ADAMS TWP — John Castello did the research. He studied the findings. He consulted with his parents.

To him, the risks were too great.

With Division I football offers on the table, the Mars senior tight end and defense end walked away.

“I feel with the head injuries and all the complications that can happen with your health later in life, I thought it best to play basketball (in college),” Castello said. “With all due respect to football, that was just the right choice for me.”

And it wasn't an easy one.

Castello said he has had no firm offers to play collegiate basketball, and certainly no offers that included a full scholarship like he had received to play football.

Castello is betting on his future on his basketball ability.

He said his parents are solidly in his corner.

They discussed his decision at great length, Castello said.

“Whatever decision I was going to make, they were going to support it,” Castello said. “I'm very lucky. Other people are pressured to do something by their parents.”

He said he feels offers will come in time.

“It was definitely hard to turn down Division I football scholarships,” Castello said. “I could be going to school for free to play football. But I feel I made the right choice. I definitely love basketball.”

And he's excelled on the basketball court just as much as he's been a standout on the football field.

On a trip to Las Vegas to play in the Tarkanian Classic tournament that featured some of the best prep basketball teams in the country, Castello surpassed 1,000 career points.

The 6-foot-5 center became the seventh player in school history to reach the milestone, joining Bill Cress, Steve Cress, Tim Frye, Vinny Smith, Christian Locher and Owen Nearhoof.

“It's a huge honor to be up there with those greats, those huge greats from Mars” Castello said. “I kind of feel like I almost don't deserve to be up there with those guys. There have been so many great players who have scored 1,000 points and I was blessed with the opportunity to do it. It's awesome.”

Perhaps more impressive is Castello reached the milestone while going up against 7-footer Brandon McCoy of Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego.

Castello scored 20 points in the loss to Cathedral Catholic and held McCoy to 21 points.

“He did it against a kid named Brandon McCoy who is 7-foot and 240 pounds and ranked the (17th) best player in the country by ESPN and will be an NBA player,” said Mars boys basketball coach Rob Carmody. “And John went out and battled.”

Castello said he doesn't pay much attention to who he is matched up against during games. This time, though, he did.

“That kid was great,” Castello said. “He was incredible. But going up against him presented a real challenge. I had never gone up against a kid that big, strong and skilled. It was definitely a good test for me and a good test for the future.”

College basketball scouts from Arizona, California, UConn, Kansas, Oregon and San Diego State were there to see McCoy play. All have offered McCoy a full scholarship.

Castello feels he made a name for himself, too, in that game and in the tournament. Castello scored 95 points and pulled down 72 rebounds in the four games in Vegas.

He's hoping that parlays into basketball offers to match his football ones.

“It doesn't matter to me where I play. I want to play (basketball in college),” Castello said.

For now, Carmody is happy he has players like Castello in his roster.

“I'm blessed to have a guy like John,” Carmody said.