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Boilermaker center target 'enjoyed every minute' of Purdue visit

One of two official visitors hosted by Purdue this weekend, center Emmanuel Dowuona said he was particularly eager to make the visit, though in no hurry to make any decisions.

"I haven't (committed) yet, because I have a lot of schools looking at me now," Dowuona said upon returning from the visit. "Don't get me wrong: Purdue is a really good school, a really, really good school and I really like that school. But right now I am just not 100-percent sure, because I have a lot of schools (interested) and I have to think about them and break them down, too.

"I had made up my mind that I would probably not make a decision until my senior year but for some reason I was in a hurry to see Purdue to see what the school looks like. I'd gotten all that the information from the coaches at Purdue, but a lot of people from Miami were telling me how great the school is, too, so that pretty much fed my desire to go see that school quickly."

It seemed conceivable that Purdue might make the 6-foot-10, 220-plus-pound center's first visit his only visit, but the native of Ghana — he attends high school in Miami — said he plans to play out the summer, then assemble a list of four more schools to visit now that he's used his first NCAA-permitted official visit on the Boilermakers.

Dowuona holds double-digit offers, some particularly notable ones having come from near-by Miami, Virginia, USC and many others.

Though Dowuona said he plans to continue on with the recruiting process, Purdue did make a strong impression, he said.

"They said they don't want me, that they need me, due to the lack of big men they're going to have the next two or three years, because Isaac Haas is a senior this year," he said. "He'll play this year and that will be it for him. Purdue needs big men and they like my capabilities to play in the post and my athleticism. They think I can fit right into their team."

Basketball will be an important part of Dowuona's decision, but academics might play just as important role, if not more important, which could be an important advantage for Purdue, as he decision between fields that should fall squarely within the school's strengths.

Dowuona said he's considering construction engineering and civil engineering.

Purdue told him, he said, what sort of challenges he could expect in either course of study.

"They just wanted to let me know that they're there for me and they're there to help me, that they're a family, too, and they'll help you succeed," Dowuona said. "I really enjoyed every minute I had with them and really appreciated everything they did."

In addition to Dowuona, Purdue hosted Rivals.com four-star wing Robby Carmody for the first of his three June official visits.

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