Har-Ber Trio Inks With Colleges
CASTLEMAN SIGNS WITH SAINT LOUIS; COLLINS, MARSELLIS PICK MISSOURI SOUTHERN
Posted: November 12, 2009 at 4:34 a.m.
Springdale Har-Ber athletes from left, Sydney Marsellis, Halee Castleman, and Katie Collins smile during a signing ceremony Wednesday in Springdale.
SPRINGDALE — Halee Castleman committed to play basketball at St. Louis University earlier than most high school athletes make that kind of a decision. She hadn’t even finished her junior season.
But the Springdale Har-Ber senior guard didn’t see any valid reason to wait.
“I just felt so comfortable there when I went on the visit,” Castleman said. “The school was great. The players and coaches were amazing. I really felt right at home. So I just decided to go ahead and say I wanted to go there back in January.”
Feeling no regrets about closing her recruitment early, Castleman barely stopped smiling Wednesday afternoon during a signing ceremony in Wildcat Arena.
A couple of Castleman’s classmates appeared just as happy during the ceremony, as volleyball teammates Katie Collins and Sydney Marsellis signed with Missouri Southern, a Division II school located in Joplin, Mo.
Interestingly, Har-Ber volleyball coach Sandy Jones mentioned Castleman — a regular in the student section during volleyball games — after talking about her players.
“I’m not sure how we’re going to replace Halee’s spirit,” Jones joked.
Har-Ber girls basketball coach Sandy Wright will have bigger worries after this basketball season, such as how to replace Castleman’s leadership and talent.
“Halee’s a great leader for us, on and off the court,” Wright said. “She really is our quarterback out there. She’s a kid with great energy. You never have to worry about her not bringing 100 percent effort to the court. She’s also an explosive player.
“She’s a great slasher, she’s real strong, and she handles the ball really well for being about 5-10.”
Marsellis and Collins sat next to one another as they signed their letters-of-intent, a fitting scene considering the teammates will play — and live — together next year.
They led Har-Ber to the 7A state finals this season, and they hope to continue their success in college. Marsellis laughed about the way they ended up committing to the same school.
“It’s funny how it happened because we really didn’t plan it,” Marsellis said. “I didn’t know that Katie and (Fayetteville’s) Haley (Martin) were also being recruited by them, and that’s crazy when you consider how much we all gab together. But it was so exciting when we all found that out.”
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