By ERIK SOKOLOWSKI
The Cherry Hill Township Council recently honored a prolific athlete at Cherry Hill East.
Senior Chris Santo, who was recently nominated as a McDonald’s All-American, has been involved in sports from the age of 5. He started with Cherry Hill Township Rec programs, and town leagues, playing soccer, football, baseball and basketball.
“We as a family feel so fortunate to have been able to make lifelong friendships through his involvement in so many different sports through the years,” Chris’ mom Lorraine said. “The township provides great programs to participate in, and we have so many fond memories from being his fans.”
She added that Chris’ love of basketball started at a very young age, and also led to early scholarly skills as well.
“Chris’ love for basketball was always there,” Lorraine said. “He started shooting baskets in the driveway at age 2. By age 3, he wouldn’t stop shooting until he reached a certain number of points. So he learned addition at a very young age.”
In the fall Chris will attend the University of Vermont on a full scholarship.
“While Chris realizes he has a great deal of work ahead of him at the D-1 level,” Lorraine said, “I think it is safe to say it is a dream come true.”
According to ESPN’s College Basketball Recruiting evaluation, “Santo is a physically powerful and aggressive combo-forward who knows how to put the ball in the basket. He began his career as an undersized interior player, and is still very effective inside the paint where he makes good use of his strong frame to score with his back to the basket or finish against contact. His perimeter skills are also much improved within the last year, to the point where he now has a pretty smooth shooting stroke and is capable of making shots off both the catch or the dribble. Santo is a fantastic pound for pound rebounder who brings a ton of intangibles to the table.
“He is a natural competitor, plays with a ton of toughness, and gets his team extra possessions.”
Chris’ love of basketball was reinforced when he made the Titans in fifth grade. Playing with the travel team for four years under the tutelage of coach Leon Rose, Chris’ mom said that Rose’s passion for the game quickly wore off on Chris. By the time Chris was in eighth grade, he realized he would no longer be a four-sport athlete.
“Chris also played middle school basketball for Beck, where he played under two terrific coaches as well,” Lorraine said. “But it is coach John Valore who is behind Christopher’s success in high school basketball. Without the opportunities Coach V gave Chris during his career at East, he wouldn’t be where he is right now. But I also have to give credit to Chris. He has an incredible work ethic and personal ambition to constantly improve every aspect of himself. So we are proud of him, both on and off the court.”
Chris is the school and district all-time leading scorer, and holds school records in steals, rebounds, free throws and field goals. He has been selected First Team All-South Jersey, First Team, All-Conference, and All-Group.
“With all of the awards and recognitions the team still didn’t win a group title,” Lorraine said, “which he had such hopes for this season. As for the attention, that is what he wishes it was for — earning a group title with his teammates for a coach he will admire for the rest of his life.”
By ERIK SOKOLOWSKIThe Cherry Hill SunThe Cherry Hill Township Council recently honored a prolific athlete at Cherry Hill East.Senior Chris Santo, who was recently nominated as a McDonald’s All-American, has been involved in sports from the age of 5. He started with Cherry Hill Township Rec programs, and town leagues, playing soccer, football, baseball and basketball.“We as a family feel so fortunate to have been able to make lifelong friendships through his involvement in so many different sports through the years,” Chris’ mom Lorraine said. “The township provides great programs to participate in, and we have so many fond memories from being his fans.”She added that Chris’ love of basketball started at a very young age, and also led to early scholarly skills as well.“Chris’ love for basketball was always there,” Lorraine said. “He started shooting baskets in the driveway at age 2. By age 3, he wouldn’t stop shooting until he reached a certain number of points. So he learned addition at a very young age.”In the fall Chris will attend the University of Vermont on a full scholarship.“While Chris realizes he has a great deal of work ahead of him at the D-1 level,” Lorraine said, “I think it is safe to say it is a dream come true.”According to ESPN’s College Basketball Recruiting evaluation, “Santo is a physically powerful and aggressive combo-forward who knows how to put the ball in the basket. He began his career as an undersized interior player, and is still very effective inside the paint where he makes good use of his strong frame to score with his back to the basket or finish against contact. His perimeter skills are also much improved within the last year, to the point where he now has a pretty smooth shooting stroke and is capable of making shots off both the catch or the dribble. Santo is a fantastic pound for pound rebounder who brings a ton of intangibles to the table. “He is a natural competitor, plays with a ton of toughness, and gets his team extra possessions.”Chris’ love of basketball was reinforced when he made the Titans in fifth grade. Playing with the travel team for four years under the tutelage of coach Leon Rose, Chris’ mom said that Rose’s passion for the game quickly wore off on Chris. By the time Chris was in eighth grade, he realized he would no longer be a four-sport athlete.“Chris also played middle school basketball for Beck, where he played under two terrific coaches as well,” Lorraine said. “But it is coach John Valore who is behind Christopher’s success in high school basketball. Without the opportunities Coach V gave Chris during his career at East, he wouldn’t be where he is right now. But I also have to give credit to Chris. He has an incredible work ethic and personal ambition to constantly improve every aspect of himself. So we are proud of him, both on and off the court.”Chris is the school and district all-time leading scorer, and holds school records in steals, rebounds, free throws and field goals. He has been selected First Team All-South Jersey, First Team, All-Conference, and All-Group.“With all of the awards and recognitions the team still didn’t win a group title,” Lorraine said, “which he had such hopes for this season. As for the attention, that is what he wishes it was for — earning a group title with his teammates for a coach he will admire for the rest of his life.”
