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5/3/05

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<!-- End Required HTML -->IU enters Harangody derby


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COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Luke Harangody entered a recent meeting with Indiana University coach Mike Davis as a skeptic.

He left the meeting with a scholarship offer -- and a fifth school to add to his list of finalists.

The 6-foot-7 Andrean junior center will weigh offers from Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State, Northwestern and Notre Dame as he nears a decision on his college future. Indiana didn't show any interest during Harangody's first three years at Andrean, but jumped into the running last month.

"It did kind of come out of nowhere," Harangody said. "They said the reason was that they really didn't recruit anybody during that period of time because Coach Davis said he was too involved with his job and taking care of his players with all the rumors about him losing his job."

The Hoosiers missed the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season, and IU athletic director Rick Greenspan issued what amounted to a win-next year-or-else mandate.

"I was kind of skeptical," Harangody said. "(But) that was the first day that college coaches could come to recruits and he came to Andrean first. I thought that was a good sign.

"He's just a coach that cares about his players and he's always there for them and wants to take care of them."

Harangody has a busy week ahead of him. He will take an unofficial visit to Notre Dame on Thursday, and he's scheduled to take the SAT on Saturday.

If he decides on the Hoosiers, he'll continue a family legacy at the university. Harangody's father Dave played for the IU football team. His brother Ty, a member of Andrean's Class 3A state championship football team, will enter coach Terry Hoeppner's football program on scholarship next fall.

The rest of the finalists for Harangody's services have been in the running far longer than Indiana. Purdue coach Matt Painter was a frequent spectator at Andrean games this past winter.

"It's been real hard," Harangody said. "It's gonna be a real hard decision for me. I'm really high on all the schools."

Though he plans to make the most of his official visits, Harangody left the door open for that to change. Informed that Merrillville running back James Aldridge was so impressed with Notre Dame that he canceled the rest of his trips before verbally committing on Monday, Harangody didn't discount the notion that he, too, could make a decision soon.

"That could happen Thursday," he said.

Sources are saying this battle will come down to Ohio State and Purdue.