Marcus Sales could not commit himself to one sport. The gifted senior athlete at nearby Christian Brothers Academy shined on the gridiron and the hardwood for the Brothers. With his prowess in both football and basketball, Sales was not able to focus himself solely on training for one sport.

‘I never put myself into one sport,’ Sales said. ‘I was always going from basketball to football, football to basketball, and now that I can focus just on football I think I can gain some weight and put on a couple pounds of muscle, so I think that will be a bigger improvement.’

Syracuse hopes to see that singular focus pay off next season when Sales, a four-star wide receiver recruit according to Scout.com, makes his debut with the Orange. The widely recruited 6-foot-2 wide receiver chose the Orange over schools like Pittsburgh, Miami and North Carolina.

This past season, Sales caught 39 passes for 700 yards and five touchdowns for CBA – stats that led him to be named the second-best prospect in New York by Rivals.com. On the basketball court, he earned first team All-Central New York for the second straight year, averaging 20 points per game.

When speaking about Sales, the first thing CBA head football coach Joe Casamento mentions is the upside his star receiver has.

‘We’re a small school so a lot of our kids play more than one sport, and he spent a lot of time with basketball,’ Casamento said. ‘Now that he’s chosen football, I just think he has a chance to work on his game and also his body in the weight room. He’ll be better than he is now.’

Listed at only 185 pounds, there is room to grow for the Syracuse native. Sales said he often played off raw talent, and if he gets stronger, it can create even more problems for his opponents.

In high school, though, Sales simply didn’t have time to live in the weight room during the offseason. He previously played on the Syracuse AAU basketball team, the Syracuse Select. He said every weekend he was going to a different state to play basketball, sometimes missing football practice.

‘I can basically just work out in the off-season so I think that will be a way better improvement,’ Sales said. ‘It’s hard to go from basketball to football, and you’re always running so you can’t gain weight and it’s a different type of shape you have to be in for basketball than football. So by focusing on football, I think I’ll be all right.’

CBA head basketball coach Buddy Wleklinski said Sales could have been successful if he had gone on to play college basketball as well, complimenting his guard on his smoothness on the court and great anticipation on the defensive end.

Sales actually said he was thinking about playing basketball in college until his sophomore year, but realized he would be a football player when he started getting interest from colleges.

The decision to go to Syracuse came down to the coaching staff and the reputation of the school. Sales said he felt comfortable around the coaches and felt Syracuse was a good academic school.

He also credited his former teammates at CBA, junior wide receiver Lavar Lobdell and junior safety Bruce Williams, for guiding him through the process of selecting a school.

Earlier this year, though, Sales did not envision himself at Syracuse. He said there were times when he thought he was going to commit to Pittsburgh and North Carolina, but he finally chose the Orange.

Staying close to home allows his family to see his games. Casamento said staying close also gives the Syracuse population the chance to see Sales, and for Sales, the chance to develop into a role model for future athletes at CBA and around Syracuse.

‘I think he’s a great role model for the kids in this community,’ Casamento said. ‘There’s a kid out of the city that came to CBA, worked hard, studied, qualified, plays well and has made an opportunity for himself, and I think that’s a great thing for the kids.’

Rosalee Sales, Marcus’ mother, agreed. She recalled one time when a child came up to Marcus and said he wanted him to attend Syracuse. Another time, a child sent him a postcard for his autograph.

‘I felt like I had to be a positive role model,’ Sales said. ‘For me staying here, I think that will play a big role in their minds. It can help them do better.’

More importantly to the SU coaches, Sales brings talent to the Orange’s already gifted receiving corps.

‘I’m looking forward to playing with those guys,’ Sales said. ‘I’m looking forward to learning from them, and if I can make an impact next year, I’ll make an impact next year. If I don’t then I’ll definitely try to make an impact my sophomore year or redshirt. Whatever the coaches want me to do I’ll do it.

mrehalt@syr.edu

Published on April 1, 2008 at 12:00 pm