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 Recker picks Arizona Former Indiana star thinks Pac-10 is the NBA answer
Posted: Friday May 14, 1999 08:16 PM
WATERLOO, Ind. (AP) -- Luke Recker, who last month quit Indiana's basketball team, said Friday he will complete his college basketball eligibility at Arizona, where he hopes to follow the likes of Bison Dele, Damon Stoudamire and Chris Mills into the NBA. With his family, friends and former teachers at DeKalb High School looking on, Recker ended weeks of speculation and said he had chosen Arizona over Florida, Iowa, North Carolina and Notre Dame. "All of the places would have been good for me, but my decision was Arizona was the best place for me," said Recker, who averaged 16.2 points and 4.0 rebounds a game last season as a sophomore forward at Indiana. He said Arizona fit his four criteria: He wanted a program with a chance for a national championship, where his skills would be used well, where he could use "my passion and enthusiasm for the game," and where he could form a long-lasting relationship with the coach. The 6-foot-6 Recker specifically wanted a program in which he could develop into a shooting guard, the position he feels gives him the best shot at playing in the NBA. "I'd be lying if I said the NBA is not a goal for me," Recker said. Arizona coach Lute Olson said that goal was within reach. "Luke is a kid who loves basketball. He has the size to play the three [position], but has the athleticism for the two-guard as well," Olson said in a news conference in Tucson. Recker will have to sit out next season to meet NCAA transfer requirements, leaving him two years of eligibility. "He told us that he feels that a year of working on the strength will make a big difference for him. As with anyone, it will be difficult for him to have to sit out, but he has a positive attitude about it and feels this will help him accomplish what he has set out to do," Olson said. Olson said Recker had told him he liked Arizona's style of play and its success at grooming future NBA players, including Mills, Tom Tolbert and Dele, who was known as Brian Williams prior to the current NBA season. "Almost every transfer we have had has gone on and played in the NBA," Olson said. Olson said he looked forward to having Recker's enthusiastic, hard-nosed playing style in practices, even though he cannot play next season. "His presence in our program next year will make everyone even better. Even though he can't play, Luke will be very important in our team's progress. You can't believe what it does for a team to have a player like him involved in practice each day," Olson said. Friday's announcement came one month after Recker announced that he was leaving Indiana after two seasons to search for a program that he felt could better serve his development. "I have not been satisfied with my development as a player. I blame no one but myself for this, and believe my development will best be served in another program," he said at the time. Recker spoke favorably of all five programs he considered, and said his decision was difficult. "I was up all night last night," he said during the news conference at the high school where he had earned Indiana Mr. Basketball honors. Recker will be united at Arizona with this year's Indiana Mr.
Basketball, point guard Jason Gardner, who led Indianapolis North
Central to the Indiana state big-school championship.
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