According to Dave Telep of ESPN.com, 2012 Brewster Academy big man Mitch McGary has narrowed his list of schools down to six. And neither Indiana or Purdue made the cut:

Making the cut, in no specific order are Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Michigan, Duke and Kentucky.

In-state schools Indiana and Purdue are not being considered and McGary feels good about his list, though he left the door cracked.

“Maybe if another school stays in contact, but I kind of wanted to narrow it down to these six,” said the No. 4 overall player in the 2012 class. “I’ve got strong feelings about these six schools.”

Indiana’s involvement with McGary, which was strong last winter, cooled off in recent months. Here’s what the five-star big man told Inside the Hall last December about his interest in the Hoosiers:

“Coach Crean thinks I can be an NBA player. He wants me right now. He says I’d fit great there. I think so, too. I like Coach Crean, I like the whole coaching staff at IU and I like some of the recruits they’ve got now. I think I’d fit in well with them.”

Indiana currently has five verbal commitments in its 2012 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 1 nationally by ESPN.com.

(Photo credit: Jamie Owens of J. Scott Sports)

The NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp kicked off on Thursday at the University of Virginia and four of Indiana’s class of 2012 commitments — Hanner Perea, Jeremy Hollowell, Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell and Ron Patterson — are participating. Hamilton Southeastern’s Gary Harris and Brewster Academy’s Mitch McGary are also in attendance.

Greg Rosenstein, former men’s basketball beat writer for The Indiana Daily Student and currently of USA Today, had a chance to catch up with all six prospects in a set of interviews that will appear on Inside the Hall.

Rosenstein caught up with McGary on Thursday:

When do you think you will be making a decision?

Probably this fall, I’ll make a decision before the season starts.

Do you plan on taking the five official visits that are allowed?

Yes. I haven’t decided where yet, but hopefully soon.

Will there be any unofficial visits you take after this camp?

I’m not sure at the moment. I have to look at the schedule, but I’m not sure.

How do you feel about all of the attention? Are you comfortable with all of these microphones in your face?

I feel kind of like a celebrity. It’s a lot of pressure. Any kid that has cameras and microphones stuck in his face is under a lot of pressure. I can handle it, but I was always the biggest star in my home town so I got a feel of it. But now I’m not just a big fish in a little pond anymore. I’m just trying to go out there and play with everybody else. It’s still a lot of pressure.

What part of the game do you need to work on the most?

Probably mental attitude. Sometimes if I make a bad decision, I’ll put my head down. I just need to move past it and make the next play.

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(Photo credit: Jamie Owens of J. Scott Sports)

A year ago, Mitch McGary’s recruitment was limited due to question marks about his academics.

So the 6-foot-11, 255-pound Chesterton native made the decision to transfer to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire to focus on getting his grades in order and also to play against some of the country’s top competition.

Fast forward to the spring of 2011 and McGary, now a member of the class of 2012, is making waves as one of the nation’s most sought after big men.

“It’s been blowing up actually the last couple of weeks,” McGary told Inside the Hall on Sunday at the adidas May Classic. “I think it’s been mainly because I moved out to Brewster. The transition out there got me better on and off the court. Grades were a factor for most schools last year, but now my grades are well.”

The list of schools in regular contact with McGary is impressive. He reeled off Duke, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Indiana, Purdue, West Virginia, Connecticut, Kentucky, Kansas, Memphis, Louisville and Maryland as schools showing interest.

The move to Brewster has not only helped McGary academically, it’s also helped him transform his body.

“I’ve gained about 30 pounds, but I’ve cut out all the fat. A lot more lean muscle,” he said. “My endurance, I haven’t been showing it a lot lately but my motor is what the coaches usually like and how I hustle after rebounds.”

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