This week's news that long-standing Purdue Class of 2012 commitment Kyle Molock has withdrawn his commitment might be surprising, might not, but what you can certainly say is that it makes sense from both perspectives.
We keep talking about the perils of these early offers and early commitments for both sides and this is a classic case, a cautionary tale on both ends.
For Purdue, it took Molock's commitment a couple years ago knowing it would need a point guard in its 2012 class but certainly only hoping to sign one of them. But things change.
Molock suffered a major knee injury and Kelsey Barlow, the presumed starter at the point in 2012, was suspended for the NCAA Tournament, his status with the team for the balance of his career hanging very much in the balance.
It didn't take much in-depth analysis for anyone looking forward to see the dangers of that situation for Purdue. Had Barlow flamed out, the Boilermakers would have been left with just Molock - coming back off a massive injury and forced to the floor with no experience at the point - as a true point guard on the roster, in which case Terone Johnson would certainly have had to move over.
Ronnie Johnson is a damn good player, but it was this situation as much as his emergence as a big-time recruit that forced Purdue's hand in recruiting him, one would think.
So that was the situation Molock would have been walking into, with Ronnie Johnson in his same class and Bryson Scott coming right in behind him, making for a crowded field at one of the most important positions on the floor.
Furthermore, the landscape at Purdue has changed. The coaching staff he committed to has turned over by one half and the coach who recruited him, Paul Lusk, is gone.
Molock is a confident player, but he's also a very intelligent, very wise beyond his years kid. Not sure that would have been a great position to be successful, particularly given the fact he's missed a year of development because of the injury.
From Purdue's perspective, it wouldn't have recruited Molock if it didn't like him as a player, and I don't think anyone's going to doubt the fact that he could have played at Purdue. By all accounts, he's come back well from his injury.
But it would have been silly for Matt Painter to sign two points in what as of yesterday was a four-man class, especially with Scott committed for 2013. Purdue needs two good point guards at all times, for what it does defensively, but to sign three of them in two years would be kind of nuts, for lack of a better term.
Now, I know attention turns to what this does for Purdue's scholarship situation, though this was Molock's decision and not a 'cap-space' move on the school's part, I don't believe.
In the grand scheme of what Purdue might be able to now do with its 2012 class, this is a big opening, though.
With its remaining commitments now being just Rapheal Davis, Jay Simpson and Ronnie Johnson, the Boilermakers are at 12 for 2012, one under the limit. Should it get Gary Harris or A.J. Hammons from here on out, the numbers are balanced.
Let the speculation begin: By going back to over-sign situation, could Purdue would have room for both. (The numbers would get sticky again in 2013, though, because Purdue already has four commits for that class.)
But that's to be determined in coming months; today the news is Molock's move, a move that makes sense for everybody involved.
We keep talking about the perils of these early offers and early commitments for both sides and this is a classic case, a cautionary tale on both ends.
For Purdue, it took Molock's commitment a couple years ago knowing it would need a point guard in its 2012 class but certainly only hoping to sign one of them. But things change.
Molock suffered a major knee injury and Kelsey Barlow, the presumed starter at the point in 2012, was suspended for the NCAA Tournament, his status with the team for the balance of his career hanging very much in the balance.
It didn't take much in-depth analysis for anyone looking forward to see the dangers of that situation for Purdue. Had Barlow flamed out, the Boilermakers would have been left with just Molock - coming back off a massive injury and forced to the floor with no experience at the point - as a true point guard on the roster, in which case Terone Johnson would certainly have had to move over.
Ronnie Johnson is a damn good player, but it was this situation as much as his emergence as a big-time recruit that forced Purdue's hand in recruiting him, one would think.
So that was the situation Molock would have been walking into, with Ronnie Johnson in his same class and Bryson Scott coming right in behind him, making for a crowded field at one of the most important positions on the floor.
Furthermore, the landscape at Purdue has changed. The coaching staff he committed to has turned over by one half and the coach who recruited him, Paul Lusk, is gone.
Molock is a confident player, but he's also a very intelligent, very wise beyond his years kid. Not sure that would have been a great position to be successful, particularly given the fact he's missed a year of development because of the injury.
From Purdue's perspective, it wouldn't have recruited Molock if it didn't like him as a player, and I don't think anyone's going to doubt the fact that he could have played at Purdue. By all accounts, he's come back well from his injury.
But it would have been silly for Matt Painter to sign two points in what as of yesterday was a four-man class, especially with Scott committed for 2013. Purdue needs two good point guards at all times, for what it does defensively, but to sign three of them in two years would be kind of nuts, for lack of a better term.
Now, I know attention turns to what this does for Purdue's scholarship situation, though this was Molock's decision and not a 'cap-space' move on the school's part, I don't believe.
In the grand scheme of what Purdue might be able to now do with its 2012 class, this is a big opening, though.
With its remaining commitments now being just Rapheal Davis, Jay Simpson and Ronnie Johnson, the Boilermakers are at 12 for 2012, one under the limit. Should it get Gary Harris or A.J. Hammons from here on out, the numbers are balanced.
Let the speculation begin: By going back to over-sign situation, could Purdue would have room for both. (The numbers would get sticky again in 2013, though, because Purdue already has four commits for that class.)
But that's to be determined in coming months; today the news is Molock's move, a move that makes sense for everybody involved.
