By Patrick Klein
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Much like an Arizona summer, the race to get prep basketball player Ricardo Crumble just keeps dragging on.
After visiting DePaul in Chicago this past weekend, Crumble, from Virginia's Oak Hill Academy, was set to make his decision sometime this week, his high school coach said yesterday.
"He said he had a good visit to DePaul, but he still wants to talk it over with his family and his friends," Oak Hill basketball coach Steve Smith said. "I expect him to make a decision in the next few days."
Crumble, a 6-foot-7-inch forward, will not visit any other schools, and Smith confirmed that Arizona and DePaul were the only schools Crumble was considering.
Smith said each school has its advantages, and Crumble's task now is to decide what is more important to him.
"Distance is in DePaul's favor," Smith said. "It's only a five-hour drive (from Cleveland, where Crumbles's family lives) and that's a factor. As far as programs, he feels he can play a little quicker at DePaul.
"But he likes the Pac-10 level of play and the idea of competing and going to the tournament every year, and that's in Arizona's favor. Who know's what he'll use to decide? Ricardo's caught in the middle right now."
Smith said Stephen Jackson, who is Crumble's teammate at Oak Hill and has already verbally committed to Arizona, was not trying to recruit Crumble.
"They live in the same dorm, so I'm sure they've talked about it," Smith said. "But Steve's told Ricardo that he has to do what's best for Ricardo."
The Arizona coaching staff is prohibited under NCAA rules from commenting on recruits until after they sign a letter of intent. The fall signing period begins Nov. 7.