Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/211302
one decides to transfer. There's a lot of factors that can play into it and we try to work all those scenarios. We try to work like any of those scenarios can happen." Wednesday's discussion with media, though, wasn't about what Purdue doesn't have, or doesn't yet have, but about what it now does: Edwards, Mathias and Taylor. Edwards, Painter said, fits ideally into the skilled-forward mold Purdue "desperately" needs, Painter said. "That's an important position to have in a motion offense," Painter said, "and he was a guy who we targeted early on from Day 1 and we thought he would be the best fit for us. We're excited to have him." Edwards became a prime Boilermaker target during his sophomore season at Middletown High School in Middletown, situated between Dayton and Cincinnati. "It was just his versatility and his ability to dribble, pass and shoot, plus he's a great rebounder," Painter said of what drew him to Edwards. "He's a guy that's always put up good numbers, whether it's been practice, open gym, or an AAU game. He's always been consistent in that area. He's a guy that we desperately needed in that position for our offense." Tom Campbell Dakota Mathias will give the Boilermakers another dangerous shooter, but also a versatile offensive player. Meanwhile, Mathias is known as the type of shooter Painter exited last season especially coveting, but a versatile one who's not just a three-point shooter but an all-around scorer and offensive player in general. "He does fit that mold, but his best attribute besides just being a selfless-type player is his high basketball IQ," Painter said. "He can really pass the ball and shoot the ball. We are very fortunate to have him. I think he could play for us right now. "I think (versatile shooters) are very difficult to find. A skilled guy who's intelligent and can make decisions kind of summarizes who he is. He's got a court by his house and he's really put in hours to work on his game." Taylor probably doesn't fit the mold of the physical interior presence Purdue's looked for, though it's entirely possible he'll play the 5 in college. But the Boilermaker coaching staff was drawn to the height, length and athleticism it saw in him prior to the foot injury that cost him his spring and summer, as well as some high-profile East Coast scholarship offers. "I think he's a Gary McQuaytype player. He's 6-9 and long and athletic and can knock down a mid-range shot," Painter said of the left-handed Taylor. "His explosiveness and athleticism will continue to get back to where it was. It was just a great job by (Jack Owens) in finding him. He's a good kid from a good family and is a good student. He really fits the mold we like here at Purdue." Taylor will be rounding back into form this season as he recovers from injury, a season Painter says will determine how much of an immediate contribution he may be able to make in college. "I think a lot has to do with this year. I think that will be the telltale as to how he adjusts coming off that injury," Painter said. "And what kind of spring and summer he has going into next year. I nev- er like to say that a guy will be an immediate-impact type of player unless I feel very strongly about it. You never want to handcuff one of your guys and then he ends up being in a great position. This year will be a big year for him." WOMEN SIGN TOP-25 CLASS A year from now, the Boilermakers might be transitioning from a guard-heavy unit to one stacked on the front line. Wednesday, Coach Sharon Versyp signed a five-player recruiting class, ranked as high as No. 14 by Blue Star Basketball, with three standing at least 6-foot-2. The group, Versyp's largest in her eight years at Purdue, includes 6-4 Georgia post Bree Horrocks; 6-3 Utah post Haley Bodnar; 6-2 Indiana forward Erica Moore; 5-11 Georgia wing Andreona Keys; and 5-10 Colorado guard Justine Hall. "If you sit and watch some of the top teams in the country like UConn and Stanford, their front lines are huge," Versyp said Wednesday afternoon, the first day she could publicly speak of her class. "If you have the players who are 6-2 or 6-3 and can step out and shoot the ball and cause problems with length on defense, that's what we really need. "We have a lot of quickness, but now we can have quickness and length. I think when we went to the Elite Eight, those two teams had a lot of size and length, and we need those abilities, I think, to enhance our game." The recruiting class will help reload Purdue's core, following the impending graduations of Courtney Moses, KK Houser and Dee Dee Williams. It's a group that might be able to do so; the class is ranked No. 14 by Blue Star, second in the Big Ten to Ohio State, and No. 24 by Collegiate Girls Report. Purdue's makeup will be quite different next season. Instead of a guard-heavy until like this year, Versyp will have nine players who are at least 6-foot tall. "It's a quick transition," she said. "… You have to have moving pieces when you're moving with each season. We had to work on moving pieces with Taylor (Manuel) leaving (suddenly this summer), so we had to put more people down low (this year). We're going to have more length and more players than you can imagine on the inside and outside. We could go eight out (at guard) and six in, or seven and seven. "We have to be extremely versatile and that's some of what we're working on this year. Our 3s GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 10 • 34