Purdue Basketball Recruiting Hot Board: Class of 2014

After recapping some possibilities for the 2012 and 2013 basketball recruiting classes, let’s look at the 2014 recruiting class.

This post will only feature recruits who already report an offer from Purdue. I’ll have another update on 2014 recruits who Purdue is contacting and evaluating, but who do not currently have offers. Matt Painter and company have cast a wide net, so there are a lot of players in the mix. Plus, recruiting is fluid, so this list could have more names after the July evaluation period.

Scholarship openings in 2014: 2 to 3 openings. Terone Johnson, Travis Carroll, and Sandi Marcius are scheduled to exhaust their eligibility in 2014. Therefore, Purdue has three scholarship openings in 2014, although this is subject to change if the Boilers add another player in the 2013 recruiting class, which I think is very possible. Regardless, Purdue should have at least two scholarship openings in 2014. Also, see this scholarship grid courtesy of Hammerandrails.com.

Needs: With the graduation of Carroll and Marcius, Purdue will want to add a big man. They’re also looking for a versatile forward that can play as a stretch 4, or maybe as a 3. With Terone Johnson leaving in 2014, they’ll need another tough defender out on the wing that can also create some offense. Point guard is not a need in this class.

Here are the reported 2014 players with Purdue offers, a short description of their game, and the mutual interest level:

Vince Edwards: 6-7, 200 lb. wing/forward. Offers: Purdue, Xavier, Dayton; and interest from Michigan, West Virginia, Indiana, and others.

Edwards has long been considered Matt Painter’s number one recruiting priority. He has great versatility, can rebound, handle the ball, shoot pretty well from the perimeter, finish in traffic, block shots, and has good passing skills.

Mutual interest: Hot. It’s not a stretch to say Purdue is the favorite here. Painter has been on Edwards harder than anyone else and Edwards has had a chance to visit Purdue multiple times. Hopefully Purdue can seal the deal here.

Keita Bates-Diop: 6-7, 190 lb. wing/forward. Offers: Purdue, Illinois, Michigan will offer soon, DePaul, Kansas State, and Northwestern. Interest from Louisville and Wisconsin as well.

Bates-Diop is very thin, but has enormous potential. He has a very good skill level. He has a 7-3 wingspan and easily could grow into a match-up nightmare if he sprouts another 2 inches. Once his body develops, he will be even more coveted.

Mutual interest: Medium-hot. Bates-Diop visited Purdue last Wednesday. He also visited Illinois and Michigan recently. I think Bates-Diop will choose between Purdue, Illinois, and Michigan later this summer. He is from Normal, IL, so the Illini may have an edge based on familiarity and proximity.

Tyler Wideman: 6-7, 240 lb. power forward/center. Offers: Purdue and interest from Michigan, Michigan State, Xavier, Illinois.

Wideman is a bull down low. Recently, he has expanded his game to include more outside shooting. He has always had good passing skills and would be a good fit in Matt Painter’s motion offense. If his conditioning improves, he’ll become an even more versatile player.

Mutual interest: Medium-hot. Wideman has been a frequent visitor. However, his comments about Purdue have been tepid. Since the Boilers are his only offer, it stands that Purdue is in the driver’s seat. If Michigan comes through with an offer though, that could change. Note: his former teammate, Glenn Robinson III, is a Michigan signee.

Dmitri Thompson: 6-4, 185 lb. wing/shooting guard. Offers: Purdue, UCF, South Florida; and interest from Florida, Florida State, Georgetown, and others.

Thompson has great athleticism and nice size on the wing. He looks like a guy who could be a lock-down defender in Purdue’s pressure defense. Offensively, he is more of a guy who scores in transition and attacks the basket. He can make above the rim plays. Comparison: Indiana’s Victor Oladipo.

Mutual interest: Medium-hot. Purdue has been on Thompson for a while and I think he legitimately likes the Boilers. I can’t say the interest is too high because he has yet to visit Purdue. He did visit a Purdue camp in Indianapolis last year though. Purdue is keeping tabs on him, but they don’t get to watch his AAU tournaments as much since they’re usually outside of the midwest.

Paul Turner: 6-4, 180 lb. shooting guard. Offers: Purdue, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Xavier, and interest from Michigan, Florida, Notre Dame, Iowa, Indiana, and others.

Turner has great shooting ability and good size at his position. He is a wanted man as he already gathered 5+ high major offers. He has played less this AAU season because of injuries, but expect to hear his name during the July evaluation period.

Mutual interest: Medium. Purdue is in a long line of programs that want the services of Turner. Although he has visited West Lafayette multiple times, he may be a difficult player to nab out of Illinois.

Marlon Jones: 6-9 power forward. Offers: Purdue (reported by various scouts at least), Providence; and interest from Illinois, Missouri, Marquette, Notre Dame.

Jones has gotten less publicity since he sat out last high school season, but he sounds like an amazing prospect that can defend the rim. He has athleticism, length, and a developing skill set. He can reportedly hit a jumper out to 15 feet. This guy could blow up.

Mutual interest: Medium-low. It sounds like Purdue is trying to get seriously involved with Jones, but he has not yet visited Purdue. Until then, it seems like the interest is low from Jones.

Trevon Bluiett: 6-5, 185 wing/forward. Offers: Purdue, Indiana, Notre Dame, Virginia, Xavier, Illinois; and interest from Florida, Michigan State, Ohio State, and others.

Bluiett is a highly rated player that knows how to score.

Mutual interest: Low. It really sounds like Bluiett is favoring Indiana, but could also head out-of-state. It has never seemed like the Boilers were in a good position here.

Jaquan Lyle: 6-4, 180 lb. combo guard/wing. Offers: Purdue, Indiana, Ohio State, Louisville, Texas, Illinois, Xavier, and others. Interest from many others.

Lyle is a 5 star. He’s maybe the most exciting player to watch in Indiana in the class of 2014. He’s the real deal, although some have questioned his attitude.

Mutual interest: Low. Even though he has visited Purdue, it sounds like Lyle’s dream school is Texas. I could see him choose the Longhorns or maybe a school like Kentucky or North Carolina.

Other players Purdue is contacting and evaluating: Jacob Johnson, Sam Logwood, Sean Sellers, Jonathan Wilkins, Bryant McIntosh, Aaron Brennan, Perry Poindexter, Ore Arogundade, Jordan Barnett, Jackson Davis. LINK to prospects with Purdue interest from Rivals.com.