The 10th-best boys basketball prospect in the 2014 class is probably also the country’s tallest wide receiver/free safety.
Chris McCullough, the highly touted 6-foot-9 wing from The Bronx, is in his second year playing football for Salisbury School in Connecticut. He gets most of his playing time at receiver, on the second unit behind a senior, and has the size and athleticism to undoubtedly succeed on the gridiron. But McCullough is all set to give up the sport.
“I worry every day in practice,” he said of getting injured.
Ranked as high as 10th in his class nationally by scouting services, McCullough joined the football team last year at Salisbury after being encouraged by a friend. The team went 10-0 and is off to a 2-0 start this season.
McCullough said his competitive drive has kept him on the field. Opposing players always ask him what college he’s going to, not knowing that he’s only a sophomore and a basketball player primarily.
“I want to get a ring,” he said. … “I can be a very good player if I keep playing.”
That probably won’t happen. McCullough said he’s considering quitting the team this week and concentrating on football. It would be his own choice to make. Munch Williams, his travel coach with Team SCAN, has been supportive of McCullough’s choice to branch off into other sports. Football, Williams said, is a big deal at Salisbury.
“I’m a firm believer in a kid being holistic and trying new things,” Williams said. “Obviously you don’t want the kid getting hurt, but there’s benefits to kids playing multiple sports. It can make him tougher. It could make him more physical. … Hopefully he’s just not going over the middle.”
McCullough is coming off maybe the biggest breakout summer in the country. He went from not being ranked anywhere to being called one of the nation’s top prospects. He has offers from UConn, Syracuse, West Virginia, St. John’s, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Providence, Iowa State, Hofstra and Temple.
With all the negative press about prep schools lately, McCullough says he’s become frustrated with people asking him about his school and if it’s legitimate.
“I just tell them the ins and outs of Salisbury,” McCullough said.
Students there attend class six days a week. McCullough said if he doesn’t study two to three hours per night, courses become difficult. Leaving the campus is prohibited at times and curfew on Saturday is 11 p.m., which is also when the internet is cut off.
“That’s not even a school you send an average kid academically to,” Williams said. “There are kids growing up in middle-class families in Connecticut and they can’t even get into Salisbury. Their dream is to get in there.”
McCullough’s dream revolves around basketball. Football was fun while it lasted.
“I’m going to stop playing after this week,” McCullough said. “I’m gonna keep working on basketball. Football is a risk.”