Just some random, directionless stuff from Purdue's elite camp today.
• It would seem like a very positive thing for Purdue that four-star 2017 guard Nojel Eastern was willing to travel to West Lafayette to attend a camp he couldn't even play in. Certainly not saying this means Purdue is a leader or anything like that, but seems to speak to the legitimacy of it being a genuine contender.
• Don't know if Purdue is gonna be in the market for a point guard in 2018, but I personally really like Courtney Ramey from around St. Louis, and I'd imagine Purdue does, too. They have watched him extensively, because he's AAU teammates with Carte'Are Gordon, whose offer Saturday was kind of a foregone conclusion.
He's going to be that next big guy Purdue hammers away at with its metrics about post touches and emphasizing the interior. Might not have been sheer coincidence he was on the team coached by Caleb Swanigan. Gordon is a built like a grizzly bear and really difficult to stop with the ball in his hands around the hoop.
Really like Torrance Watson from that summer team also.
• Again with point guards: The Purdue involvement with Jordan McCabe is interesting. Seems tailor-made for Purdue - and a lot of other programs - in his intelligence and toughness and the chip on his shoulder he seems to play with, while being a distinct balance between such substance and, well, "sauce." He plays with a lot of flair and creativity, he's a tremendous ball-handler and he can really shoot.
• Funny moment: One Purdue player to another in between games in which the players coached the camp's teams: "I don't know how Coach Painter does this without ripping his hair out." Coaching, that is.
That would be one victim of Kevin Easley's clutch shooting to another.
Dakota Mathias is probably still mad about that.
Speaking of Easley, it's hard not to appreciate his personality and charisma.
There's a lot of Trevon Bluiett in him.
• Keion Brooks from Fort Wayne is a complete freakshow, the freshman-to-be showing why he's getting the sort of hype he is.
Back-to-back sequences in one game he first threw down a one-handed dunk he'd have no problem completing on an 11-foot rim, then came down in transition, caught a pass in the left corner and splashed a beautiful three. He's all of 6-foot-6 at least and looks like a hell of a prospect.
• Wouldn't be surprised to see Lawrence North's Ra Kpedi moves onto Purdue's serious 2017 radar if he hasn't already. He's probably only 6-8, raw and looks like a likely 5 man, but he's got some nice footwork and touch around the basket for a player who's very much still developing and he looks like he can do things facing the iron a little bit.
I think he's young for his age, so that might be reason to believe he can grow in the next two years as well.
• Speaking of 2017 bigs, Southern Indiana's Jack Nunge is a really nice player, no doubt. Not sure what you do with him at this stage, whether he's physical enough to be a 5 in college or a traditional 4 or whether he's skilled enough to play more away from the basket primarily, but he's an interesting combination of the two with legitimate height and athleticism enough.
I'd be surprised if he's not a Big Ten-offer guy at some point. Not sure where Purdue will fit into things, but could see an Iowa taking a flier on him, maybe even a system-fit-driven program like Michigan.
• I think Tyler Herro is an offer-caliber guy for Purdue right now and was kind of surprised that Purdue didn't offer right away. Not to say they can't turn right around and do it, but these offers aren't made on whims based on one day alone, and that one was on the tee.
Maybe it was an either/or deal with Robby Carmody.
Carmody, by the way, was so taken aback by the Purdue offer that we actually asked if he'd commit right away. He will not, but considering the tone of his reaction it seemed worth asking. Normally wouldn't, especially with a player that young.
(I'm forgetting people here.)
• It would seem like a very positive thing for Purdue that four-star 2017 guard Nojel Eastern was willing to travel to West Lafayette to attend a camp he couldn't even play in. Certainly not saying this means Purdue is a leader or anything like that, but seems to speak to the legitimacy of it being a genuine contender.
• Don't know if Purdue is gonna be in the market for a point guard in 2018, but I personally really like Courtney Ramey from around St. Louis, and I'd imagine Purdue does, too. They have watched him extensively, because he's AAU teammates with Carte'Are Gordon, whose offer Saturday was kind of a foregone conclusion.
He's going to be that next big guy Purdue hammers away at with its metrics about post touches and emphasizing the interior. Might not have been sheer coincidence he was on the team coached by Caleb Swanigan. Gordon is a built like a grizzly bear and really difficult to stop with the ball in his hands around the hoop.
Really like Torrance Watson from that summer team also.
• Again with point guards: The Purdue involvement with Jordan McCabe is interesting. Seems tailor-made for Purdue - and a lot of other programs - in his intelligence and toughness and the chip on his shoulder he seems to play with, while being a distinct balance between such substance and, well, "sauce." He plays with a lot of flair and creativity, he's a tremendous ball-handler and he can really shoot.
• Funny moment: One Purdue player to another in between games in which the players coached the camp's teams: "I don't know how Coach Painter does this without ripping his hair out." Coaching, that is.
That would be one victim of Kevin Easley's clutch shooting to another.
Dakota Mathias is probably still mad about that.
Speaking of Easley, it's hard not to appreciate his personality and charisma.
There's a lot of Trevon Bluiett in him.
• Keion Brooks from Fort Wayne is a complete freakshow, the freshman-to-be showing why he's getting the sort of hype he is.
Back-to-back sequences in one game he first threw down a one-handed dunk he'd have no problem completing on an 11-foot rim, then came down in transition, caught a pass in the left corner and splashed a beautiful three. He's all of 6-foot-6 at least and looks like a hell of a prospect.
• Wouldn't be surprised to see Lawrence North's Ra Kpedi moves onto Purdue's serious 2017 radar if he hasn't already. He's probably only 6-8, raw and looks like a likely 5 man, but he's got some nice footwork and touch around the basket for a player who's very much still developing and he looks like he can do things facing the iron a little bit.
I think he's young for his age, so that might be reason to believe he can grow in the next two years as well.
• Speaking of 2017 bigs, Southern Indiana's Jack Nunge is a really nice player, no doubt. Not sure what you do with him at this stage, whether he's physical enough to be a 5 in college or a traditional 4 or whether he's skilled enough to play more away from the basket primarily, but he's an interesting combination of the two with legitimate height and athleticism enough.
I'd be surprised if he's not a Big Ten-offer guy at some point. Not sure where Purdue will fit into things, but could see an Iowa taking a flier on him, maybe even a system-fit-driven program like Michigan.
• I think Tyler Herro is an offer-caliber guy for Purdue right now and was kind of surprised that Purdue didn't offer right away. Not to say they can't turn right around and do it, but these offers aren't made on whims based on one day alone, and that one was on the tee.
Maybe it was an either/or deal with Robby Carmody.
Carmody, by the way, was so taken aback by the Purdue offer that we actually asked if he'd commit right away. He will not, but considering the tone of his reaction it seemed worth asking. Normally wouldn't, especially with a player that young.
(I'm forgetting people here.)
