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Forward D.J. McCall becomes IUPUI’s first 2014 commitment

Todd Howard

IUPUI Jaguars head coach Todd Howard watches against the Bowling Green Falcons during the second half of their NCAA college basketball game in the second round of the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich., Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. IUPUI won 80-66. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

AP

With two of his four seniors for the 2013-14 season being perimeter players, IUPUI head coach Todd Howard could use some good fortune on the recruiting trail when it comes to accounting for those departures.

On Sunday coach Howard and his staff received the good news they’d been hoping for, as 6-5 small forward D.J. McCall verbally committed to attend the Summit League school as reported by Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star.

McCall, who attends Concordia HS in Fort Wayne, Ind., averaged 17 points and five rebounds per game last season on a team that reached the Indiana Class 3A state title game.

The coaching staff’s active recruiting and the ability to play for a program close to home played a role in McCall’s decision to commit to IUPUI.

“(The IUPUI coaches) went to every game in July so I knew they had a good interest in me,” McCall said. “I really like the city aspect of going to IUPUI and I’ve heard nothing but great stuff and had a good (unofficial) visit there. And I really like the coaches, especially (assistant coach David Padgett). We’ve built a really good relationship.”

McCall said moving into the renovated Fairgrounds Coliseum also was a selling point for IUPUI. He said he also considered offers from UMass-Lowell and Gardner-Webb, but didn’t want to go that far from home.


McCall’s commitment serves as much-needed good news for a program that won just one conference game in 2012-13. Finishing the season with an overall record of 6-26 (1-15 Summit League) the Jaguars welcome back center Mitch Patton (13.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg), and Ian Chiles returns after playing in just four games due to injury.

In fact, Chiles was one of four players to miss a significant portion of the 2012-13 season due to injury, and the combination of poor health with the loss of leading scorer John Hart (academics) did IUPUI no favors last year.

Of the seven players to have started at least ten games in 2012-13 Patton is the lone returnee, but with everyone healthy the Jaguars look to be in better shape. Their hope is that this remains the case when practices begin in October.

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