camera in there was my mother’s old Polaroid ,” he said. “It was done in my living room and Florida coach (Norman) Sloan came down with his wife.”
Mitchell baseball pitcher Patrick Schuster was a bundle of emotions Wednesday.
He laughed. He blushed. He cried. All in a 45-minute period.
Schuster signed his baseball letter-of-intent Wednesday at the school’s media center. The senior left-hander had narrowed his choices to Florida, Georgia, LSU and North Carolina State.
“[Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan] really wowed me,” Schuster said. “Also, the fact he is the head coach and the pitching coach really blew me away.”
Florida’s 2008 recruiting class was ranked fifth-best in the nation by Baseball America. O’Sullivan has recruited seven pitcher, including Schuster, this year.
Among the speakers for Schuster was current coach Scot Wilcox, former coach Scott Williams, language arts teacher Janice Foltz and former major league pitcher Doug Creek, Schuster’s personal pitching instructor. All were chosen by Schuster to speak.
“We all knew this day would come,” Wilcox said. “He’s a great, talented ballplayer. A ballplayer like him doesn’t come along vey often.”
The program ended with a video photo gallery—from birth to current, giving Schuster plenty to blush about. But when he got up to speak, he couldn’t gdt the words, “Thank You” to his parents, Roger and Sharon Schuster, without breaking down.
Schuster was 5-2 with a 1.07 ERA and 88 strikeouts last season and 4-6 with a 1.57 and 76 Ks as a sophomore.
While it wasn’t Mike Smith’s first trip to the principal’s office, it was, however, the first time he wanted to be there.
The senior baseball player, surrounded by his father, Mark, Brandon coach Matt Stallbaumer, and Brandon athletic director Johnny Bush, sat behind the principal’s desk Wednesday morning to sign a four-year scholarship with Florida Gulf Coast University, a Division I program.
Smith will end up being a four-year starter for the Eagles, and his time with the program has certainly left an impression on his coach.
“It seems like he’s been here nine years,” Stallbaumer joked. “Mike is kind of the first four-year player for me since I’ve been here. He came in as a freshman and found a place to play and contribute right away. He’s definitely been a key for us. He’s always played wherever we needed him to.”
Smith played a large role in Brandon’s success last season, hitting .404 with four home runs and 32 RBI for the Eagles, who won the prestigious Tony Saladino Tournament champion and advanced to the Class 5A state semifinals. Brandon returns the bulk of last season’s squad and is expected to be one of the area’s top programs this season.
Earlier in the morning at Riverview High, softball player Katie Gwinn inked a four-year scholarship with Saint Leo University, becoming the latest player from a Sharks program that has sent numerous athletes to the college level.
Gwinn, a pitcher/infielder who hit .260 last season and went 7-3 on the mound, was described as “the type of student everyone would want” by the Riverview faculty members on hand, and a player who “epitomizes what we’ve tried to do here the past couple of years” by her coach, Angela Slater.
Several well-wishers were on hand for the ceremony in the principal’s conference room, including family, friends and teammates. Gwinn, who was also considering the University of Tampa, said she made her decision after making a visit to the Saint Leo campus.
“I went on a visit and it just felt like such a community, something that I really wanted to be a part of,” Gwinn said. “It certainly grabbed my attention.”
TAMPA Wednesday morning, King High senior softball player Kirsten Austin had more on her mind than just signing her letter on intent with Florida Atlantic.
“I had a biology test and I wanted to see how I did on it,” Austin said. “I was more concerned with the test than the signing, but I got an A on it.”
Joining Austin in the principal’s conference room was boys basketball player Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, who signed with Georgia Southern. Fitzpatrick, a 6-foot-8 power forward, was eager to sign with the Eagles after watching the team lose to Duke, 97-54, Tuesday night.
“I watched Duke beat them by like 40 (points),” he said. “They needed my help. They weren’t rebounding. Duke owned the boards.”
Baseball player Jay Laurienzo’s special morning didn’t start as smoothly as he had hoped. The Hillsborough High standout was late to school Wednesday, a usual occurrence for the Florida Gulf Coast signee.
“I always hit the bell when I get here,” he said. “I live like 20 minutes away.”
If that was not enough, Laurienzo had three tests that day, all advanced placement courses, in physics, anatomy, and micro economics.
Teammate Marlon Mitchell, who signed with North Carolina State, comes from a long line of baseball players. His older brother played at Bethune Cookman while his father played at Florida A&M.
