m e n ' s
b a s k e t b a l l :
r e c r u i t i n g
u p d a t e
PLAYING THE FIELD
Purdue has work to do in recruiting this fall
BY BRIAN NEUBERT
BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com
C
oming out of the July recruiting period, Purdue finds itself
with a mess of scholarships to fill for
its upcoming 2014 recruiting class;
some very important needs to be met;
and some very promising prospects to
recruit in the underclassman ranks.
It will be a tremendously busy fall
for Matt Painter and his staff, who are
in a starkly different position than in
recent years, when their classes were
comprised mostly of players who committed very early.
Brian Neubert
Purdue needs a center in its 2014 class, with one of its
targets being 7-foot-2 Isaac Haas of Alabama.
Take this year's freshmen, for example: Bryson
Scott committed prior to his sophomore season in
high school, Kendall Stephens and Basil Smotherman
during theirs.
Of last year's four scholarship rookies, those being
Ronnie Johnson, Rapheal Davis, Jay Simpson and A.J.
Hammons, only Hammons remained uncommitted as
of the start of the fall prior to the signing date.
Now, Purdue has upwards of five scholarships to
fill for the class it'll sign in November (barring any
springtime activity), with just Ohio shooting guard
Dakota Mathias on board thus far.
Below is a wide-ranging look at Purdue's recruiting
efforts and where things stand as of Aug. 19.
Guard crazy: Purdue's struggles last season, when
it was 15-17 and missed the NCAA Tournament after a
Brian Neubert
run of six consecutive bids, can be attributed to a lot
Guard Bryant McIntosh bet on himself in July when he decommitted from Indiana State, hoping for something bigger. of things, a lack of depth in the backcourt being one
He won, as a slew of major programs, including Purdue,
of them.
have come at him.
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