Freaking out about the fact that three guys Purdue had offered scholarships to for the Class of 2014 have committed elsewhere in the past week or so, at least two of them to perceived inferior situations?
Yeah, understandable.
It looks pretty bad on the surface that Purdue targets are flying off the board left and right here as the Boilermaker coaching staff looks to fill a class in which it could - could, not will - sign as many as five guys.
But I quote directly from Thursday's BOILING OVER, written well in advance of Bryant McIntosh and J.P. Macura committing to Northwestern and Xavier, respectively, last night: "An inherent challenge for the Boilermakers in this class is they have recruited a strong multi-year foundation in their last two classes and on paper, recruits see a lot of freshmen and sophomores. That can be a deterrent. The No. 1 thing, generally, recruits want is a chance to play."
Purdue's urgent need in this class is for a big man to provide some relief in 2014 if (or when) A.J. Hammons turn pro.
In the backcourt, recruits see - and are undoubtedly being shown by competing parties - a whole bunch of people, whether it be point guards Ronnie Johnson and Bryson Scott or wings Kendall Stephens, Rapheal Davis or Dakota Mathias. They're all underclassmen.
In that area, Purdue is recruiting for luxury, not urgent need.
In the case of McIntosh, it was going to be its challenge to show him this weekend on his official visit just where he fit in to that mix. That visit isn't going to happen now, since McIntosh committed to Northwestern, where the path is one of less resistance.
Again, recruits want to play.
After Purdue signed E'Twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson and Scott Martin, recruiting immediately became more challenging because recruits looked up and saw three- and four-year starters all over the place.
That is reality most everywhere but programs where players are handed off to the NBA on an annual basis.
Between its 2012 and 2013 classes, Purdue has recruited a similar, if not more talented, core, and in reaction to this past season's horrific guard play, Matt Painter has gone crazy for guards, again, recruiting for luxury and not necessarily need.
It was never going to be easy.
Purdue's gotten bitten by some weird dynamics in this class, too.
Isaac Haas is huge Tim Duncan fan. Going to his alma mater was a draw. McIntosh is a huge Duke fan, so Chris Collins from Day 1 had some cache with him.
Say what you will about the validity of those factors when you're making such a decision as important as where you're going to college, but it is, after all, recruiting, where the superficial is king.
Where does Purdue go from here?
Well, it takes Vince Edwards whenever he's ready to get this over with, it recruits Ronnie Harrell 'til the end, maybe warms up to another guard if there's another one out there, and continues to recruit bigs, the two we're aware of right now being Steve McElvene and Jacquil Taylor.
Five is an ambitious number for the size of this 2014 class, maybe unrealistic. Just because a coaching staff says it's recruiting to sign five - like Painter did a while back - that doesn't mean it's recruiting to sign five.
As has been well documented here, the size of Purdue's 2014 class impacts directly the size of its 2015 class, so there is no need whatsoever for Purdue to fill its class with bodies instead of players.
None of this analysis here is new. This is a theme we've been writing about for weeks.
But in light of the past week or so, it bears repeating.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2013. 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.
Yeah, understandable.
It looks pretty bad on the surface that Purdue targets are flying off the board left and right here as the Boilermaker coaching staff looks to fill a class in which it could - could, not will - sign as many as five guys.
But I quote directly from Thursday's BOILING OVER, written well in advance of Bryant McIntosh and J.P. Macura committing to Northwestern and Xavier, respectively, last night: "An inherent challenge for the Boilermakers in this class is they have recruited a strong multi-year foundation in their last two classes and on paper, recruits see a lot of freshmen and sophomores. That can be a deterrent. The No. 1 thing, generally, recruits want is a chance to play."
Purdue's urgent need in this class is for a big man to provide some relief in 2014 if (or when) A.J. Hammons turn pro.
In the backcourt, recruits see - and are undoubtedly being shown by competing parties - a whole bunch of people, whether it be point guards Ronnie Johnson and Bryson Scott or wings Kendall Stephens, Rapheal Davis or Dakota Mathias. They're all underclassmen.
In that area, Purdue is recruiting for luxury, not urgent need.
In the case of McIntosh, it was going to be its challenge to show him this weekend on his official visit just where he fit in to that mix. That visit isn't going to happen now, since McIntosh committed to Northwestern, where the path is one of less resistance.
Again, recruits want to play.
After Purdue signed E'Twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson and Scott Martin, recruiting immediately became more challenging because recruits looked up and saw three- and four-year starters all over the place.
That is reality most everywhere but programs where players are handed off to the NBA on an annual basis.
Between its 2012 and 2013 classes, Purdue has recruited a similar, if not more talented, core, and in reaction to this past season's horrific guard play, Matt Painter has gone crazy for guards, again, recruiting for luxury and not necessarily need.
It was never going to be easy.
Purdue's gotten bitten by some weird dynamics in this class, too.
Isaac Haas is huge Tim Duncan fan. Going to his alma mater was a draw. McIntosh is a huge Duke fan, so Chris Collins from Day 1 had some cache with him.
Say what you will about the validity of those factors when you're making such a decision as important as where you're going to college, but it is, after all, recruiting, where the superficial is king.
Where does Purdue go from here?
Well, it takes Vince Edwards whenever he's ready to get this over with, it recruits Ronnie Harrell 'til the end, maybe warms up to another guard if there's another one out there, and continues to recruit bigs, the two we're aware of right now being Steve McElvene and Jacquil Taylor.
Five is an ambitious number for the size of this 2014 class, maybe unrealistic. Just because a coaching staff says it's recruiting to sign five - like Painter did a while back - that doesn't mean it's recruiting to sign five.
As has been well documented here, the size of Purdue's 2014 class impacts directly the size of its 2015 class, so there is no need whatsoever for Purdue to fill its class with bodies instead of players.
None of this analysis here is new. This is a theme we've been writing about for weeks.
But in light of the past week or so, it bears repeating.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2013. 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.
