Purdue Recruiting Debate: Should Purdue Offer Nic Moore?

There has been no official news about the recruitment of Nic Moore since he decided to transfer from Illinois State, but several schools have been repeatedly mentioned as likely landing spots for the 5-9 guard: Purdue, Illinois, Notre Dame, and Michigan.

In unofficial twitter polling, most responded that they would rather bank the scholly then bring the Illinois State transfer on board. I can see both sides to this debate and I think Matt Painter is honestly still mulling it over. No media outlets have reported that Purdue has offered…yet. Even moreso, there hasn’t even been news that Moore has visited anywhere so far.

Let’s weigh the pros and cons:

Cons: Moore can’t play next year. After transferring, he will only have 3 years of eligibility left. Painter evaluated Nic Moore very closely when Moore played at Warsaw High School. He ultimately passed on the 5-9 guard, and he probably made that decision because of Moore’s small stature. Being only 5-9, Moore’s versatility is limited. He can really only guard the point and if he’s forced to guard a shooting guard, he’ll often be giving up 5+ inches. Moore would have been a more attractive option for Purdue if Painter had offered him out of high school. That way, Purdue would have had him last season gaining experience under Lewis Jackson. In hindsight, he would have been a good fit after Kelsey Barlow and John Hart transferred. His assist to turnover ratio could improve: 3.9 to 2.4. In all honesty, Moore is not a true point. He’s more of a combo guard that likes to score.

Pros: Even though he can’t play in games next season, Moore would serve as a valuable practice player.  What would Purdue be getting with Moore in 2013? A competitive, smart, and sneakily good player that isn’t afraid of the big stage. In fact, he might be one of those guys that performs better in the limelight. Against BCS or ranked opponents, here are Moore’s scoring totals: Stanford, 25 pts; Ole Miss, 24 pts; Creighton, 20 pts; and Wichita State, 12 pts. Moore was especially strong at the end of the year. And maybe I’m making too much out of his height. He’s a strong built 5-9 guy and when he’s playing out on the perimeter, height differential doesn’t mean as much. Moore is also a good outside shooter: 39% from behind the arc as just a freshman, including a 6 of 6 performance against Ole Miss.

Bottom line: If Painter offers Moore and Purdue gets his commitment, they’ll be getting a gritty guard that won’t back down from anyone. Sure, he may be undersized. But good teams need competitive players like Moore to will the team to victory. Painter passed on Moore the first time around. I don’t think he passes the second time around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gbzBJ3gOzM