“My dad inspired me to play baseball,” Mitchell said. “He put a baseball in my hand when I was 2.”
Like to watch Law & Order: Criminal Intent? Chamberlain senior tennis player Jennifer Miller does. Miller, who signed with Stetson Wednesday, said she plans on earning a law degree.
“I think I can be aggressive in the court room,” she said.
Miller said she’d like to become a defense attorney and if all possible, would have Ashton Kutcher as a client.
“He seems easy to get along with.”
Miller was joined by softball players Samantha Holle (University of Florida), Marissa Menendez (Central Florida) and Alex Hartshorn (North Carolina at Pembroke).
Menendez committed to USF as a sophomore, but de-committed in favor of UCF a few weeks ago.
“I realized (UCF) was the best place for me,” she said. “I wanted to be somewhere where I was comfortable.”
Holle, who hopes to get an autograph of Tim Tebow when she arrives on campus, said she is looking forward to playing for a program that advanced to the College World Series this past season.
“I was really excited for them because I know how hard they work,” she said. “I wanted them to do good.”
Hartshorn said she avoids styling her hair on school days, but on Wednesday admitted she took the time to make sure she looked good for photos. Although she wanted to play college ball in state, she’s fine with traveling to North Carolina. Well, sort of.
“There’s nothing around,” she said. “I lived in Dade City, though. (UNC Pembroke) is smaller than that.”
Berkeley Prep standout girls golfers Kim and Kyleen Carpenter have committed to Presbyterian College and will sign with the Division I program on Thursday, Bucs golf coach Tom Shea said Tuesday.
The Carpenters, who are twin sisters, have led Berkeley Prep to the Class 1A state tournament in each of the last two seasons. This season, Kim was the Class 1A-District 14 individual medalist, took fourth at the Class 1A-Region 5 tournament and finished 42nd at the 1A state tournament. Meanwhile, Kyleen finished second in the district, tied for eighth in the region and 44th at state.
Presbyterian College competes in the Big South Conference.
Durant senior third baseman/outfielder Kelly Jones has committed to Division II Palm Beach Atlantic, coach Matt Carter said.
Jones batted .293 with 22 hits, 18 runs and 14 RBIs and recorded a .833 field percentage as a junior to help Durant reach the Class 6A state semifinals.
Wharton senior standout girls golfer Shena Yang has verbally committed to the University of South Florida.
Yang made her decision Monday night, choosing the hometown Bulls over the University of Florida. Yang said the proximity of the USF campus was one of the main reasons she chose to play for the Bulls, who finished sixth at last season’s Big East Championships, instead of the more prestigious Gators program, which was ranked No. 6 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index and No. 15 in the latest Golf World/National Golf Coaches Association poll and finished ninth at the NCAA Championships last season.
“Well, me and my dad discussed it, and we don’t really care about how big of a name the school is,” Yang said. “It’s close to home, too, and my dad is my coach. It’s only 15 minutes away, so if I have any problems I can just drive over and see him.”
Yang recently finished third overall at the Class 2A state golf tournament at Ridgewood Lakes Golf and Country Club in Davenport. It was the third consecutive season Yang earned a state medal, which goes to the top-six individuals. In 2007, Yang finished tied for sixth. In 2005, she finished fifth.
Yang also led the Wildcats to three consecutive Class 2A state tournaments, the best stretch in program history. Each year, Wharton finished in the top 10 - 10th in 2006, tied for ninth in 2007 and fifth in 2008.
Yang will be reunited with a former Wharton teammate at USF in Michelle Bermudez, who is a sophomore on the Bulls golf team.
“I called her Sunday and asked her a few questions,” Yang said. “I had met the team and met the coach and took a look around, and everything was OK.”
Yang said she will sign with the Bulls during the early signing period, which begins Wednesday.
Durant senior baseball player Ty Sullivan has verbally committed to the University of West Florida, a Division II program.
Sullivan, a left-handed pitcher, went 5-5 with a 2.64 ERA as a junior. He struck out 70 and walked 30 in 58 1/3 innings pitched.
A three-year varsity player at Durant, Sullivan also played for Chet Lemon’s Juice 18-under squad. This summer he helped the Juice win the 18/19-under Division I National Championship in Lake Buena Vista and was named to the all-tournament team.
Sullivan will sign with the Argonauts on Thursday afternoon at Durant. The early signing period for sports other than football begins Wednesday.
