Why Peck Matters

According to GBI, Painter and Purdue might not be, dare we say, are probably not done picking up transfers who can play next season. Having five guys leave the roster for one reason or another can be tough on a program...BUT, having the right guys stick around is absolutely imperative.

J talked a bit about Peck's decision last week.  I didn't have the chance to weigh in as I was traveling and didn't have the ability to post...but this will probably be the last post about Errick Peck road to Purdue and potential impact.

Errick Peck wisely chose to come to Purdue around the middle of last week and will be a good fit.  There's really no second-guessing that- A smart, versatile player who can run the floor and works hard is never a bad thing. A person who gets good grades and and is described as a very, very, very good kid (according to multiple sources) is generally not bad for chemistry.  Atop of that, Peck chose Purdue because he likes the place, likes the coaches, likes the guys on the team and feels that he plays better in front of his family...which is an hour South of God's country.

This Purdue team needed, really needed Peck for multiple reasons; many we've talked about over the last few weeks.  I've heard some Purdue fans try to minimize the importance of an ex-Ivy league player that averaged 10 pts/game...and I've heard others nearly guarantee Purdue will be in B1G conference championship contention because of the addition of the 6'6" Indianapolis native. The reality of Peck's impact on this team will probably fall in between these two forecasts.

Will Peck wear the historically-significant #13 for the black and gold?

Peck's FG % is in the top 4 of Purdue's returning roster, his 3-point % and rebounds per game are both in in the top-3 on the roster, and his free throw shooting % is in the top-2. 

But outside of the statistics and in addition to the win/loss record, Peck's decision matters for less-obvious reasons.  Having a good locker room guy, a solid teammate and someone who will do whatever he's asked to do makes everyone better: Running practices should be a bit easier for the coaching staff and just coming into Mackey for meetings and practices might be better for players if the team's chemistry improves because of this addition and other subtractions.

But the long term effect of Peck to the program is something that I hope helps the coaching staff go after, and more-importantly, land guys that fit the program. Don't get me wrong, I still want and expect to see highly-rated players coming to play for Painter...and if you want and hope for Purdue to make another Final Four before you die, this is an essential part of that expectation.  A good fit for the program isn't necessarily the best basketball player available.  A good fit for the program IS a guy who can play the game (obviously), but really wants to play for Purdue and who understands what the Purdue program is all about.

Purdue fans, myself included, have openly expressed their concern with the lifeblood of the program- recruiting. But even the most critical fan should see that recruiting efforts are trending upward.  The class of 2012 averaged 4.0 stars and the class of '13 is just below that (if Jay Simpson is now counted in that class)...and I'm not sure how many stars a Senior transfer who might average 10 points and 5 rebounds would garner, but landing Peck is nothing to sneeze at.

I still believe that RayDay will benefit from Peck's transfer more than anyone on the team as the wily veteran will be able to teach him a thing or two as they square off in practice; Time will tell if this prediction pans out.

Peck Chooses Purdue

A week ago, boilerdowd wrote about Cathedral alum (and now Cornell alum) Errick Peck potentially transferring to Purdue to play his fourth year of college eligibility. It became official yesterday, as Peck will sign on to do some grad school in West Lafayette and play a year of ball for our Boilermakers.

This works out due to NCAA rules that allow Peck to play a year at a place like Purdue as a result of the fact that he'll have graduated from Cornell but only played three years of basketball there because of a knee injury that cost him a full season. So on that front, Peck fits right in to the pantheon of knees.

One thing B-dowd did mention in passing in his column about this was the face that Peck and Barlow knew one another in high school, but that he didn't think Painter should let that be an issue. It sounds like Matt Painter did indeed look past such potential influences, because Peck even mentioned Kelsey when announcing his decision to choose Purdue:

“In the end, I think Purdue fit me just a bit better. Plus, with (former Boilermaker) Kelsey Barlow and I having played together in high school, I always watched them in the tournament and kind of followed them from afar. But when I was at Cornell, I really focused more on myself and my studies. That took enough time in and of itself.”

I'm not sure if we should be concerned. I don't think we should. This is a guy who played for Cornell seemingly without incident. In addition, he's graduating from Cornell which, yeah, I know athletes do get something of an easier road most likely, but it's not like the easy road we know it could be at some D-1 programs.

Jeff Washburn's column for the J&C quotes 2009 Indiana All-Star boys basketball team coach David Wood of West Lafayette as saying that Errick Peck is "the guy you win with." Wood also calls Peck a "first class human being" and "a really, really good young man." Wood also mentions that:

"From a basketball standpoint, he will bring versatility. He can go out on the floor, and he can bang down low. He also will bring physical strength. He is a guy who can guard a power forward or a small forward. He can make an 18-foot shot, which is good, because this is a Purdue team that can use guys who put the ball in the basket."

