By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports Report
SAYRE "" Sayre senior Emily Sutryk likes everything she's seen in regards to Elmira College. On Wednesday, she became a part of the Eagles community, signing a national letter-of-intent to play basketball there beginning in the fall.
"There are so many things I like about Elmira College," said Sutryk.
"I had an overnight stay on campus, and was able to walk around it quite a bit. I love the look of it, it's an older school, and I love the looks of the older buildings.
"I felt an instant connection with the players on the team, so it felt like home," she noted. "The coaches are great.
"And, it's close to home, so I'll be very close to my family," Sutryk added.
Sutryk said her recruitment began with a basketball camp over the summer.
"I went to a basketball camp with Gabbi Randal there this summer, and we were the only two girls there," she said. "The camp was run by the women's head coach (Devin Shea) her new assistant coach (Sarah Shaw), and the men's coach.
"We played with and against guys all week," she noted. "We loved it, and we learned a lot.
"That's when I first started talking to the coaches," added Sutryk. "Then they came to my AAU games, and high school games."
Sayre coach Eileen Sparduti was impressed with EC coach Devin Shea's approach in recruiting Sutryk.
"The first contact I had with coach Shea was an e-mail - and the first thing she wanted to know impressed me.
"She said, "˜tell me about her character,'" said Sparduti. "That told me two things. It told me she was a coach recruiting the whole person, and she was a coach trying to build a culture - that she was searching for certain types of athletes.
"If she's building a culture around the character Emily Sutryk has, it's going to be a good one," Sparduti added.
Sutryk knows she has work to do to be ready to play at the next level.
"I think this summer I'll definitely need to work on speed and agility, and definitely my strength," she said. "I know I need to be fully committed, and keep my love for basketball."
Sparduti believes Sutryk is a perfect fit for the EC program.
"I think Emily can be a good role player in that program.
"Emily is ready play the physical style of college basketball, she's really prepared for that," said Sparduti. "She hasn't just worked on her basketball game, she's worked on her body.
"She's rugged, she'll be able to go the distance in a college season.
"She's going to bring a hard work ethic, and she's going to bring integrity of character that I think would help any program," added Sparduti.
Sutryk will major in pre-med Biology with hopes of being a physician's assistant or a pediatrician.
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IN PHOTO 1: Sayre senior Emily Sutryk. IN PHOTO 2: Front row, from left: Michael Sutryk (brother), Janeen Schrann (mother), Emily Sutryk, and Payton Sutryk (sister). Back row, from left: Sayre coach Eileen Sparduti, Sayre assistant coach Dennis Randall, and Sayre High School principal Dayton Handrick. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
