Hi, me again.
Today was Purdue's second and final big-school team camp, and while this one didn't have as many, or as important, prospects for Purdue, there were a few really worth following.
Some insight from a day full of games today ...
The Brownstown Central guard/whatever-you-need-him-to-be is a player Purdue's watching closely, and it's not difficult to see why, because the nature of his game is the fastest way to Matt Painter's heart.
The 6-foot-5 Benter doesn't look to me to be quite the shooter Dakota Mathias was, but that's the high bar. He is a really good shooter and an excellent, excellent passer who can handle the ball, play with it or without it, can bring the ball up and can run pick-and-roll. He's sort of that typical "knows how to play" guy.
Quick anecdotal example: Against Martinsville, he ran ball-screen action at the top of arc, forcing a Martinsville switch. Soon as the switch occurred, Benter fanned out to keep the opposing big man stuck to him, then dribbled out to isolate him. He then drove past him and scored in the lane. Little stuff that really stands out with players who aren't even high school juniors. From what I saw today, Benter made every right pass and most every right decision with the ball, bearing a lot of responsibility as the primary ball-handler on a good team with a couple kids who can make shots.
The biggest thing about Benter, though, that grabs one's attention is how he operates on post-ups. Brownstown posts him often and runs offense through him against smaller guards. He's an outstanding passer out of the post and he's a monster as a scorer against players he's bigger and more physical than. He is really aggressive attacking matchups in the post. A lot of centers and power forwards could learn a thing or two about such things from him. He is a really big guard, reminiscent to me — and this is random — of long-time-ago Purdue prospect Kyle Kuric, who wound up at Louisville. He was a really, really big guard. Benter maxes out his size by playing surprisingly physical. Again, he attacks in the post and wants the ball in those situation. He is very capable of shedding or scoring through contact, at least at this level. It's the mentality, though, that stands out. He's also just very clever as a scorer in getting through or around defenders, using his body to spin off to them to create space. He's athletic enough that his coaches run lob plays for him. I haven't seen him finish one yet, but if he couldn't, they wouldn't.
The comp to Dakota Mathias holds up. They have similar games and even similar mannerisms and go-to stuff. Benter likes the Nowitzki fall-away off one leg, too, as well as the turnaround jumper out of the post. Benter may not end up being as good as Mathias — who was a really great player — but there are striking similarities there and the one big difference in Benter's favor being the physicality.
If I was Purdue, here's what I'd love about Benter as a prospect: The adaptability and variety of offensive skill and the resulting potential to be one of those really valuable connective offensive players. Could be a high-end role player/offensive lubricant type, not unlike the Mathias/Ryan Cline/Sasha Stefanovic/Fletcher Loyer group. Here we go type-casting again.
This positional category has often had some challenges defensively, but I think Benter would have a chance to dash that because he does move better than those guys listed above and he does seem to have a toughness about him, and he's smart and anticipates things well. Today, I swear he had 10 steals over the three-and-a-half games or so I watched.
This is a Painter guy.
The problem, if there would be one. What we want and what we need are sometimes two different things and in this weird era where no one has any idea how many scholarships they have — keep in mind, Purdue would still have COVID year decisions to be made by this year's juniors. Purdue has brought in a few wings lately and would have Fletcher Loyer and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn in back-to-back classes at the 2. Would Purdue prefer more speed, quickness or athleticism in such a player at this point knowing that it should still have Ethan Morton and Fletcher Loyer around to do some of the stuff Benter does best?
I don't know, but my personal opinion is that Benter's on Purdue's offer radar to stay. Might not happen right away, but don't be shocked by any outcome here.
The Grand Rapids guard, I figured, would be an offer candidate today. He came and went without an offer happening and I sort of wonder if this isn't like Pierre Brooks a few years back, where the kid is good enough to get offered, but with a Michigan State offer already out there and Michigan maybe close behind, is it worth the effort to try to finish third on a player? This Brooks looks like a Michigan State guy. He's a big, physical combo/point guard with some real toughness and basketball intangibles to him.
I think he excels as a guy who can get in the lane and use his size and strength, but also make pull-ups, similar to Spartan 2023 commit Jeremy Fears, though Fears strikes me as a more pure point guard.
We'll see if you hear any more about Durral Brooks and Purdue from here on out.
I barely watched Haralson today because I've seen him play so much, I have a pretty good idea what he's all about.
But the more you can get players like this on campus the better. This one may be the highest level of recruit one day and we'll see if Fishers can hang onto him as the prep school sharks swirl.
I'd have to think Purdue would have its work cut out for it here, but it's so early, you never know.
