Here's a quick synopsis of Purdue's elite camp Saturday morning and afternoon.
It was a very good group, especially in the 2017-18 classes.
Barret Benson and Joey Brunk keep running into one another.
The two faced each other at Purdue's elite camp last year - this is three years in a row for Benson and two in a row for Brunk - then played against one another in AAU in the spring, then again in the summer, then again Saturday.
I thought Benson had a very good today. Against Brunk, I thought they played each other to a standstill. Benson - who looks lighter and quicker than I remember in July - made a really nice baseline turnaround and a short little hook over Brunk and stood him up on defense a handful of times, stymying him in the post, which doesn't happen often to Brunk.
Brunk got Benson a few times, though, as he does to everybody, and showed some expansion to his game by making a few threes and looking good shooting the ones he missed.
Brunk is stronger than Benson right now, Benson probably a little quicker and more athletic. Brunk is still more polished, an advantage he holds over most big men out there.
Benson had a nice day as a finisher today, throwing down a few two-handed dunks - showing some aggression, though he is prone to missing dunks sometimes - and looking light on his big feet in rolling to the basket for a few lay-ins.
Finishing around the basket has been an area where Benson's been making improvements as he's needed to and Saturday he looked played stronger with the ball than he has at some events previously.
He's getting there.
But Brunk's practically already there and poses a nice physical challenge for Benson, one that can't help but help him.
"It's always fun, going against great competition like him," Benson said. "He's a really good player and I enjoy battling with him.
"Every time you see him, you know it's going to be a battle."
The two will meet again in the spring on the Under Armour circuit. Both Purdue center targets play for UA-sponsored teams.
"He keeps getting better, for sure," Brunk said. "He's very skilled and strong. I love playing against him. I'd play against him every day of the week. He got the best of me in Atlanta (in July). We really go at one another. It's fun."
As for recruiting, there's not much to add on either.
Benson took a visit to Stanford last weekend as part of what he called a "family vacation" before he returned to school and brother Brock returned to Hope College in Michigan, where he's on the basketball team. The Cardinal are interested in Benson.
Benson's father, Cliff, was in from the Portland area and back on his alma mater's campus.
Brunk just got slammed with offers in July and said he doesn't have any more visits planned at this point.
Both of these guys seem set on being pretty meticulous with the recruiting process.
Brunk came for only the afternoon session of the camp, to play in the games.
In terms of turnout, the only guys we expected to be there who weren't were Indy 2016 point guard C.J. Walker and Chicago guard Skyler Nash, who had something come up apparently.
Commit Grant Weatherford was there all day but did not participate after playing a football game last night.
Commit Ryan Cline showed up for the games also and had an OK first few games before going off in the finale, a "showcase" game in which the coaching staff cut the camp down to the best guys for one last round of games. Cline is not bad at shooting basketballs. Nothing has changed on that front.
If you missed our note earlier, Weatherford said during our video interview this morning - it'll run early this week - that 2016 Purdue target Kyle Guy will unofficially visit Purdue the weekend of Sept. 20, when Weatherford and Cline - his former AAU teammates - will be in West Lafayette for their official visits. That's the weekend of the Southern Illinois football game.
Southport 2017 and Purdue offer Paul Scruggs might have been the most impressive player of the event. So hard to say, though, because it's so subjective and I only have two eyes and can only point them in one direction at a time.
Scruggs is just a physically dominant player as a guard, not just for his age, but period, but also just a really good player. He can shoot and pass and scorer in any number of ways, slashing, shooting, posting up, whatever, and he can be a really disruptive defender and good rebounder for a guard.
You already saw about Purdue offering 2016 forward Nick Ward of Ohio. Didn't get to zero in on him all that much, but obviously Purdue watched him closely in July, then saw what it needed to see today to offer. He's a powerful young man, though, and a physical specimen as was obvious from what we did see.
Michigan 2017 forward Xavier Tillman is absolutely someone Purdue is going to target in that class. He was very productive, very active and just really good today at camp, after he was also all of those things last month at the adidas Unrivaled camp in Chicago playing with juniors and seniors. He's big and burly, and only 15, but runs really well and is just all over the place from an energy perspective. No idea where Purdue would stand there; he's young and seems wide-eyed about recruiting still, but he's getting national interest early, Duke and Syracuse included. Tillman might be an early offer type for Purdue.
