High-majors hot after Van Treese

Stephen Van Treese is getting back to where he once was.

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound power forward from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, Ind., is trying to get back to one hundred percent after a long bout with mononucleosis.

The nationally ranked class of 2009 says he feels like he is getting there.

"I've been practicing and trying to get back into shape and everything," Van Treese said. "I'm just happy I'm back. I'm not stressing anymore about getting back to where I was.

"I lost all of my touch with the basketball and my muscle memory. Everything was gone. I had to regain it all again. My legs were just dead. I went to my first open gym a couple of weeks ago and I was getting beat by freshmen. I was getting mad. I could not run. I can't get beat by the slow people."

Van Treese wasn't being beat by the slow people at last week's Tournament of Champions. The big man ran the floor well and played his best game of the event in front a number of national eyes against the Georgia Stars. Van Treese scored 21 points against another good-looking big man.

"Playing on a big stage like that, I kind of thought, 'Yeah, I'm back,'" Van Treese said.

College coaches didn't see too much of him in the spring evaluation period. If they did, he wasn't at full strength. That hasn't kept the offers away though. To date, Kentucky, Indiana, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue and Xavier have tendered scholarships.

Interest from Florida, Kansas, Duke, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, Stanford and Wisconsin remains strong, he said. Van Treese said he is starting to see who is really interested.

"Ohio State was looking at me really hard and I don't know if they have offered anyone else in the class of 2009. They told me that I'm their only offer and that they are really committed to me," Van Treese said. "I know IU has offered other people but they want me really bad. They said I'm one of their priorities.

"Notre Dame is looking at me really hard. I'm going to probably visit Kentucky and Louisville. I've visited Florida over my spring break. It was really cool."

Not in a rush to decide, Van Treese admits he is spending a lot of time pondering over where he will call home for college.

"Recently, I've been thinking about where do I really want to go and I just don't know. How far do I want to go from home? Do I like their coaches? Do I like their facilities? Will I like the players that they have there?," Van Treese said. "I've been watching a lot of the players in my grade on the AAU circuit and seeing who I like and trying to figure out who would I like to go play with."