Briefs: Cheek verbals to NAU

Guard Danny Cheek transferred to Corona del Mar High two years ago from Mater Dei for the opportunity to be a starter.

Cheek made the most of his move and now he has decided on his college future.

The standout senior guard has verbally committed to play basketball at Northern Arizona University, said Sea Kings Coach Ryan Schachter on Thursday.

The 6-foot-4 Cheek led the Sea Kings last season in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game. Cheek earned a share of the Newport-Mesa Dream Player of the Year award and received first-team All-Pacific Coast League and second-team All-CIF Southern Section Division III-A laurels as a junior.

With Cheek back for a third season, the Sea Kings expect to contend for a section title. CdM went 24-4, 10-0 in the Pacific Coast League and reached the quarterfinals of the playoffs in 2009-10.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza

Sage alumna honored

Sage Hill School product Sarah Geocaris, a senior at Wheaton College, received a sportsmanship award at the recent New England Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament at Mount Holeyoke College in Norton, Mass.

The Lindsay Morehouse Award, named for the late Williams College graduate and standout women’s player, goes to the senior player who displays the ideals of sportsmanship, friendliness, character, fair play and hard work.

“Sarah is incredibly outgoing and friendly to everyone, on and off the court,” Wheaton Coach Lynn Miller said of Geocaris. “She sacrificed her study-abroad trip to France last spring so she could be with the team at NCAAs. I don’t know of many players who would have done that with the trip already planned.”

Believed to be the winningest player in program history, the tri-captain had a combined 132 victories between singles and doubles matches though Monday. A three-time all-conference performer, Geocaris has a 65-19 singles mark and a 67-19 doubles record. She is 11-4 in singles and 14-2 in doubles this year, including an 11-0 mark combined mark in dual matches.

Geocaris leads Wheaton in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Tournament, beginning today at Smith College. Wheaton (10-1, 7-0 in conference) begins defense of its conference title against the winner of Babson College and Mount Holyoke in today’s first semifinal match.

— From staff reports