March was a magical month for Glenn Sanabria.
It began without a single scholarship offer of any kind and ended with him committing to play Division I basketball for St. Francis of Brooklyn in the Northeast Conference.
The heady 5-foot-11 senior point guard convinced a number of coaches of his value with a memorable postseason, leading St. Peter’s to the Catholic league semifinals — the furthest a Staten Island team has gone in over a decade — and the school’s first Staten Island High School League crown since 2009.
“When you win and show you’re a winner, that’s when coaches really look at you,” Sanabria said. “We had a good season, went far in the city [playoffs]. It just really worked out for me.”
Sanabria, who averaged 13.6 points per game, had a number of options after the city playoffs, including Central Connecticut State and St. Francis in addition to high-level Division II programs. He liked the idea of staying local and sees an opportunity to make an impact at St. Francis.
The only other true point guard on Terriers coach Glenn Braica’s roster, Brent Jones, will be a senior next year.
“Coach Braica didn’t say, ‘Hey, Glenn, you’re getting a certain amount of minutes.’ He gave me the opportunity as a freshman to come in and play,” Sanabria said. “That’s all I needed to hear. I’m just going to go in and work as hard as I can, earn everything.”
Clearly, that hasn’t been an issue for Sanabria. His college situation, while worrisome, wasn’t a burden, a credit, Sanabria said, to the people around him, such as his high school coach, Charlie Driscoll, and Chris Alesi, his AAU coach with New Heights.
“He’s been under-recruited and often overlooked, and he plays the game with a huge chip on his shoulder,” Alesi said. “His drive to succeed and prove people wrong is unparalleled.”
Sanabria is another quality local addition for Braica, who has stockpiled his roster with overlooked and under-recruited city players. One Division I coach familiar with Sanabria described him as a “complete point guard” who can keep defenses honest with his perimeter jump shot and who has a high basketball IQ.
“A lot of people missed the boat on him,” the coach said.
Sanabria should fit in nicely with young forwards Wayne Martin and Amdy Fall, local products from South Shore and Wings Academy, respectively.
“I’m playing Division I basketball in my backyard in Brooklyn,” Sanabria said. “You can’t really ask for much more. I’m really blessed for the opportunity.
“I felt like St. Francis College was the right fit for me. I felt really comfortable there. I’m very excited, kind of relieved. I’m been waiting for this.”
♦ Christ the King senior Adonis Delarosa visited Pittsburgh on Thursday. The 6-foot-11 senior, a St. John’s target, is planning to announce his decision on Apr. 18.
♦ Cardinal Hayes senior forward Nathan Ekwu took an official visit to Fordham on Friday after visiting Seton Hall last weekend and Davidson the weekend before. Ekwu’s teammate, sharpshooter Chris Robinson, recently committed to Sacred Heart.
♦ Wagner landed a commitment from guard Ramone Saunders of Mount Zion Prep in Maryland.
♦ Juniors Craig Brown, D’Von Campbell and Jerome Seagears are all transferring from Rutgers.