Today was Purdue's second and final big-school team camp, and while this one didn't have as many, or as important, prospects for Purdue, there were a few really worth following.
Some insight from a day full of games today ...
The Brownstown Central guard/whatever-you-need-him-to-be is a player Purdue's watching closely, and it's not difficult to see why, because the nature of his game is the fastest way to Matt Painter's heart.
The 6-foot-5 Benter doesn't look to me to be quite the shooter Dakota Mathias was, but that's the high bar. He is a really good shooter and an excellent, excellent passer who can handle the ball, play with it or without it, can bring the ball up and can run pick-and-roll. He's sort of that typical "knows how to play" guy.
Quick anecdotal example: Against Martinsville, he ran ball-screen action at the top of arc, forcing a Martinsville switch. Soon as the switch occurred, Benter fanned out to keep the opposing big man stuck to him, then dribbled out to isolate him. He then drove past him and scored in the lane. Little stuff that really stands out with players who aren't even high school juniors. From what I saw today, Benter made every right pass and most every right decision with the ball, bearing a lot of responsibility as the primary ball-handler on a good team with a couple kids who can make shots.
The biggest thing about Benter, though, that grabs one's attention is how he operates on post-ups. Brownstown posts him often and runs offense through him against smaller guards. He's an outstanding passer out of the post and he's a monster as a scorer against players he's bigger and more physical than. He is really aggressive attacking matchups in the post. A lot of centers and power forwards could learn a thing or two about such things from him. He is a really big guard, reminiscent to me — and this is random — of long-time-ago Purdue prospect Kyle Kuric, who wound up at Louisville. He was a really, really big guard. Benter maxes out his size by playing surprisingly physical. Again, he attacks in the post and wants the ball in those situation. He is very capable of shedding or scoring through contact, at least at this level. It's the mentality, though, that stands out. He's also just very clever as a scorer in getting through or around defenders, using his body to spin off to them to create space. He's athletic enough that his coaches run lob plays for him. I haven't seen him finish one yet, but if he couldn't, they wouldn't.
The comp to Dakota Mathias holds up. They have similar games and even similar mannerisms and go-to stuff. Benter likes the Nowitzki fall-away off one leg, too, as well as the turnaround jumper out of the post. Benter may not end up being as good as Mathias — who was a really great player — but there are striking similarities there and the one big difference in Benter's favor being the physicality.
If I was Purdue, here's what I'd love about Benter as a prospect: The adaptability and variety of offensive skill and the resulting potential to be one of those really valuable connective offensive players. Could be a high-end role player/offensive lubricant type, not unlike the Mathias/Ryan Cline/Sasha Stefanovic/Fletcher Loyer group. Here we go type-casting again.
This positional category has often had some challenges defensively, but I think Benter would have a chance to dash that because he does move better than those guys listed above and he does seem to have a toughness about him, and he's smart and anticipates things well. Today, I swear he had 10 steals over the three-and-a-half games or so I watched.
This is a Painter guy.
The problem, if there would be one. What we want and what we need are sometimes two different things and in this weird era where no one has any idea how many scholarships they have — keep in mind, Purdue would still have COVID year decisions to be made by this year's juniors. Purdue has brought in a few wings lately and would have Fletcher Loyer and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn in back-to-back classes at the 2. Would Purdue prefer more speed, quickness or athleticism in such a player at this point knowing that it should still have Ethan Morton and Fletcher Loyer around to do some of the stuff Benter does best?
I don't know, but my personal opinion is that Benter's on Purdue's offer radar to stay. Might not happen right away, but don't be shocked by any outcome here.
The Grand Rapids guard, I figured, would be an offer candidate today. He came and went without an offer happening and I sort of wonder if this isn't like Pierre Brooks a few years back, where the kid is good enough to get offered, but with a Michigan State offer already out there and Michigan maybe close behind, is it worth the effort to try to finish third on a player? This Brooks looks like a Michigan State guy. He's a big, physical combo/point guard with some real toughness and basketball intangibles to him.
I think he excels as a guy who can get in the lane and use his size and strength, but also make pull-ups, similar to Spartan 2023 commit Jeremy Fears, though Fears strikes me as a more pure point guard.
We'll see if you hear any more about Durral Brooks and Purdue from here on out.
I barely watched Haralson today because I've seen him play so much, I have a pretty good idea what he's all about.
But the more you can get players like this on campus the better. This one may be the highest level of recruit one day and we'll see if Fishers can hang onto him as the prep school sharks swirl.
I'd have to think Purdue would have its work cut out for it here, but it's so early, you never know.
