Fulfilling needs

Next year, Nemanja Calasan and Chris Reid will ride off into the sunset. It seems that these losses aren't too significant at first blush...Calasan doesn't look like he's going to be an all Big Ten this year and Reid will see little-more than spot duty this year. But, both provide depth under the basket.

While JJ seems to be a budding star, he's going to need help, especially when Nemanja is no longer available. He'll get that help from incoming Freshmen Jeff Robinson and Patrick Bade. Kelsey Barlow, another Forward, may also grow a few more inches, but seems to be more of a finesse player than Bade and Robinson. In my opinion, a player like Butler's Matt Howard (who was almost a Boilermaker) would fit in well...and one of these three might become that type of end-to-end, rebounding-first PF that Painter needs.

The incoming class rounds out quite nicely with the jewel of the bunch, D.J. Byrd. I like Byrd a lot for a lot of reasons...he can create his own shot off of the dribble, he's a good defender and can square up and shoot. But maybe more than that, I really like Byrd because he not only rejected X, UND and IU when he chose Purdue...but from his Sophomore year on, he's really been a big time Purdue cheerleader who has helped Matt Painter's recruiting effort...and he's not even officially a Boiler, until tomorrow (when this class officially signs on).

To learn more about this incoming class from the good folks at Rivals, click here.

I'll be honest, I don't think the class of '09 will be like the class of '07...BUT, '10 is a different story...It just keeps gettin better.

Who do you think will be the Ostrich of this class?
(For the record, I didn't think Hummel would be ready for prime time for a few seasons...I am so SMRT)

Purdue Picks Up Another Floridian

Josh Johnson became the most recent HS Florida player to verbal to Danny Hope. Johnson has an offer from Vandy...

My gut says a 5'10" athlete w/ 4.4-4.5 speed is a good thing, but I think his lack of height must be keeping bigger schools from getting involved. Regardless, I'm glad he's coming to Purdue.

Hope now has 6 verbal commitments...all coming from somewhere other than Indiana and all, except one coming from the deep Southeastern US. Honestly, I don't give a damn about their star ratings as long as they fulfill a need and can play the game. Typically, with the right coaching a 2 or 3 star can look an awful lot like a 4 star athlete with the correct developmental program...it'll just take a season or two.

Speed seems to be something that Hope is actively seeking and since almost all of the players are from SEC country, Purdue should be playing for a national title within a season or two (sarcasm, in case you didn't detect it).

If we can get 5-10 more verbals in the next month and a half, I begin to feel a bit better about the incoming class.

Recruiting Update: Nothin' Doin'

Purdue got a verbal from DE Trevor Foy nearly two weeks ago. He had offers from Louisville and Northwestern, so he's no slouch, he has very good size and OK speed...but he's just number 5 in the incoming class.

Ouch.

This transitional recruiting class is not filling quickly. Last week, a slew of recruits came to Ross Ade and Purdue received zero verbal commitments in the game's wake. According to Rivals, our Boilers now have a handful of 2-star players. And while it's still only September, it is September. It might be time for Hope and Co. to start offering some more players outside of the Southeast.

I'm not faulting Hope as this is a difficult situation, but his philosophy might not be working in the current unusual set of conditions.

Recruit chooses Boilers over Auburn

A "Prospect on the Rise" (according to Rivals.com) verballed to Purdue earlier today. Shayon Green, a player cut out of the same cloth as Rosie Colvin and Akin Ayodele is also a pretty good student. Green had offers from Auburn, Ole Miss, South Florida and others. Good pick up, especially in Purdue's system.

I needed to hear about some good recruiting news...now, I need more.