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With the unfortunate departure of Kelsey Barlow, Purdue may have thoughts to replace his roster spot, even if Barlow only had one more year of eligibility. The Boilermakers’ could fill the roster spot in a few ways. Let’s start here:
- A one year transfer player. As you may know, the NCAA now allows players that have finished their undergraduate degrees to transfer to another school without sitting out a year if a) they have another year of eligibility left and b) the school they transfer to has a post-graduate program that their original school did not offer. Michigan State’s Brandon Wood is a prime example of this. Purdue might be looking for the types of players on the “college free agent” market that can play point guard, shoot the 3 ball, or otherwise serve a versatile role. I’m not sure which options are out there right now and much of that probably won’t be apparent until after the season is over, but this could be a real possibility in the off-season.
- A Junior College player. The Boilers could find a 2 year or 3 year player that fills a need on the team. The scholarship picture would require some shifting around for this to happen, but a lot can happen between now and when the 2013 class signs in November. Matt Painter hasn’t picked up a player from the junior college markets since Nemanja Calasan, so this might not be a likely option. One name I’ll throw out there is Nick Wiggins, originally from Toronto but now at Wabash Valley Junior College. He has a lot of talent and is the older brother of top rated 2014 recruit Andrew Wiggins.
- A class of 2012 high school/prep school player with 4 years of eligibility. Purdue finally has room for one year of Gary Harris. Okay, that’s not going to happen, but there are actually some good class of 2012 recruits still out there. One that comes to mind is small forward Ryan Taylor originally from Indianapolis. He’s 6-6 and has the versatility to either rebound in the paint or play on the perimeter. I could name more names, but it’s really difficult to tell how likely (if at all) any of these recruits would be considered by Matt Painter. Again, the scholarship picture would have to change to allow for this to happen.
And just for fun, let’s recap the 2013 and 2014 basketball recruiting targets:
2013:
- Nigel Hayes, Toledo, Ohio. This 6-7 forward is athletic and has a developing skill level that might allow him to face-up and play on the perimeter at the next level. He’s competitive and has a lot of physical tools. Painter reportedly watched him a few weeks ago, so he’s seriously being considered.
- RJ Curington, Oak Hill Academy (formerly Dyer, IN). Curington is instant offense. He can shoot well and has good size from the wing at 6-5. He needs to improve on his defense, but I hope Painter keeps recruiting him because the Boilermakers will need to replace the perimeter shooting of Robbie Hummel and Ryne Smith.
- Maverick Morgan, Ohio. He’s a 6-10 center with good instincts around the basket. I think Painter would go after Morgan if he thinks that there aren’t any good 2014 centers to pluck because both Carroll and Marcius will graduate in 2014. He’s a solid prospect, so I expect Purdue to at least keep tabs.
2014: Still plenty of time, but let me just list the current offers: SG Dmitri Thompson, wing Vincent Edwards, F Keita Bates-Diop, SG Paul Turner, wing Trevon Blueitt, G Jaquan Lyles, and PF Tyler Wideman.
I’ll save the 2015 (and younger classes) talk for another time, but I can assure you that Matt Painter and staff already have some early targets. As always, recruiting never stops.
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