Evanston 2017 guard Nojel Eastern was offered by Purdue, according to numerous reports/tweets. Not sure where it originated, so not sure who to credit. Anyway, a no-brainer offer from what we saw today. Nice size for a young guard, for one thing. Illinois has already offered too.
Pike 2017 point guard Justin Roberts had a good day. He's small and might play with a little too much, shall we say, flair at times, but he's a really nice passer and floor leader, so to speak. Purdue projects to need a point guard in that class. Don't be surprised if he's a guy they really zero in on down the line.
Kris Wilkes, the 2017 from North Central, is what he is: The total package, really. It's premature to say about a kid who's not even a sophomore, but all the tools are there, normal development assumed, for him to play basketball for a long time and make a lot of scratch doing it.
Wilkes is the one who has said more than once that he wants to study engineering in college and that's a big reason he says Purdue's going to be a real consideration for him.
Another 2017 target will be Park Tudor's Jaren Jackson, who has great height and length now (and will be taller and longer in years to come) and is a really impactful defensive player now who plays with good effort. Offensively he can finish around the basket and shoot threes.
The son of former NBA Jaren Jackson, Junior is only now scratching the surface.
It should be considered a surprise if Purdue does not offer him early, if you ask us.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2014. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. E-mail GoldandBlack.com/Boilers, Inc.
It was a very good group, especially in the 2017-18 classes.
The two faced each other at Purdue's elite camp last year - this is three years in a row for Benson and two in a row for Brunk - then played against one another in AAU in the spring, then again in the summer, then again Saturday.
I thought Benson had a very good today. Against Brunk, I thought they played each other to a standstill. Benson - who looks lighter and quicker than I remember in July - made a really nice baseline turnaround and a short little hook over Brunk and stood him up on defense a handful of times, stymying him in the post, which doesn't happen often to Brunk.
Brunk got Benson a few times, though, as he does to everybody, and showed some expansion to his game by making a few threes and looking good shooting the ones he missed.
Brunk is stronger than Benson right now, Benson probably a little quicker and more athletic. Brunk is still more polished, an advantage he holds over most big men out there.
Benson had a nice day as a finisher today, throwing down a few two-handed dunks - showing some aggression, though he is prone to missing dunks sometimes - and looking light on his big feet in rolling to the basket for a few lay-ins.
Finishing around the basket has been an area where Benson's been making improvements as he's needed to and Saturday he looked played stronger with the ball than he has at some events previously.
He's getting there.
But Brunk's practically already there and poses a nice physical challenge for Benson, one that can't help but help him.
"It's always fun, going against great competition like him," Benson said. "He's a really good player and I enjoy battling with him.
"Every time you see him, you know it's going to be a battle."
The two will meet again in the spring on the Under Armour circuit. Both Purdue center targets play for UA-sponsored teams.
"He keeps getting better, for sure," Brunk said. "He's very skilled and strong. I love playing against him. I'd play against him every day of the week. He got the best of me in Atlanta (in July). We really go at one another. It's fun."
As for recruiting, there's not much to add on either.
Benson took a visit to Stanford last weekend as part of what he called a "family vacation" before he returned to school and brother Brock returned to Hope College in Michigan, where he's on the basketball team. The Cardinal are interested in Benson.
Benson's father, Cliff, was in from the Portland area and back on his alma mater's campus.
Brunk just got slammed with offers in July and said he doesn't have any more visits planned at this point.
Both of these guys seem set on being pretty meticulous with the recruiting process.
Brunk came for only the afternoon session of the camp, to play in the games.
Commit Grant Weatherford was there all day but did not participate after playing a football game last night.
Scruggs is just a physically dominant player as a guard, not just for his age, but period, but also just a really good player. He can shoot and pass and scorer in any number of ways, slashing, shooting, posting up, whatever, and he can be a really disruptive defender and good rebounder for a guard.
Wilkes is the one who has said more than once that he wants to study engineering in college and that's a big reason he says Purdue's going to be a real consideration for him.
The son of former NBA Jaren Jackson, Junior is only now scratching the surface.
It should be considered a surprise if Purdue does not offer him early, if you ask us.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2014. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. E-mail GoldandBlack.com/Boilers, Inc.
