[Buckeye Dan]

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Recruiting: Tucker leaning toward Ohio State<!--ENDHEADLINE-->

July 3, 2005

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="380"><tbody><tr bgcolor="#003399"><td>By Justin Breen / Post-Tribune staff writer</td></tr></tbody></table> <!--COPY-->



GARY — Jamil Tucker wouldn’t confirm it, but it sounds as if the West Side senior-to-be is going to commit to Ohio State.



“I can’t say it’s a definite lock, but right now, Ohio State really sounds the best,” Tucker said on Saturday.

Tucker said he spoke with Buckeyes coach Thad Matta on Friday, telling him the OSU program was No. 1 on his list. Tucker, who hopes to make an official decision by the end of July, said Matta will be evaluating him at the Nike All-American Camp at IUPUI in Indianapolis. The camp runs from Tuesday through Saturday.



Three of Tucker’s Spiece Indy Heat AAU teammates — Mike Conley, Daequan Cook and national player of the year Greg Oden — already have committed to the Buckeyes.

“It’s real exciting knowing you get to play with great players every night,” Tucker said. “You know what to expect every night. It’s real exciting getting to play with them.”

Tucker, a 6-foot-9 guard/forward, averaged 18.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for the Cougars, who won the Michigan City Regional title.

Tucker has received scholarship offers from Ohio State, Indiana, Arizona, San Jose State, USC and Miami.

Tucker said Andrean senior-to-be Luke Harangody also will participate in the Nike camp. Harangody has been offered scholarships by Ohio State, Purdue, Indiana, Notre Dame and Northwestern.

Contact Justin Breen at 648-3122 or jbreen@post-trib.com