Scognamiglio Signs with Fairfield, Grossbard with So. Conn. State

Pearl River senior basketball players Christa Scognamiglio and Nicole Grossbard both signed national letters-of-intent on the first day of the NCAA's signing period Wednesday.

Friends, family, coaches and administrators gathered for a ceremony in the Pearl River High School gym to see Scognamiglio sign with Division I Fairfield and Grossbard sign with Division II Southern Connecticut State.

"They started their high school careers together and they will begin their college careers together," said Pearl River girls basketball head coach Lorraine Moylan. "They are very determined, hard-working young ladies. That goes to why this day happens. Both have gotten scholarships because of all the hard work they put in."

Scognamiglio, a two-time all-state selection who averaged 19.3 points and 4.5 steals per game as a junior. Fairfield went 17-13 in 2010-11 and lost in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals. Scognamiglio will play with at least one familiar teammate on the Stags. Albertus Magnus graduate Felicia DaCruz is a freshman at Fairfield.

Fairfield, which is coached by Joe Frager, was one of the first Division I schools to make her an offer and she had verbally committed there over the summer.

"Definitely, the basketball program was a huge impact," Scognamiglio said. "I love the coaches. The team I met, they were great. I love the distance (approximately 50 minutes from home). Everything seemed perfect."

Scognamiglio will not get to play her senior season with Grossbard, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee while playing AAU basketball this summer and had season-ending surgery approximately two months ago.

"The rebab is coming along really well," Grossbard said. "It's hard to deal with, but I'm trying to put the sorrow behind me and next week (when practice starts) we start fresh. I'm trying to be just as much a part of the team as I was, but it's a different role and I have to adapt to it."

Grossbard, a point guard who earned all-Section honors last season while helping Pearl River (20-2) reach the Section 1 Class A championship game, was happy to find out that the offer from Southern Connecticut State still stood even after her injury. She is expected to be fully recovered in time to play her freshman year in college.

The So. Connecticut State Owls went 11-16 in 2010-11.

"I love the school, the location," Grossbard said. "I'm 20 minutes from Christa. The coaches (Head Coach Meaghan Brown and assistants Amy Sokaitis and Tina Streff) are unbelievable. When they heard about my knee, they were so understanding. It's a really great environment. I also have a very good friend there, Luke Houston, so that helps a lot."