Newsome senior Conor O’Neal has received his first scholarship offer, that coming from North Carolina State. And the interest is certainly starting to pick up for the two-way lineman, who had another Division I program taking a good look at him on Friday.
USF had a presence on the sidelines during Newsome’s 31-10 victory over Bloomingdale in offensive line coach Mike Simmonds. O’Neal said he spoke with Simmonds, who was the head coach at Jefferson before joining USF’s staff, before Friday’s game, but added an offer did not come from the Big East program during that conversation.
O’Neal, who starts on the offensive and defensive lines at Newsome, said he has tentatively scheduled an official visit to N.C. State for later this month, though it’s possible that trip could chance depending on how long Newsome’s playoff run lasts.
The Wolves (8-2), who are enjoying the best season in program history, are off this week. They host Kissimmee Osceola in a 5A regional quarterfinal Nov. 21.
Plant senior baseball player Graham Ramos has verbally committed to the University of Tampa, Panthers coach Dennis Braun announced Friday.
Ramos, an infielder, hit .364 with six doubles, four home runs, 25 RBI and 25 runs scored for the Panthers as a junior.
“Graham has worked real hard and he’s had a great summer and it’s finally paid off for him,” Braun said. “He’s going over to the University of Tampa, which I think is a great fit for him.”
Tampa is one of the top Division II baseball programs in the country. The Spartans won national titles in 2006 and 2007 and advanced to the College World Series last season.
Braun said Ramos will sign with the Spartans during the early signing period, which begins Wednesday.
Riverview senior pitcher Katie Gwinn will sign with Saint Leo University on Wednesday, Riverview’s athletics department announced.
Gwinn was 7-3 on the mound with 71 K’s, four shutouts, one save and posted a 1.45 ERA. She also batted .260 with 20 hits , five runs and 13 RBIs.
Academy of the Holy Names senior girls tennis player Melissa Narzissenfeld has decided to play for Florida Gulf Coast, athletic director Pete Young said.
Narzissenfeld, the Jaguars No. 1 singles player, was named a Tribune All-County Tennis honorable mention as a junior. She missed most of the season due to back injury.
Countryside sophomore pitcher Alyssa Bache, arguably the top pitcher in Pinellas County, has verbally committed to the University of Florida, her travel coach Frank Arcuri told the Tribune.
Bache led the Cougars to the Class 6A region semifinals in the spring, where they lost to Durant, 4-2 in nine innings. She ended her freshman season with 17 wins, three losses, 160 strikeouts and a 0.98 ERA.
The Gators lost to Texas A&M in the Women’s College World Series semifinals.
Arcuri also said Countryside senior Brittany Dattilo has committed to the University of Tampa while Northeast catcher Melanie Stickney has committed to USF.
Plant standout boys golfer Doug Letson has verbally committed to Florida State University.
Letson, a Tribune All-Hillsborough County first-team selection as a sophomore and a junior, said Wednesday that the Seminoles recently extended a scholarship offer and he made his verbal commitment Tuesday evening.
“It is very relieving,” Letson said. “I have a lot of hard work ahead of me, though, but it’s definitely exciting to be a part of a program like FSU.”
A Florida State coach followed Letson during the recent Class 2A-Region 4 tournament at Wentworth in Tarpon Springs. Letson finished fourth at the tournament, shooting a 2-over 74, which missed qualifying for the state tournament by one stroke. While Letson played well at the tournament, he thinks the way he carried himself on the course that day had a much larger impact on the Seminoles extending the offer than where he ended up on the leader board.
“I think they just got a feel of my character,” Letson said. “They got a feel of how I act on the golf course, and my personality.”
Letson was the individual district runner-up in 2006 and 2007 before claiming district medalist honors at the 2A-10 tournament this season. He’s also posted top 10 finishes at the region tournament in each of the last three seasons.
Letson led the Panthers to the state tournament in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, he finished tied for 27th at the Class 2A state tournament. He tied for 12th at the 2A state tournament in 2007.
Letson said he will sign with the Seminoles during the early signing period, which begins Nov. 12.
Chamberlain senior girls tennis player Jennifer Miller has committed to Stetson University and will sign her letter of intent on Nov. 12 at Chamberlain.
Miller, along with former teammate Jamie Mera, won the Class 3A No. 1 doubles state championship this past spring and also went undefeated during regular season play as the Chief’s No. 2 singles player.
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