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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 1 71 BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com T his hasn't been a typical recruiting class for Coach Sharon Versyp and Co. In years past, by the time the calendar turns to September — and frequently well before that — the longtime Purdue coach has had a good portion of her re- cruiting class lined up. Last year's group of Miracle Gray, Dominique Oden and Ae'Rianna Harris was secured well in advance, with Oden's commitment, the last of the trio, coming 11 months before signing day. The year before, three out of four had committed early, with only Nora Kiesler's verbal coming during the fall. The same story was true in 2014, and so on. But not in 2017. Now, only Ohio forward Dani Lawson, who has been committed for more than two years, in the fold as of Aug. 24, with as many as three spots remaining. But as the recruiting calendar hit its last two months, Purdue was sitting in good shape for several prospects, including a few considered among the top recruits in the country. Following is a closer look: DANA EVANS The highest-scoring guard in the state, Dana Evans has the Boilermakers in her top 11, a group that was originally only nine in May before she added Vanderbilt and Tennes- see. The 5-foot-6 point lists Baylor, DePaul, In- diana, Louisville, Marquette, Oklahoma State, Purdue, UCLA and West Virginia, plus the two schools in Tennessee. The Commodores be- came a factor after Stephanie White took the coaching job there, then got a visit from the Gary West product. Evans has visited many, including Purdue and Indiana. She's good. ESPN ranks Evans as the seventh-best player in the country in the '17 Class, second among point guards. As a junior last season, she averaged a state-best 35.8 points per game. "I don't have a favorite yet,'' she told the Chicago Trib- ute before a busy summer that included AAU, the Indiana junior/senior series and USA Basketball. "It's going to be a very tough decision for me — very tough. I'm just trying to pick a good school, one that's right for me, whether it's close to home or far away.'' In July, Evans played for the USA U18 team, averaging 8.8 points, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals to help the Americans to a 5-0 record at the FIBA Americas U18 Championships in Valdivia, Chile. SIDNEY COOKS On Aug. 8, Sidney Cooks tweeted out her list of five finalists: Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA and Wisconsin. The Kenosha, Wis., product is a big-time player, rank- ing No. 6 in the country by ESPN — one spot ahead of Incoming Boilermakers Name Pos. Ht. Hometown/High School 2017 Commitment Dani Lawson F 6-2 Shaker Heights, Ohio/Hathaway Brown 2018 Commitment Kayana Traylor G 5-9 Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville 2019 Commitment Bria Harmon G 5-7 Suwanee, Ga./Collins Top Prospects Looking At Purdue 2017 could be big class for Versyp and Co. Women's Basketball Recruiting