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August 22, 2001

Mike Wachsman
BuckeyeGrove.com

Candace Dark always felt she?d be playing college basketball in the Big Ten, but never guessed it would have been at Ohio State.

The native of Kingman, Ind., a town of roughly 400 hardy souls about 40 minutes from the Purdue campus, grew up idolizing former Boilermakers star Stephanie White-McCarty.

But instead of making the short jaunt to the land of Big Ten titles, Dark is coming east to Columbus. The 5-11 off-guard made public a commitment to Ohio State, which was given to the coaching staff about two weeks ago.

?It?s been one of my dreams and goals to play in the Big Ten, and now I?m getting the opportunity,? Dark said. ?It?s a prestigious league, and it?s close enough to home that I can feel comfortable there.?

Dark averaged 20.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for 21-4 Fountain Central High School, helping to guide the team to its first ever sectional and regional title. Dark watched her squad lose in the semistates (final eight) to the eventual Class 2A champions.

While Dark grew up watching the exploits of White-McCarty, it was another former Boilermaker who got her to Ohio State.

OSU assistant Seth Kushkin knew of Dark from his time as an assistant at Purdue, and his diligence and familiarity gave Dark something of a comfort zone.

?I knew coach Kushkin from Purdue, and when he started sending me things from Ohio State I paid attention,? Dark said. ?They showed a lot of interest in me and called every week they were allowed to. I just like the way the team gets along and the coaching staff. Having a chance to be part of something big was also important.?

Dark, who participated in the adidas All-American camp in July, chose the Buckeyes over Xavier, Virginia Tech and Ball State. She has already qualified academically, posting a 1050 on the SAT and holding a 3.9 GPA.

?It?s an academically strong school, especially for medicine,? said Dark, who intends to sign a letter of intent in November. ?I don?t know which branch of medicine yet, but that?s definitely something I?m interested in and something Ohio State is very strong in. Getting to play somewhere with the interest they have is great. It will also be neat to come back to Purdue and have a lot of support.?

Getting the decision out of the way before her senior season takes a huge weight off of Dark?s mind.

?It will be nice that I can just go out there and play,? she said. ?I always figured I?d sign in the early period, but you can never be really sure. But after seeing Ohio State and the team and what the school had to offer, I figured why wait any longer? I liked everything about it. It should allow me to just get ready for my senior season knowing there?s a university there that cares about me, not only as a player but as a person. You can?t beat that.?

Dark is the first verbal commitment for the Buckeyes 2002-2003 class. OSU will likely go light on the scholarships this season because of an outstanding crop of juniors (2003 graduates).

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