I think the sphere looks great! I'm exceedingly amateur when it comes to projection on a 3D globe - hence why most of my maps are "flat maps" or sections of continents, a la Middle Earth style. What I would suggest that helped me tremendously with my first world is to spend a few dollars on an inflatable ball and tape on paper cutouts of your continents. It's not pretty to behold, but it's awesome to be able to hold your world in your hands. THE POWER! BWAHAHAHA! But seriously....it will really help your understanding of where the equator runs through and where deserts and rain shadows would be.

I'm sure many other cartos on here would slap me for saying so, but if you have to sacrifice something, I say let the poles suffer. I figure, it's not like the adventurers will be making any forays into the far polar regions and/or what are the odds that the mappers within that world have survived the expeditions to map those areas anyway. Just sayin.