M. HOOPS NOTEBOOK: Several top recruits considering Penn

Peter Van Elswyk, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound center at the University of South Carolina, may transfer to Penn, friend Anna Wasilewska confirmed last night. Van Elswyk has started every game during his two years with the Gamecocks. He is also considering Stanford. Van Elswyk -- from Hamilton, Ont. -- would be the second player to transfer from coach Eddie Fogler to the Quakers. When at Vanderbilt, Fogler lost Matt Maloney to Penn. "He's a good outside shooter," said Gamecock sports editor Ryan Wilson, who added Van Elswyk would have been phased out of the lineup if he stayed at South Carolina due to a good recruiting class and transfers. Van Elswyk was not required to score much in the South Carolina system. He averaged 5.2 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game in 1994-95, and 4.9 ppg and 4.1 rpg his freshman year. The central issue may hinge on a financial aid package. Stanford, a member of the Pac-10, offers scholarships. Van Elswyk was unavailable for comment. · Indiana transfer Rob Hodgson has narrowed his choice to Penn and Rutgers, his father Bob Hodgson said last night. Rob Hodgson informed Vanderbilt coach Jan van Breda Kolff and South Carolina coach Fogler he is no longer considering their schools. Rob Hodgson met Van Elswyk during a visit with the Gamecocks. "He basically has to decide what he wants. Certainly the Wharton School and Penn in general you can't top," Hodgson's father said. "On the other hand he would have the chance to play in the Big East." Rutgers will join the Big East next season. Hodgson's father played high school basketball with Scarlet Knights coach Bob Wenzel on Long Island. The 6-7 Hodgson enrolled at Indiana last semester, but returned to Long Island after being redshirted. He was named Long Island high school player of the year in 1993-94, and is the third all-time leading scorer in New York state high school basketball history. · Jeff Knoll, a 6-11 center from Mercer Island, Wash., a suburb of Seattle, has narrowed his choice to Penn and Fordham, he said last night. Knoll has had an injury-plagued high school career, which scared away early suitors, including North Carolina. "They did shy away a little," Knoll said. "Right now I'm not at the level that I could play with them." Knoll considered spending a year at prep school then going to a bigger program, but has decided to go to college this fall. Knoll's Mercer High squad won the state championship with him as a starter his sophomore year. He did not play junior year after undergoing surgery for a herniated disk. Knoll came back too early from that injury. Nerve damage in his leg weakened his right ankle and resulted in a broken foot. · Ray Carroll said he will attend the University if he is admitted. "Financial aid wouldn't be the issue," Carroll said. Carroll will be taking a visit to Fordham and is also considering James Madison, but said Penn is his first choice. Carroll, a 6-3 guard, averaged 23 ppg, 10 rpg and four assists per game for Chester High School. · Frankie Brown, a 6-5 senior from Beverly Hills, Calif., will most likely attend Penn. He was waiting to see if Southern California would offer him a scholarship, and it appears the Trojans will not. Brown could not be reached for comment. · Jed Ryan, a 6-5 forward who averaged 24 ppg for Cathedral Prep in Erie, and Paul Romanczuk, a 6-6 forward from Archbishop Carroll in Philadelphia, are the only players to verbally commit to the Quakers.

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