2010 basketball recruit Victor Oladipo commits

Victor Oladipo was praying for a sign before he came to IU for his official visit Thursday.

Luckily for IU men’s basketball coach Tom Crean and his staff, he got several, and decided to commit to IU for college basketball.

“After we finished playing with the guys, we went out to dinner,” Oladipo said of the moment he knew IU was the place for him. “Coach Crean was just breaking down my game and going over my weaknesses and my strengths and how I can fit in. Definitely another thing was waking up the next day and seeing my face in the paper. That set it off, too. I felt like that was the place for me.”

Oladipo, the No. 133 recruit in the nation according to Rivals.com, made his decision today. His commitment came after a night of prayer and time with his family.

“God had pointed me toward Indiana," he said of his commitment. "He was giving me signs. I felt like that was where he wants me to go.”

Oladipo said another factor in his decision was his friendship with freshman Maurice Creek.

“There was definitely chemistry with me and Maurice because of us growing up together,” Oladipo said. “He knows a lot of things I can do, and I know a lot of things he can do.

“He’s like my big brother. I grew up watching him because he was always a grade older than me. He just showed me the ropes.”

That chemistry also extended to the court with other players.

“After the first couple games, I started learning how people play and seeing what people could do,” Oladipo said. “The second day, when we started playing, there was a lot of chemistry there.”

Oladipo said he will make an impact on campus not just as a player, but as a man. His community efforts can attest to that, as he went to a soup kitchen near his high school, DeMatha Catholic High School, to get some of his required service hours.

“It was a great experience,” he said. “I had never done it before. It makes you appreciate what you have.”

Part of that stems from his Catholic background. He said prayer was a major factor in his decision, as it is in any decision he makes.

“I’d been praying before I even went down there,” he said. “I prayed before I said I wanted to go there.”

Oladipo said he cannot wait to see what will happen a year from now when he is on campus as a freshman.

“I’m really didn’t ever want to leave," he said. "I just want to go back down there, and I can’t wait to be down there.”