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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 5 60 BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com T he last weekend in April, Purdue's coaching staff hit three cities during the NCAA's final spring evaluation weekend, scout- ing prospects from the classes of 2016-2018. Then, the staff scurried back to campus to try to get a guy to join the team now. With every piece but point guard returning from last season's 21-win team, Purdue needs immediate help in its backcourt, and so it has once again turned over every stone in the transfer market, looking specifically for those that are immediately eligi- ble. When the evaluation weekend end- ed, the coaches' most realistic target on that front was waiting on campus for them. Chicago native Johnny Hill, for- merly of Illinois State and now due to depart Texas-Arlington upon gradua- tion this spring, officially visited West Lafayette. He'll visit Illinois in mid-May, then decide, likely between the two Big Ten schools, it would appear. Hill met on his visit with Jon Octe- us, the former fifth-year transfer that played such a pivotal role in Purdue turning from a last-place Big Ten team a year earlier into a group that won 13 conference games and re- turned to the NCAA Tournament. "Just seeing Jon Octeus come in and do it, that's refreshing to see someone could come in, play the same position as me and have success doing it," Hill said. "Also, they were an NCAA Tourna- ment team and to be honest with you, that was my reason for leaving (Tex- as-Arlington). I'm not a transfer that's wanting X amount of points or X amount of minutes. I just want to find a situation where I can contrib- ute and be on a win- ning team. I want to get to the Tourna- ment. I've had some individual accolades before but I've never been to the Tourna- ment. I'm looking to do something I've never done. It's re- freshing to have a chance to go to a team that returns basically everyone except the guy who played my position, so that opportunity is present for me." Purdue wants Hill but if it doesn't get him, it will need someone else, be- cause as is, point guard is otherwise left to just sopho- more P.J. Thompson, incoming fresh- man combo guard Grant Weatherford and a crew of others — shooting guards Dakota Mathias and Ryan Cline and maybe even forward Vince Elman Photography Prospective fifth-year transfer Johnny Hill is considering Purdue as the Boilermakers are searching for a point guard with experience. FIRST THING'S FIRST Purdue has to finish out 2015 class before future classes M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G