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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 3 68 they have there at Purdue, it was a great place for me to be, and the academics, as well. All of that just added up and I made my decision." It was a significant one for Purdue, which got the guard it wanted in 2017, which is not something it's often been able to say about recruiting classes out- side of 2007's signing of E'Twaun Moore. Eastern will make for an interesting fit. His height and outstanding length fit well in a 2017 class to this point defined by such things. The class is not yet complete — Purdue will be very active in the spring, again — but fellow signees Aaron Wheeler (wing) and Matt Haarms (big) and junior college recruit Eden Ewing figure to immedi- ately make the Boilermakers a longer, more athletic, more versatile team, though collectively it's a class that will need to get bigger and stronger. Eastern fits, too, with current Boilermaker fresh- man Carsen Edwards, who's looked the part of a bud- ding standout this season. Purdue recruited Eastern as what Painter believes will be an ideal complement to Edwards and his scor- ing ability. The model Painter used to recruit Eastern goes as follows: He'll play point guard on offense while Edwards plays the shooting guard position, keeping him in as many positions to score as possible. "They're going to use me not just to bring the ball up," Eastern said, "but to (create) mismatches and show all aspects of my game the best they can and I believe they're going to do that." On defense, Edwards will guard the 1 — clearly his best matchup — while Eastern's height and length and tenacity will be put to use as the athletic wing defender Purdue would seem to need on its current roster, though its wings have held up nicely on defense this season. "Hopefully he can become that shut-down defender, guarding a 2/3, but also offensively being able to play the point," Painter said. "He's very, very versatile and can play multiple positions. It's not something where he'll only play (one role), but it's how we recruited him and it's how we see him. We think he has a great future, not just in college but also professionally." Offensively, Eastern will give Purdue an advantage it's not had in years — size at point guard. "Obviously your ability to see over people," Painter said. "Any time you have size over your position, it's easier to pass when you get into the halfcourt. He's a guy you can put a lot of places. You can post up small- er guards, but his ability to pass over presses and zones, that's the initial part. But then any time you have size like that also, you get a guy who's already a good defensive rebounder and you've already started your break. You don't need to outlet it." Eastern was the fourth player to commit to Purdue for 2017, but won't be the last. Purdue is recruiting as if Caleb Swanigan will de- part for the NBA after this season and thus is active- ly recruiting for the spring, looking for a big man who might be equipped to contribute immediately. Purdue Athletics Aaron Wheeler gives the Boilermakers length and athleticism on the wing, traits Matt Painter coveted in the 2017 class.