By Todd Lancaster
CNHI
WASHINGTON —
The vast landscape of major college recruiting became a little more manageable for Washington’s Cody Zeller on Wednesday, as the multi-skill 6-11 player narrowed his potential suitors to just three. And for Hatchet fans, there is a 66 percent chance he will play for an Indiana school. Indiana University, Butler and the University of North Carolina were the three final schools still in the running for Zeller, who made the announcement in a phone interview on Thursday. Zeller, who led the Hatchets to their sixth state title last spring, has spent the summer on the AAU circuit with Indiana Elite, where his games were watched intently by nearly every major program mentor. “It was a hard decision, but those three were in front by a lot. I have five official visits I could take, but I didn’t want to lead anyone on,” said Zeller. He said each of the three have a lot going for them. “There is all the tradition at Carolina and that is special. Coach (Tom) Crean has done a great job turning things around at Indiana and Butler is such a good team year-in-and-year-out. They have one of the best young coaches in the country. All three coaches are great people,” Zeller added. His five-star rating has been well-earned with 868 points in his first three years as a Hatchet, along with 463 rebounds, including a record-tying 26 in the state final game. Last year he averaged 20.5 ppg and 11.1 boards. However, it is more than just basketball that Zeller will be focused on during campus visits this fall. He also maintains a 3.99 GPA and is second in his class of 188. “I’m hoping to study business, so that was part of the decision. Indiana has one of the best business schools in the country,” said Zeller. Zeller is not unfamiliar with the process, as he watched his brother Luke make the choice to attend Notre Dame and Tyler will soon start his junior year at North Carolina. “I would like to play with Tyler, but that is not the biggest factor. There really is no front runner right now. I’m not sure when I’ll make a decision,” said Zeller. Along with Zeller’s collegiate choice announcement, adidas announced the roster for the fourth annual adidas Nations Global Experience, a premier international grassroots basketball program, and Zeller was named to the 18-under team. “That is something I played in last year and really enjoyed it,” said Zeller. “It is a chance to play athletes from other nations. It is some of the best competition I’ll see all summer.” adidas Nations will take place at the Attack Athletics Center in Chicago today through Sunday, with the championship and third place games held at UIC Pavilion on Monday at 7 p.m. and broadcast live on CBS College Sports Network. Zeller said that after his trip to Chicago, he will be attending his brother Luke’s wedding and hopefully have a little chance to relax before he starts the official visits. “The biggest difference in the official and unofficial visits is what the school is allowed to pay for during the visit, so even though there is just one official visit (per school), there are other opportunities to see the schools,” said Zeller.