I hadn't heard much about this kid but the video/article on the front page makes me hope Painter can land him. So far in the 2016 class we've missed out on a few targets (Ward, Brunk, Cumberland, Benson), but Xavier Simpson and James Banks would still be a real solid duo in the '16 class. Banks really intrigues me. At 6'11" and 235 lbs, he only started playing basketball 3 years ago. Sounds like he has an awful lot of potential. Maybe he could use his freshman year to come off the bench behind Haas, then take over at the center position if Haas leaves a year early. Hopefully Painter's track record with big men can help secure Banks' commitment and get the class of '16 rolling.
James Banks
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That would be huge. If he is the guy I am thinking of I don't think he had a lot of big time offers despite being pretty highly rated. Maybe solid front court play this season could convince him
He would be an incredible commit, but I'm not sure I see it. Competing with Kentucky, Dook, UNC..for a kid that is already closer to all three of those schools, will be incredibly difficult.
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Haas is from the south. He saw the opportunity available to him at Purdue. While UK, Puke and UNC all over-recruit their own roster, Banks may see that he could be the next in line big to follow AJ and Isaac. Yeah it might be difficult to get him but not at all impossible. Winning big this season will lessen that difficulty too.
In the video with Brian on the front page, Banks said that he's only been playing competitive basketball for about 3 years (I assume that means AAU and high school ball). That's probably why he didn't have a lot of big-time offers until now.
He says he's 235 lbs. in the interview, but he doesn't look that big to me. He looks like he's more in the 200-215 range, but he'll fill out and get stronger.
I'd give one of my 3 wishes to get him. Practicing against Haas means you are practicing against the mountain everyday. It will only make you better, if you survive of course.
Climb every mountain, swim every sea...doo da, doo da.
Happy Friday.
Climb every mountain, swim every sea...doo da, doo da.
Happy Friday.
I think what we are seeing at fans is that the program is placing an incredible emphasis on the family feel around the program. More than any one else, these big guys who are 6'10 and above are always kind of 'out of place' in modern society because of their height. At the core of every person is the want to fit in and be accepted. If you can get that feeling in to a recruits head, especially a big man from a high school where the next tallest kid he sees every day could very well be 6 inches or more smaller than him, that is a great feeling for a young kid. I think ultimately that is something that Hammons FINALLY found with Haas and Taylor being on campus with him and we as fans saw that with a more (from our perspective) a young man who was more engaged and truly having a good time on the floor with his teammates (especially Haas).
Banks seems to be placing a good amount of the things that lean in favor of Purdue as big parts of his decision (engineering academics and a family atmosphere with the coaches and players) and that bodes well for Purdue when you look at the recent run of success with recruits (Swanigan, Edwards, Haas). I for one would not be surprised to start seeing the core of what Painter stands for in his program start to win out on these recruits for the simple fact that he made changes to the program when it wasn't working and recruits, coaches, and parents see that. If you want to make a comparison to a coach that didn't adjust well when they got away from their core beliefs, look no further than Bruce Weber at Illinois. The core of his coaching came from the same mold as Painter and the pressure of shooting for the stars (which he actually did get) didn't fit in to the type of coach and system he really wanted to run and it inevitably cost him his job.
Banks seems to be placing a good amount of the things that lean in favor of Purdue as big parts of his decision (engineering academics and a family atmosphere with the coaches and players) and that bodes well for Purdue when you look at the recent run of success with recruits (Swanigan, Edwards, Haas). I for one would not be surprised to start seeing the core of what Painter stands for in his program start to win out on these recruits for the simple fact that he made changes to the program when it wasn't working and recruits, coaches, and parents see that. If you want to make a comparison to a coach that didn't adjust well when they got away from their core beliefs, look no further than Bruce Weber at Illinois. The core of his coaching came from the same mold as Painter and the pressure of shooting for the stars (which he actually did get) didn't fit in to the type of coach and system he really wanted to run and it inevitably cost him his job.
I've been around the game a few years and hda two brother-in-laws 6'6" and never really thought about the size and not fitting in. I really appreciate the possible insight...interesting...
Excellent post. I wonder if Basil or Taylor can step into the role for Ray Day. They wouldn't have the same hometown connection a guy like Ray had to Caleb but it would be helpful
2016 is turning out to be a tough year for Painter so far. Could very well stay that way due to limited PT. The saving grace should be landing a premier point. I hope he gets that done. With success on court in 16 Painter needs to parlay that into a great 17 class.
As mentioned in the video, Banks might start getting big offers from big schools. That kinda scares me. I did like the fact that he is interested in engineering and he recognized the fact that Purdue is producing big men. I would say Purdue has a good chance at being considered by Banks.
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