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Signing Day Recap: Local Standouts Make It Official

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TBO.com

Published: November 13, 2008

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.

"(Antawn) 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."

Plant Has Full Court Press With Eight Athletes

Plant opened up its gymnasium Wednesday morning for National Signing Day. They needed a big space to accommodate the number of student-athletes signing letters of intent.

The Panthers' ceremony honored eight students - three volleyball players (Ariel Ley, Cameron Hill, Danielle Erb), a golfer (Doug Letson), a baseball player (Graham Ramos), a softball player (Kayla Suskauer), a swimmer (Meg Anderson) and one basketball player (Sheldon Cooley). Letson signed with FSU, Graham with the University of Tampa, Suskauer with Furman and Anderson with Clemson.

Volleyball coach Leanna Taylor introduced her players, while balancing six-month old daughter Reece on her hip. Erb signed with James Madison, Hill with Washington and Lee and Ley with Davidson. Taylor pointed out in addition to being great players, Hill is ranked academically 4th in her senior class and Ley is 8th. Ley also nearly gave up volleyball as a sophomore when a serious foot injury threatened to end her athletic career.

"It's so exciting to be a part of this," Ley said. "I learned you can overcome anything. No matter how hard it is, it's worth it."

Cooley, who signed with East Tennessee State, is glad the decision has been made so he can focus on his senior season, where he is 74 points shy of breaking Plant's all-time scoring record.

"I'm going to try to run the floor and be a leader," Cooley said. "We have a very young team. I'm the only senior, until Orson [Charles] joins us after football season is over."

Charles was on hand for the ceremony to support Cooley. He said he hopes he won't be joining the basketball team until much later because he wants the football team to go far into the playoffs.

Jesuit Athletes Kick Off Signing Day

Bright and early, the Jesuit Tigers were the first to put ink to paper as they kicked off National Signing Day with a 7:30 a.m. ceremony.

The Tigers had five athletes sign letters of intent with various colleges. The baseball team represented with four players - catcher Joe Hudson, first baseman Greg Dupell, outfielder Jimmy Falla and shortstop Nick Lockwood. Hudson signed with Notre Dame, Dupell with Navy and Falla and Lockwood signed with USF. The Bulls have a host of former Jesuit players already on the roster, including Lockwood's older brother Ryan.

Vinny Donnelly, representing the swim team, signed with Purdue and almost had a special guest to help him. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer fullback Mike Alstott was going to attend the ceremony, but couldn't because of another commitment. Alstott, who starred at Purdue before the Bucs drafted him in 1996, called Donnelly on the phone to congratulate him on his choice.

"At first, I kind of thought it was a joke," said Donnelly, who picked the Boilermakers over Indiana. "I was surprised. He said he was excited I was going to Purdue. He told me I would love the school and he was glad I didn't pick the other school that he couldn't even say."

Donnelly noted on his visit to Purdue, Alstott's presence is still felt. His jersey and photos of Alstott are all over the campus.

"People still talk about him up there," Donnelly said. "Especially when they found out I was from Tampa."

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