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w o m e n ' s b a s k e t b a l l r e c r u i t i n g Trending Upward Eight commitments for '14, '15 classes could reload Boilermakers BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com eighth grade. The other two '15 commitments — forward Dominique McBryde and guard Lamina Cooper — are also Indiana natives who have long been tracked by the urdue's recruiting is trending in the right direction. Boilermakers. Sharon Versyp and Co. have eight commitments in Fishers native Erica Moore, a 2014 commitment, can the 2014 and '15 classes, and not only are those bodies to say the same, having had relationships with the staff at fill positions, but they also appear to be quality ones, too. Purdue far before she decided to commit during the sumSeveral are considered top-150 players nationally in their mer. classes, while two are ranked in the top 25, according to Being nearby helps, but Purdue's sought out players ESPN.com. from outside the Midwest, too. Bree Horrocks and Haley Undoubtedly, Versyp recruited well during the summer, Bodnar, 2014 posts, come from Georgia and Utah, respecwhen all but one of the eight committed to the Boilermak- tively. Andreona Keys, a 2014 wing, is also from the Peach ers over a five-month span. The question is why? Why has State, while Justine Hall, a 2014 guard, is a Colorado naPurdue seen an uptick in recruiting the last few months? tive. It's likely a confluence of circumstances. Versyp, in her Purdue might also have been helped by a new NCAA eighth year at Purdue, has better staff stability than at any rule, enacted this year in women's NCAA basketball, that point in her tenure, with longtime assistant Nadine Mor- allows coaches to call and text recruits an unlimited numgan, along with Christy Smith and Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton, ber of times starting on Sept. 1 of their junior year. It's more recent additions who appear to be good fits. spurred a number of early commitments, including from "I think that this is a staff that is going to stay together McBryde, a top-25 player nationally who didn't want to deal for a long time," Versyp said. "What has been a big hit is with what could have been easily hundreds of phone calls. that they have all played for me. That has been something But also, Purdue has been a solid program for a number that has been very eye-opening for some people." of years, and although NCAA Tournament success has plaThe staff has built solid relationships over the years. For teaued recently, the Boilermakers have maintained their instance, 2015 commitment Tiara Murphy, a top-10 point status as a top program in the Big Ten. They've won four guard from South Bend, received a Purdue offer before conference tournament titles during Versyp's tenure, including the last two seasons. Up Next "Obviously, the program itself has 2014 Commitments always put a good quality product on Name Pos. Ht. Hometown/High School the floor and kids are starting to see Haley Bodnar C 6-3 St. George, Utah/Desert Hills that now," said James Banks, who has Justine Hall G 5-10 Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit coached Moore, Cooper and Murphy Bree Horrocks C 6-4 Buford, Ga./Buford for the Spiece Indy Gym Rats. "They Andreona Keys F 5-11 Roswell, Ga./Roswell can play an elite level of basketball with Erica Moore F 6-2 Fishers, Ind./Mt. Vernon Purdue and continue that run that they have had over the past several years. 2015 Commitments They have connected with the kids Lamina Cooper G 5-8 Indianapolis/Lawrence North maybe a little earlier than maybe they Dominique McBryde F 6-2 Bedford, Ind./Bedford would have before. They want to keep North Lawrence the best talent in state. They have done Tiara Murphy G 5-6 South Bend, Ind./Washington a real good job with that." P 88 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 2 f