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GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 25 • 26 BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com POINT GUARD COMMITS About 24 hours after being of- fered a scholarship, P.J. Thompson committed to join Purdue's 2014 recruiting class, where there's now a golden opportunity at point guard. After the transfer of incum- bent Ronnie Johnson, the incom- ing freshman projects to have op- portunities to play immediately. Purdue has recruited Thomp- son for years and was heavily in- volved with him long before the certainty of Johnson transferring came to the surface. With or without Johnson, Matt Painter and his staff wanted help at point guard and in search of it, turned to Thompson shortly after he received a qualifying test score. "I've been talking to them since like the eighth grade or freshman year," Thompson said. "(They liked) my progression and the things they think I can bring to the program, leadership, making decisions, whether to pass, drive or shoot, and being able to knock down shots. They had a lot of pos- itive things to say about me." That long-standing relation- ship will make for an added com- fort factor when the 5-foot-10 point guard arrives on campus. "It definitely does," Thompson said. "I know that they'll have my best interests in mind and that I can develop playing at Purdue. Just knowing them and them having confidence in me and me having confidence in them, it definitely meant a lot to me in my decision." Thompson, who's now re- covering from the foot injury he suffered at the end of the high school season, projects to make this summer's Indiana All-Star team after a season in which he averaged 24 points and about three assists per game. Thompson chose Purdue over a slew of mid-major offers and in- terest from Butler and Creighton. Cincinnati had just expressed in- terest as well once the test score came in. "Purdue can expect me to be a leader and be positive with my teammates and just do positive things," Thompson said, "and to be able to knock down an open shot, spread the floor and to be able to create for my teammates as well. "I'm just going to bring a win- ner's mentality. There's a lot of tal- ent there at Purdue." Thompson becomes Purdue's fifth 2014 recruit, joining big men Isaac Haas and JacQuil Taylor; for- ward Vince Edwards; and guard Dakota Mathias. Recruiting Roundup p r e s e n t s r e c r u i t i n g n e w s a n d n ot e s Buy Subaru and keep Indiana driving. Bob Rohrman Subaru 1600 South Creasy Lane Lafayette, IN 47905 765-449-8100 www.bobrohrmansubaru.com Fort Wayne Subaru 5000 Illinois Road Fort Wayne, IN 47905 260-432-4567 www.fortwaynesubaru.com Brian Neubert Point guard P.J. Thompson committed to be part of Purdue's 2014 signing class. PURDUE 2015 fOOTbAll COMMITMENT Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/School Elijah Sindelar QB 6-4 200 Princeton, Ky./Caldwell County