INDIANAPOLIS – During the recruiting process, high school basketball prospects consider where they want to spend four years. Princeton’s pitch is different:

What do you want out of the next 40 years?

That is what coach Mitch Henderson sold to Devin Cannady. Cannady bought it. Now the two native Hoosiers will return to Indiana for Sunday night’s game against Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

This will be the opener for Princeton, which was 14-0 in the Ivy League last season, won the Ivy’s first league tournament and lost to Notre Dame 60-58 in the NCAA tournament’s first round. The Bulldogs opened Friday night by beating Kennesaw State 82-64.

Hinkle will be familiar to Cannady, 21, a junior guard who was an Indiana All-Star for Mishawaka Marian. He was once on a championship team in a summer camp at Butler, and one of his teammates was Bulldogs sophomore Sean McDermott. Cannady, whose family has moved to Fishers, said friends and relatives have been eager to secure tickets since the game was announced in April.

“It’ll be great for my teammates to come back and see what Indiana basketball is like,” Cannady said.

He has not contradicted the stereotype of an Indiana player — that is, someone who can shoot. Last season he set a Princeton record with a .938 free throw percentage (minimum 40 attempts) on 76-of-81. He shot .409 on 3-pointers, making 81, fifth-most in school history. He is the Tigers’ top returning scorer (13.4).

Henderson said Cannady is taking on a leadership and playmaking role.

“He’s a special kid and someone that has good a feel for the game and also what’s expected of him at Princeton,” the coach said. “You have to understand the balance that is required, both on and off the court. Devin really gets it and is thriving here.”

Cannady was recruited by mid-majors and wanted to stay in the Midwest, so he was leaning toward Ohio University. He said it was difficult to turn down Ohio coaches but said they were understanding.

“They said if they had a son, to turn down Princeton would almost be stupid,” Cannady said.

Cannady, a sociology major, has had two stimulating summers: an internship at a Los Angeles asset management firm and eight weeks in the east African country of Tanzania, where he studied Swahili.

He came to Princeton to hoop, too. The Ivy League is on the rise, having had an NCAA tourney victory in three of the past four seasons.

Henderson, 42, was a Princeton player but is about as Hoosier as it gets. He is a Vincennes native, Culver Academy graduate, Indianapolis Colts fan and racing devotee who attends the Indianapolis 500. One of his most memorable basketball moments came in Indiana. He was on coach Pete Carril’s Princeton team that upset UCLA 43-41 in the first round of the 1996 NCAA tournament at the RCA Dome.

Henderson brought his Tigers to Indianapolis in 2013, losing 70-67 in Brandon Miller’s second game as Butler coach. The Princeton coach is friends with former coach Brad Stevens and has long followed Butler’s program, including 11 seasons spent as a Northwestern assistant.

Henderson said there “are more similarities than differences” in the way Princeton and Butler operate. Coincidentally, just as LaVall Jordan is increasing the Bulldogs’ tempo, Henderson is doing the same at Princeton.

“When I got here, I wanted to be more unguardable and a little less patterned,” the coach said. “It’s more of an open style. It’s helped us in recruiting. We’re getting young players on the floor faster.”

Those would include Cannady. Princeton is 28-2 against Ivy opponents in his two years there.

The Ivy League has not had an at-large berth selection to the NCAA tournament, but that could be coming. Winning at Butler would enhance Princeton’s resume.

“Not having as much respect on a national stage, a team has to win some big games in nonconference,” Cannady said.

Call IndyStar reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.

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BUTLER VS. PRINCETON

Tipoff: 6 p.m., Sunday, Hinkle Fieldhouse.

TV/radio: CBS Sports Network; 1430-AM