Stephen Albrecht was in Ohio on Monday wearing a hard hat. No, the Crown Point senior wasn't looking into a career in construction.

He was touring Toledo on an official visit. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard gave Rockets coach Gene Cross a verbal commitment on Monday and faxed his letter of intent to the former Notre Dame assistant Tuesday. A few weeks ago Albrecht was ready to give up on his game because of the extreme fatigue that came along with the recruiting process.

Now he's where he belongs, on a basketball team hanging nets from the perimeter.

"It feels awesome to get out there and get it done," Albrecht said. "I was definitely debating whether I should give it up. Nothing was coming that seemed worthwhile. I didn't want to go somewhere and be a practice player."

Albrecht averaged 17.9 points and 3.3 rebounds a game for the sectional champion Bulldogs. He was offered by Wisconsin-Milwaukee early in the winter, but that didn't work out. An offer from Air Force came, but that didn't feel right to him.

Then, Toledo assistant Brian Loyd called SYF Players coach Wayne Brumm, Albrecht's AAU boss, two weeks ago, looking for a shooter. C.P. coach Clint Swan sent video tapes of Albrecht, likely the Winchester (35 points) and E.C. Central (32) games. But Swan said the Toledo staff watched a quarter and a half of the Bulldogs' home game against Merrillville.

"They shut off the tape after 12 minutes," Swan said. "They knew that they wanted Stephen. This is a combination of elation and relief after everything he's been through. Stephen's going to go there and he's going to do a fantastic job."

Toledo has a medical school, which also appealed to the book-smart student-athlete. His high academic stature was very sought after by the Mid-American Conference school. The two-time Times Preseason All-Area and postseason All-Area selection is pleased he will continue shooting the rock for another four years.

With the NCAA moving back the 3-point stripe, a player of Albrecht's ability is even more valued these days.

"I'm extremely excited to be in the situation I'm in," Albrecht said. "It's a great situation and a blessing. I want to thank everyone in the area who helped me get where I'm now at -- coach Brumm and coach Swan. Toledo saw something in me that they liked and that's a great thing to know."