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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, with Jack Benter and Kanon Catchings committed, you know that Purdue needs another point/lead guard from either the high school ranks for the portal this spring, but it also wants another big man, the category Matt Painter never wants to be short on, in more ways than one.
The Flory Bidunga thing continues to trend toward at least being realistic.
We've heard for some time that Cincinnati may hire Drew Adams to its staff, in large part to try to get Bidunga, but ultimately this will be the player's choice, so it may not go down that way for all we know.
Bidunga did have a very positive visit with Purdue and Purdue's big man development rep is strong. The Congo native's U.S. support system is based in Kokomo, with his host family and high school coach, John Peckinpaugh, the nephew of long-time McCutcheon coach Rick Peckinpaugh. Bidunga has connected well with the community there and it's been theorized that could be an edge for Purdue, those folks getting to be part of his college career too.
Keep in mind, now that the floodgates have opened, everyone in the country will want the big man. We'd still think Auburn and Wake Forest could be real players here too. But Purdue done a good job here, and Painter's tack here through the early stages of all this was the right one.
It's realistic Purdue can get Bidunga, but we'd still be very surprised if they do, truthfully. But we gotta cover it now.
The other two prime frontcourt targets are JT Rock and Raleigh Burgess, and Purdue projects as a serious contender with both of 'em. (BN)
PURDUE BASKETBALL
• Purdue's secret scrimmage year this will be against Cincinnati in Indianapolis. I don't know when or where, and if I did and told you, I'd have to kill you.
• Asked Mason Gillis the other day if he'd put any thought yet into a sixth year at the back end of his career, and he said he'd sit down with coaches after the season to discuss it. He didn't seem to rule anything out. Thing about Gillis would be that he's already graduated after just three years and would be pushing 25 years old by the time that extra year would happen. We'll see.
Our guess Is that Ethan Morton's the likeliest of Purdue's juniors to take the extra year, but he's not committed to anything yet, nor should he be expected to with 50-percent of his playing career still out in front of him. (BN)
PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Don't really have a whole lot this week with there not being a home game and all, but will mention that it's kind of that time of year already, with staffs at Nebraska and Georgia Tech already getting whacked, and how those sorts of things can have implications in recruiting.
If Purdue's going to add to its class of high school players at this point, it would stand to reason to suggest It's going to come off the decommitment wire following a coaching change.
That said, that stuff probably matters way less now than it did before, because every player on those rosters can transfer no questions asked, so you look at the portal (once you can now) before the decommitment wire, most likely.
Anyway, Purdue just had Georgia Tech 2024 running back commitment TJ Engleman on campus for the FAU game, right before he decommitted. That's what kind of brought the topic to mind.
Now, it's not outside the realm of possibility that Purdue eventually encounters its own coaching drama as the Louisville thing hangs overhead, but nevertheless, there's plenty of recruiting to be done right now still, and these coaching upheavals should be closely watched by every school in the country to see which commitments, and more importantly, current players, suddenly become available.
From the portal, quarterback Is going to be a must for Purdue, probably, as well as running back and tight end, almost certainly. There may not be a position on offense that isn't targeted. Check that, there may not be a position, period, that isn't targeted. Pass-rushers, corners, linebackers, maybe even a kicker. (BN)
PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Friday night, we'll cover Westfield's game against Avon, now that Purdue commitment Dillon Thieneman is back from injury. Stay tuned for that.
