DIXFIELD – When the University of Notre Dame gets to make the closing statement in an athlete’s recruiting process, there’s pretty much no need for anyone else to deliver a rebuttal.

Less than a week after making the Fighting Irish his final stop in an arduous college search, Dirigo High School basketball star Tom Knight verbally committed Thursday to accept a full scholarship with the Big East Conference giant.

“It’s a lot more of a small college where everybody knows everybody,” said Knight, who was wowed by his trip to the campus in South Bend, Ind., over Halloween weekend. “They really idolize the athletes there.”

Knight, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound center who is slotted as a prototype Division I small forward or power forward, chose Notre Dame over Maine and Rutgers. He also made official visits to Davidson and Northeastern and considered prep school.

The choice was tougher than it sounds.

Maine was the frontrunner for Knight’s services until the late stages. Most of the state’s recent top prospects, including Troy Barnies of Auburn, Sean McNally of Gardiner and Jon McAllian of Bangor, have stayed home.

Had Knight chosen to spend his next four years in Orono, family and friends could have followed his life and career without cable or a satellite dish.

Although there are no guarantees, a mid-major program might have offered an opportunity for more immediate playing time.

“It was really hard to say no (to Maine). It was a big temptation to go there,” Knight said. “I thought up until the last couple of days that was where I wanted to go.”

Irish invitation

Then Notre Dame rolled out the green-and-gold carpet.

Knight enjoyed prime seats for a basketball exhibition game. He was blown away by the atmosphere of a contest far separated from the drama of March Madness.

“I couldn’t believe the student section just for an exhibition game,” he said. “They’re ranked nationally every year. An opportunity like that doesn’t come along for many people.”

No visit to Notre Dame is complete without sitting in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus and watching the football team that has been the subject of books and motion pictures galore. Pittsburgh edged Notre Dame in a four-hour masterpiece.

Between the pep rallies, the athletic aura and the allure of its academic halls, Notre Dame hit the wide-eyed visitor from rural Maine with the perfect storm.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for him to attend a school with such a reputation both academically and athletically,” said Gavin Kane, Knight’s coach at Dirigo and a longtime friend of his family. “It has always been Tom’s dream to play in the Big East.”

The bidding war heated up dramatically after Knight excelled in an AAU national tournament in Orlando over the summer.

Big frame, big game

Knight’s ball-handling and outside shooting skills are keen for a player his size. Kane said that Knight worked hard to hone those talents before a junior high growth spurt made him a natural fit for the low post at a Class C high school.

Schools are not permitted to comment on verbal commitments. Knight is expected to complete a letter of intent on national signing day next Tuesday.

Notre Dame is expected to groom Knight as a possible successor to its current marquee player, Luke Harangody. A junior who plays the ‘3’ and ‘4’ forward spots, Harangody may elect to jump to the NBA after the 2008-09 season.

“Hopefully I would be ready to get a lot of playing time after that,” Knight said.

Knight said the recruiting process was exhausting.

Letters arrived from school by the dozen during his sophomore and junior years, tailing off somewhat this fall as Knight made his short list public.

“It started out fun, and then it got stressful. Then it got fun again. Then it got stressful again,” Knight said. “I didn’t realize how many letters I would get. Most days I would get 7 to 10 letters. One day I got 15. It was more than 20 schools. Close to 30, actually.”

Each of the finalists had a representative call Knight every day this week.

After sleeping on his decision for the last time Wednesday night, Knight went about the unenviable task of returning the favor to tell the runners-up thanks, but no thanks.

“I’m sure he let out a huge sigh of relief when he finally decided this was what he wanted to do,” Kane said. “It was a great experience for him being part of the recruiting process. but I think it got pretty tiring with all the phone calls, mail, etc. Tom’s a pretty quiet, easy-going kid. I know it’s going to be very difficult calling those other coaches, especially calling Coach (Ted) Woodward at Maine.”

Knight, Kane and Dirigo will begin pursuit of a third straight trip to the Western Class C championship game when the Cougars’ camp opens later this month.

“That will be fun,” said Knight. “I think we have a pretty good shot.”