Hills West's Sledge commits to Iowa State
Half Hollow Hills Wests' Tavon Sledge tries to get by an Albany CBA defender along the baseline in the Class AA state championship game. (Mar. 21, 2010) Credit: Pat Orr Photography
Half Hollow Hills West senior point guard Tavon Sledge, a first-team Newsday All-Long Island selection last season, Mondaymade a verbal commitment to accept a basketball scholarship to Iowa State.
The electrifying 5-8 Sledge averaged 17.8 points, 10.4 assists and 3.1 steals in helping the Colts earn the school's first Long Island championship and make their first appearance in the state tournament at Glens Falls.
Sledge scored 33 points in Hills West's loss in the state final. He also scored 24 points in a memorable victory over Longwood before a crowd of more than 4,000 at SUNY-Farmingdale in the Suffolk AA title game.
"He came into my class at 9:45 [Monday] morning and said, 'Coach, come into the library!' " Hills West coach Bill Mitaritonna said.
The school library was where Sledge made his official verbal commitment by phone.
"I asked him what was going on. He said, 'I'm going to Iowa State!' He was very excited."
St. John's was among the schools that also heavily recruited Sledge.
