28 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATE VOLUME 26, ISSUE 3
BY BRIAN NEUBERT
BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com
P
urdue was carried into the
top 10 nationally this season
by a collection of big men
virtually unmatched in college bas-
ketball.
Few teams, if any, can match the
collective size of centers Isaac Haas
and A.J. Hammons and power for-
ward Caleb Swanigan, let alone their
ability.
And the Boilermaker coaching
staff knows that if it wants to main-
tain such an advantage into the fu-
ture, the time to act in recruiting is
now.
Size is a volatile thing.
With the premium the pro ranks
place on it, such depth can get
cleaned out in a hurry.
And so Purdue is busy now look-
ing for its next generation of big
men, knowing for certain Hammons
departs after this season and under-
standing that the others may one day
have springtime decisions to make.
With a reputation in place now
as a post-friendly program, Purdue
continues to recruit big men for
next season, but continues to take
stabs at some of the best in the high
school class of 2017, high school ju-
niors, too.
Most notable, due to proximity
and perhaps Purdue's standing with
them, are in-state prospects Jaren
Brian Neubert
Malik Williams of Snider High School in
Fort Wayne is all of 6-foot-10, but runs
and moves in ways that belie his size.
In-state prospects
top Purdue's list for
2017 big men
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