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HOW DOES FIFTH-YEAR TRANSFER MARKET WORK? Purdue, like just about everyone else in college basketball, it seems like, aggressively recruited the fifth-year transfer market this spring, an avenue for programs to find instant help at little-to-no cost, and thus a market that's become intensely competitive. The NCAA allows for graduated players with remaining eligibility to transfer without sitting out, as a traditional transfer would be required to, provided their new school offers a graduate-degree program their prior school could not, a mere formality in most cases. It was particularly important for Purdue this year to land Errick Peck and Sterling Carter because both players could fill needs, but also because of the Boilermakers' depleted numbers. Three transfers left following last season, leaving Purdue with just seven returning scholarship players. Peck and Carter will fill scholarships this year that would likely have sat open anyway, and so there's little investment made and no impact whatsoever on future recruiting classes. Because of its benefits, the fifth-year transfer market has turned into a feeding frenzy in recruiting every spring. What team with space to offer couldn't use an extra scholarship-worthy athlete at little cost? But a "poaching" stigma has become increasingly prevalent around it, suspicions being that transfer-eligible players (i.e. those who have redshirted or are accelerated academically) are being recruited off their current teams by bigger programs. In Purdue's case, not only did it get two potentially valuable players, but also a couple of signees free of any hint of such things. Neither could return to their prior schools. Peck was forbidden from playing at Cornell as a fifth-year senior due to an Ivy League rule preventing graduated players from participating; Carter was "released" from Seattle University's team last winter, in season, an issue that was not related to conduct, academics, etc. — Brian Neubert than he did "experience" as his group relied so much on freshmen. To that end, the Boilermaker coach hopes the 21-yearold Peck and 23-year-old Carter can be of some assistance. But they will absolutely be needed to deliver as players, also. There might not be a more open position on Purdue's depth chart than the "power forward" position, where Peck fits in, and there might not be a more urgent need than for perimeter shooting, Carter's specialty. And so the two one-year transfers should have opportunities not only to play, but to make significant impacts in areas of need. It remains to be seen what Purdue will do from a personnel standpoint at the 4 position, where wing Rapheal Davis played so much last season. But Peck is entering the season in coaches' eyes as a legitimate candidate to start. A NIGHT INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE KRANNERT LEADERSHIP SPEAKERS SERIES WITH DAVID GERGEN T H U R S DAY 9. 2 6 .13 6:30 PM PMU BALLROOMS Information/ticket purchases: Lou Underwood, 765-494-0901 or krannertevents@purdue.edu www.krannert.purdue.edu/events/lss EA/EOU 82 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 1 f