Yes, David, we know.

Given the preponderance of underclassmen on the 2013-14 basketball roster, a guy with experience, leadership qualities and, oh yeah, talent is something that is very welcome. He obviously won't have enough time in God's country to become a fan favorite the way four and five year players have. However, can he fill the role of recent leaders like Rob Hummel, Ryne Smith, Chris Kramer and others in terms of leading by example and putting in the work so that others take notice? We hope so and look forward to seeing Errick in Black and Old Gold.

Choo choo.

[We'll return you to your regularly scheduled coveraging of Formula 1 racing shortly.]

In Pursuit of Young Men

As you probably know, fellow Indianapolis Cathedral alum Errick Peck has his final three down to Purdue, Xavier and Duquesne...and the decision rides on upcoming visits to the latter schools.

For those of you that don't get wrapped up in recruiting- good for you.  It's a dirty, slimy business, even when it's within the rules...and it's putrid and foul when the teams that press the envelope get involved with a kid's Dad or AAU coach who is a willing dance partner.  Plus, as we all know too well, Purdue is a consummate bridesmaid in these battles; timing isn't right, player didn't receive enough love (hate that fricking phrase), or a player miraculously changes his mind due to circumstances unknown.

BUT, the Errick Peck scenario is different.  He's 21 years old, a fifth year Senior and seemingly damned important to Purdue.  Not sure if the Muskies or Dukes need him as much as Purdue right now...and am also not sure that it matters to Peck.  He's gotta do what's best for him at this point.  We talked about Peck a few weeks ago as one of the guys we wanted to see in a Purdue uni as he would check off a number of boxes that the program needs right now...but none is a bigger box than maturity; something this squad desperately needs.

Back in 2009, Peck didn't receive offers from any of the teams that he's got in his final three this time around. Butler was really the only offer of note (if you're looking at it solely from a basketball power standpoint)...But this was pre-back-to-back NCAA finals appearance Butler.  The other two offers were Missouri State and Evansville. When he weighed his options, Peck thought paying for an Ivy League education would be of some value after he was done playing basketball (weird idea, right?).

As I save for my kids' college tuition in the distant future, Purdue's nearly $10k pricetag doesn't seem like chump change.  But Cornell's $45k/year ticket is eye-popping. Keep in mind that price doesn't include room, board or tweed blazers with a crest on the breast (which I presume all Ivy League students have to wear year-round). I'm not sure exactly how much Peck and his family had to pay for his tuition per year...but it was a lot more than $0.

Peck was injured one season, played three solid years, has an Ivy League diploma and now has a chance to play in the new-fangled Big East, A10 or B1G...and potentially make an impact at any of the three programs. I'm glad Purdue's in this conversation and has a chance to land him; a character guy who's also a good basketball player isn't a bad thing for a program, even for only a season.  I have no idea if Kelsey Barlow is a close communication to Peck due to their time at Cathedral...but have read nothing that indicates they are- that can't be a negative for Painter at this point.

According to many sources I've read, Painter's pitch to Peck has been consistent with what Painter does- he makes no promises.  And unlike a typical 18 year old recruit with little life experience behind him and bad counsel whispering in his ear, Peck seems to like Painter's recruiting technique.

And speaking of that technique, the message boards have been ablaze (kinda) with the discussion of Painter as a recruiter. Plenty of Purdue fans want to see Painter stop being so honest, and maybe sugar coat the product that he's selling a bit.  I get what they're saying.

On one hand, you have "coach A" who tells a kid that he can't stop thinking about him via social networking, or that he reminds him of an NBA all-star.  On the other hand, you have a coach that refuses to promise playing time, let alone express his undying admiration for an 18 year old boy.  As a guy who is a horrible liar, I get where Painter's coming from...but as a guy who also sells business service to clients, I know that there's a time for brutal honestly, and the courting process isn't that time. Painter also should make sure not to wear the suit that looks like jeans and a khaki blazer on recruiting visits; my dead Grandpa thinks that one is out of style...I digress.

But Painter's recruiting helped him get a verbal commit from Dakota Mathias this week...that's a good thing.  Mathias isn't currently in anyone's top-150, but based on the way his young AAU season is going, he'll break into one of the recruiting service's rankings in the next few months. He's between 6'4" and 6'6" (according to different sources), is a good shooter and is out of Ohio.  He felt like Purdue was a good fit and seems to really want to play in God's country...so that's a good start.  Just as Hazell got his first '14 verbal, Mathias will be in Painter's 2014 class...but there are three or four other players who look to be Purdue leans.  We'll see who pans out in the next few months. You can be assured of one thing though- we at BS won't be too excited about any of these guys until they sign their letters of intent.

Sorry for the diversion from our normal focus, NHL hockey of course...I'll do my best to get you an update as soon as I care about it.