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Welcome to this week's “BOILING OVER,” GoldandBlack.com’s weekly information-clearinghouse and analysis column meant for our site members and site members only. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in helping us keep what is sometimes delicate or proprietary information confined to this message board. This feature allows us to be more flexible in our reporting, to our readers' benefit, and we lose that ability if we can't keep this feature secure and the value of our site's membership at its peak. Additionally, we address recruiting and hiring processes in-depth and often without filter in this feature and we do it behind a subscription-protected barrier for a reason, in hopes of avoiding situations where our reporting can impact the recruiting process, which can happen occasionally.
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PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING
So the Nijel Pack recruitment continues on after he made his visit to Ohio State earlier this week and while we can't claim to know what the player and his family are thinking, the peripheral sense we've gotten has still been favorable to Purdue.
Pack, we believe, did come into this process with his eye squarely on Purdue. Don't want to say that was his plan, necessarily, but he was predisposed to Purdue. But the first time around, he never really got recruited so there was going to be some sort of process this time, and with his success at K-State have come some of the voices that tend to show up when a player can be considered an NBA prospect, and with NIL being a thing now, the business part of it can be a thing more so now than ever before for any player.
That said, the basketball part of this, Purdue has an advantage, and if the decision's made along those lines as has been the player's stated goal, then you should feel good about the Boilermakers' chances here.
If this comes down to who's going to pay the most money, then Purdue isn't going to be among the few who'd be able to out-bid Miami, Tennessee or Ohio State.
(Tennessee would surely be out on Pack if they get SLU point guard transfer Yuri Collins, which would be a considerable NIL deal.)
Our guess here is still Purdue, but there's no real clarity as to when Pack will make up his mind now.
As we've told you all along here, while Eric Hunter might be interested in returning for another year to Purdue, this is going to be a one-or-the-other sort of thing. (BN)
PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING
This weekend is the second April evaluation period, meaning Purdue's coaches will be out on the road again, really spread out this weekend.
Here's a lay of the land:
Indianapolis (EYBL): Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn and underclassmen Kanon Catchings, Trent Sisley and Jalen Haralson
Louisville: Xavier Booker
Spartanburg, S.C. (adidas): Cooper Koch, Flory Bidunga and Gicarri Harris
Kansas City: JT Rock
Quick note: We don't think Myles Colvin is playing this weekend, at least not to an extent coaches will need to go see him.
On recruiting ...
• Purdue's going to keep recruiting the hell out of Xavier Booker, really their only established remaining 2023 target at this point and a big, which would be a need for that class.
But, if Pack commits, Purdue would technically be out of scholarships. One over, actually, but that reality is softened by the presumption that Zach Edey would go pro after next season. (He won't even declare for the draft this spring.)
That doesn't mean Purdue wouldn't eventually try to over-sign. It would almost have to. But it might influence their strategy in terms of trying to bring Booker in for his senior year visit this summer, or waiting until fall. Booker just made his senior visit to Michigan State, who's pushing as hard as anyone for him.
We'd have to think Purdue will be active, though, in trying to get some junior-year official visits booked for this summer. Fall may be more ideal for that — all last year's junior visits were done in the fall, and most of them in general have been — but following this week's scholarship offer, 2024's Gicarri Harris is probably a priority to get on campus. Harris said before the offer that he hoped to visit Purdue this summer, and the official visit would be a way for his family to not have to foot the bill for it.
Harris is one of former Boilermaker star Glenn Robinson's sons. We don't get the sense that's really something he advertises, and that's something that may even work against Purdue, given the reality of that label following him around at Purdue should he sign there. Who knows?
But Harris seems really interested in Purdue, while also having SEC offers, with more undoubtedly to come.
We saw Harris play one game In Indy two weekends ago.
Some thoughts on the 6-foot-4 guard/wing: Reminded me a bit of Ron Harper Jr., as he's a big, wide-bodied guard who can really shoot and has athleticism that belies his girth. His body reminds of what you might get if you crossed Glenn Robinson Jr. the basketball with Gelen Robinson the football player.
Harris joins Cooper Koch and JT Rock as the more prominent targets on Purdue's 2024 board, in terms of offers.
A couple guys who'll be watched closely and could be part of the next wave of offers: Kanon Catchings, Flory Bidunga and Illinois' Lathan Somerville. (BN)
PURDUE FOOTBALL
Circle May 1 on your calendar.
That’s the day players must be in the portal by if they want to be eligible to play this fall. Players can linger after May 1 and join other schools over the summer, but they must be in the portal by May 1.
The one exception: grad transfers.
Running back and offensive line remain priorities for Purdue. Maybe a wideout.
Don’t be shocked if you see a handful of Purdue players jump in the portal on or before May 1. (TD)
THIS WEEKEND
Stay tuned this weekend for coverage of Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn at the Indianapolis EYBL event, where being denied a media credential will not stop our very important work watching basketball then telling you about it.
Also, Sunday is the Rivals Camp football event at Ben Davis, which we'll cover to the best of our ability while still trying to catch the last day of games at EYBL. Hopefully there are Purdue targets at the Rivals Camp.
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