Hoops recruits Boozer and Lawson enjoy Cameron experience

There wasn't much more recruits Kara Dawson and Carlos Boozer could have gotten out of the Duke experience.

Crazies slept out for an exhibition game. Duke slammed Australia by 42 points. Grant Hill stopped by. And the crowd chanted their names.

"That was too much," said Carlos' mother, Renee Boozer, of the "We want Boozer" chants. "I almost cried. It just makes us feel so welcome."

For the 6-foot-9 Boozer, who was making his first official visit this weekend, the chants were a pleasant surprise.

"I was kind of shocked," he said in the locker room after the game. "It gets you excited, makes you want to play. I felt like playing the whole time."

Dawson, rated the top high school point guard in the country by The All-Star Girls Report, was more nonchalant about the cheers.

"It was nice and everything," she said. "It's neat that the students care that much about basketball."

Duke is Dawson's last official visit, following Stanford, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Virginia. Last season at West Springfield High School in Alexandria, Va., she averaged 27.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 4.5 steals. She plans to decide on a school by the Nov. 11 early signing date.

Chris Carrawell added, "I hope he'll make the right decision-which would be us."

Boozer would add to an impressive class of '03 which already includes top-10 recruits Casey Sanders and Jason Williams and top-100 recruit Nick Horvath. Mike Dunleavy, who visited Duke during the Blue-White scrimmage, is expected to announce his decision soon.

Boozer had a whirlwind weekend at Duke, attempting to pack as much as possible into the NCAA maximum 48-hour stay. He and his family met with the coaching staff, admissions office officials and athletic department staff-not to mention Grant Hill.

During the game, Boozer and his high school coach, George Houston, often talked back and forth, remarking on certain plays or strategies.

"He's looking for a place to play where he'll have a close relationship with his coach-like the program here," Houston said. "I was very impressed with the way they set up the program and the team. It's easy to see why they're No. 1."

Boozer's family felt comfortable with both the school as a whole and the atmosphere inside Cameron.

"It feels just like home," Renee Boozer said. "I'm having a ball. The fans are marvelous. The kids on the team are outstanding."

Boozer enjoyed the Cameron festivities, and was particularly impressed by the jumping before tip-off and the 'wax-on, wax-off' cheers.

"I thought it was great," he said. "The crowd was unbelievable. They had some cool chants."

No matter how much Boozer liked hanging out with Hill and hearing his name chanted by thousands, he's not intending to announce a choice too soon.

"I think after those trips [to St. John's and UCLA] I'll have a good idea," he said. "But I don't know if I'll tell anyone until April. That's probably the way it will go."