Post addition: Hoosiers add new player for upcoming season

Before three weeks ago, Lucas Steijn's knowledge about IU was pretty limited. He knew that Kerry Rupp was an assistant coach. He knew 'Hoosiers' was about basketball in Indiana. He watched IU hoops on TV last year. \nBetween now and then, Steijn has signed a basketball scholarship to spend his next four to five years at the school he used to know nothing about.\nIt's been a wild ride for the young freshman who just turned 18 Aug. 1. He arrived in Bloomington for the first time last Friday. He took a physical Sunday and a blood test Tuesday morning. \nTuesday afternoon, he was enrolled as an IU student and a member of the 2004-2005 basketball team.\nWhether Steijn would redshirt or not is yet to be decided for the upcoming season. The late scholarship spot came up after signee Robert Rothbart withdrew to play pro basketball in Europe. \nSteijn, who was playing for Notre Dame Academy in Middleburg, Va., could have attended one more year of high school. But when IU offered, he couldn't refuse.\n"I already graduated high school in Holland, so I had my degree and had done my SAT," Steijn said. "I was ready to go to college, and when Indiana made this offer, it was great. I definitely wanted to go."\nSteijn said he also received attention from Miami (Fla.), Tulane, St. Bonaventure and Wyoming. The Rupp connection was the contact for IU and Davis to land the Europeon.\nAfter losing George Leach to graduation with Rothbart's departure, IU coach Mike Davis welcomes the 6-foot-10, 230 pound addition to his ball club.\n"To get a player with Lucas' talent and potential is just great news for our program," Davis said.\nSteijn's journey from the Netherlands to Bloomington has been a long one. His first love wasn't basketball, but soccer. He grew up playing the game, but after his height had him towering over other players, a friend who had been to the U.S. recommended he make the switch from the soccer field to the basketball court.\nAt age 11, Steijn picked up the roundball and said he really liked the sport. He began playing on a couple of club teams before being recruited to play on the Demon Astronauts in Amsterdam, one of the best teams in Holland, Steijn said. He also played on the Dutch National Team, where he averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds. \nDuring this time, he attended a basketball camp in Brussels where he made the connection with Rupp, who was then at Utah, through one of his coaches.\nHe then faced the choice of whether to attend college in the Netherlands and lose a year of eligibility in the process or to attend high school in the U.S. Notre Dame Academy was the choice.\nHe averaged 12 points and eight rebounds for the 2004 Virginia Division II state champions, which also included three other Division I players.\nSteijn had his first workout with the team Tuesday and said it was intense. He said he sports a versatile game, inside and out.\n"I'm a very physical player -- tough on the rebounds, tough on the post game," he said. "I can hit the outside jumper. My post game is good. I think I can improve on my quickness. I think my strength is post game, but I like to play outside, to be another floor player."\nDavis said Steijn is a legitimate shot blocker with solid fundamentals. Rupp said the quality that excite him is Steijn's understanding of the game.\nIf Steijn doesn't redshirt this season, he will be competing for playing time in a Hoosier front court that includes freshmen D.J. White and James Hardy, sophomore Pat Ewing Jr, junior Sean Kline and senior Mike Roberts.\nSteijn said the speed of the American game is what stands out to him.\n"The style of play here is quicker, definitely quicker," Steijn said. "There's a lot of athleticism, and a lot of guys can jump out of the gym like crazy here."\n-- Contact sports editor John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.