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In-state Arizona Wildcats basketball recruiting target Matt Carlino committed to Indiana last weekend partly because of doubts regarding UA coach Lute Olson's future, his father said Monday.

Mark Carlino, father of the standout Gilbert Highland sophomore guard and a former ASU basketball player, said his son chose the Hoosiers because of their history, tradition and new head coach, Tom Crean. He added that Matt was uncertain whether Olson would be at Arizona during his college career.

Matt Carlino will be a college freshman in 2011-12, just after Olson's contract is scheduled to end in the spring of 2011. However, Olson, who will be 74 this season, has indicated he may coach beyond then.

"Coach Olson has always contended he will be there," Mark Carlino said. "It's always a hard thing doing something like Matt's doing. But at the end of the day, I just think — at least in Matt's mind — that there was too much uncertainty."

The Wildcats appeared to have had several factors working in their favor for Carlino. Olson gave him his first scholarship offer, in the seventh grade, and Carlino's uncle, Brock Brunkhorst, played for Olson in the mid-1980s.

In addition, Olson hired Russ Pennell, Matt Carlino's summer-circuit coach and a good friend of Mark Carlino, as an assistant coach in April. But while Matt Carlino said in April that Pennell's hiring could influence the choice of colleges, his father said Monday that it ultimately played no factor.

"Russ and Matt have a very close relationship, but I made the mistake of going to school somewhere because of an assistant," Mark Carlino said. "You go for the head coach."

NCAA rules prohibit Olson from commenting on recruits until their letters-of-intent have been signed.

Uncertain whether Top 15 point guard Abdul Gaddy will rejoin their 2009 recruiting class, the Arizona Wildcats pulled in Dallas-area guard Reger Dowell on Monday.

Rated the No. 135 player in the class of 2009 by Rivals.com and a one-star prospect by Scout.com, Dowell is rated considerably lower than Gaddy, who decommitted from the UA in May but remains undecided. But Justin Young of Rivals.com said Dowell has potential to be an effective combo guard at Arizona.

"What Arizona is getting is a player who can really handle the ball and is slippery with the ball," Young said. "He's got a lot of things you can work with. … He's a super athlete, but once he gets to college, he's going to have some adjustments to make."

Dowell did not return a message seeking comment, but his father, Dale, told Texashoops.com that he quickly accepted an offer Monday. Reger Dowell decommitted from Alabama in July and was considering LSU, Cincinnati, Providence and Fresno State, according to Rivals.com.

It is not clear if the UA will continue to pursue Gaddy, who did not return phone and text messages seeking comment. But Scout.com analyst Dave Telep said Monday he "can't imagine that this would impact Abdul Gaddy in any way, shape or form."

The Wildcats now have a full complement of 13 scholarship players scheduled for 2009-10 but may attempt to gain one or two more commitments because Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill are expected to leave early for professional basketball next spring.

The Wildcats already have 2009 commitments from forwards Solomon Hill and Mike Moser. They are also recruiting 2009 Top 100 center Anthony Stover of Renaissance Academy in La Cañada Flintridge, Calif.