MANSFIELD, Texas — Good evening from Texas.
Some quick Purdue recruiting notes from Day 2 of the adidas Gauntlet here, and the spring evaluation period in general. We did a number of interviews today, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit here and transcribe, so we'll sum up.
• Kerwin Walton played his best game of the event tonight, with a double-figure scoring game, a number of threes and apparently a dunk off the dribble, which I missed because I switched courts.
Walton said Matt Painter and Steve Lutz are coming up to see him shortly, Monday I believe. Walton said Oregon, Northwestern and Minnesota have come by his school lately, and he's talking about making an official visit to Creighton, which would be his third after he previously visited Baylor and Purdue.
• Ben Carlson looks just fine after being sidelined for a few weeks with an ankle injury. He's playing well, as we've written about throughout the weekend.
"I feel totally 100-percent now," Carlson said. "Back to normal."
Purdue is also seeing him on Monday.
Xavier and Minnesota have been up to see him, and Arizona, Oregon and Northwestern have been by as well, showing interest.
Stanford's had a coach at each of Carlson's games out here.
• Zach Loveday said he's officially visiting Baylor as soon as this event ends, and admitted that things have been "quiet" with Purdue, but made a pretty telling remark along the lines of him hoping that Purdue is thinking about him, because he's thinking about them, which might be the direct quote actually.
• Khristian Lander is going to be a tall order for Purdue in the 2021 class, but he did say that the Boilermakers' guard play this season impressed him, and that may have changed the way he perceives them to a certain extent.
• Trey Galloway was solid again tonight, but Indiana Elite lost 74-70 to Garner Road. I don't have stats yet, but Galloway made a couple threes late to give IE a chance at the end, and that was significant, because he's not shot the ball great from deep. Lutz watched that game, as did Archie Miller, Travis Steele and Mike Brey, plus Dane Fife, the first Michigan State sighting of the weekend for Indiana Elite, thought it might have had other interests in the game, too. Iowa has been a consistent presence, too, and that's the only school to date he's officially visited.
• The last game of the night was played by Indiana Elite's impeccably coached 16-and-under team, and I'm telling you: South Bend's J.R. Konieczny ought to be on high-major peoples' lists, including Purdue's. Again, Konieczny is all of 6-foot-7 and can really shoot — and shoot on the move — but also dribble a little bit, and he's good around the rim, thanks in part to his length and simple feel for it. And, he's surprisingly physical for his body type.
Luke Brown put on a show tonight, scoring 16 first-half points and 18 overall in Indiana Elite's rout of Team Carroll. Konieczny scored 14.
Lutz and IU assistant coach Tom Ostrom were among those who watched that game, as did Miami (Ohio) coach and former Purdue assistant Jack Owens, who's offered Konieczny and will be one of those coming after center Logan Duncomb. Northwestern's assistant showed up at the end.
Duncomb is a good-sized center, probably 6-10ish, who has a physical presence about him, still a bit lumbering at his age, but moves well for his size nonetheless. He looks like a no-brainer target for good mid-major programs with size and tools enough that bigger-conference schools ought to be looking, and they are.
• Elsewhere: I've heard Luke Goode played very well today in Atlanta and Matt Painter did get over to see him, and that could be significant on the 2021 front. Also heard positive things about Kiyron Powell's play, and that's the king of the difficult decisions Purdue may have to make this spring.
This thing wraps up tomorrow.
We'll have one final report then, then it's back home.
Some quick Purdue recruiting notes from Day 2 of the adidas Gauntlet here, and the spring evaluation period in general. We did a number of interviews today, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit here and transcribe, so we'll sum up.
• Kerwin Walton played his best game of the event tonight, with a double-figure scoring game, a number of threes and apparently a dunk off the dribble, which I missed because I switched courts.
Walton said Matt Painter and Steve Lutz are coming up to see him shortly, Monday I believe. Walton said Oregon, Northwestern and Minnesota have come by his school lately, and he's talking about making an official visit to Creighton, which would be his third after he previously visited Baylor and Purdue.
• Ben Carlson looks just fine after being sidelined for a few weeks with an ankle injury. He's playing well, as we've written about throughout the weekend.
"I feel totally 100-percent now," Carlson said. "Back to normal."
Purdue is also seeing him on Monday.
Xavier and Minnesota have been up to see him, and Arizona, Oregon and Northwestern have been by as well, showing interest.
Stanford's had a coach at each of Carlson's games out here.
• Zach Loveday said he's officially visiting Baylor as soon as this event ends, and admitted that things have been "quiet" with Purdue, but made a pretty telling remark along the lines of him hoping that Purdue is thinking about him, because he's thinking about them, which might be the direct quote actually.
• Khristian Lander is going to be a tall order for Purdue in the 2021 class, but he did say that the Boilermakers' guard play this season impressed him, and that may have changed the way he perceives them to a certain extent.
• Trey Galloway was solid again tonight, but Indiana Elite lost 74-70 to Garner Road. I don't have stats yet, but Galloway made a couple threes late to give IE a chance at the end, and that was significant, because he's not shot the ball great from deep. Lutz watched that game, as did Archie Miller, Travis Steele and Mike Brey, plus Dane Fife, the first Michigan State sighting of the weekend for Indiana Elite, thought it might have had other interests in the game, too. Iowa has been a consistent presence, too, and that's the only school to date he's officially visited.
• The last game of the night was played by Indiana Elite's impeccably coached 16-and-under team, and I'm telling you: South Bend's J.R. Konieczny ought to be on high-major peoples' lists, including Purdue's. Again, Konieczny is all of 6-foot-7 and can really shoot — and shoot on the move — but also dribble a little bit, and he's good around the rim, thanks in part to his length and simple feel for it. And, he's surprisingly physical for his body type.
Luke Brown put on a show tonight, scoring 16 first-half points and 18 overall in Indiana Elite's rout of Team Carroll. Konieczny scored 14.
Lutz and IU assistant coach Tom Ostrom were among those who watched that game, as did Miami (Ohio) coach and former Purdue assistant Jack Owens, who's offered Konieczny and will be one of those coming after center Logan Duncomb. Northwestern's assistant showed up at the end.
Duncomb is a good-sized center, probably 6-10ish, who has a physical presence about him, still a bit lumbering at his age, but moves well for his size nonetheless. He looks like a no-brainer target for good mid-major programs with size and tools enough that bigger-conference schools ought to be looking, and they are.
• Elsewhere: I've heard Luke Goode played very well today in Atlanta and Matt Painter did get over to see him, and that could be significant on the 2021 front. Also heard positive things about Kiyron Powell's play, and that's the king of the difficult decisions Purdue may have to make this spring.
This thing wraps up tomorrow.
We'll have one final report then, then it's back home.
