Posts Tagged ‘Eric Gardner’

Newest Boilermaker commit: AJ Hammons (2012)

Published by Source on October 14th, 2011

By: Eric Gardner

Late last night, Purdue got a commitment for Oak Hill Academy’s A.J. Hammons.  A.J. is originally from Gary, IN and moved to Carmel, IN before heading out to Virginia.  He was down to Minnesota, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Purdue before last night.  Hammons, at least for the past few months, has been a Purdue lean with the outside chance of going to Minnesota.  Purdue has actually been on him since his freshman year at Carmel High School.  His family is still in the Carmel area and he plays on Spiece’s AAU team out of Fort Wayne.  We have heard reports that he really would like to come closer to home and I think in the end that gave Purdue the overwhelming advantage.

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Louisville and Kentucky Visit Gary Harris

Published by Source on September 20th, 2011

By: Eric Gardner, Purdue contributor

Late Monday, the news came through the Twitter feeds and blogs that Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari had a surprise in-home visit with Indianapolis-native Gary Harris.  This definitely is surprising but not shocking.  One thing you can say about Kentucky is they have the ability to pull off a commitment at the last second and if you have been following the Gary Harris recruitment, you know that this is way late in the game.

In the past two weeks, Gary has had not only Kentucky but also Louisville stop by for an in-home visit.  The main players to this point have been Indiana, Purdue, and Michigan State but Gary has stated that there may be other schools that can still join in his list.  Those three main schools have all already set up official visits for the next two months.  It will be interesting to see if Louisville and/or Kentucky can score a visit, as well.  Not much has been made about the Louisville visit but from all inclinations it went okay.  Now that Kentucky got a chance to sit down with the Harris family we will just have to wait and see what comes of it in the next few weeks.

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Purdue Commit Profile: Rapheal Davis 2012

Published by Source on September 7th, 2011

By: Eric Gardner, Purdue contributor

Rapheal Davis

SG – 6’5″ 200 lb

Fort Wayne, IN (La Porte La Lumiere School)

ESPN – 4* (72); Rivals- 3* (106); Scout- 4* (83)

Purdue really needed to get a player in the 2012 class that could fill up the basket.  They need someone who can be a strong pillar of their offensive game.  They got that player in Rapheal Davis.  One thing Purdue fans can look forward to is that he is fun to watch.  Davis goes all out, can shoot the ball from anywhere, and is very underrated.  He is the lowest ranked recruit in the class for Purdue but will probably be an immediate contributor and outperform the others for quite a while.  He is very polished at this point in his high school career and now that he is at a prep school he will be even more prepared for the college game.  Raphael Davis will be a fan favorite in this class and will prove why in his first season as a Boilermaker.

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Purdue Freshman Profile: Jacob Lawson

Published by Source on August 16th, 2011

By: Eric Gardner, Purdue contributor

Jacob Lawson

PF – 6’7″ 220 lb

Oak Ridge, NC (Oak Ridge Military Academy)

ESPN – 3* (NR); Rivals- 3* (NR); Scout- 3* (NR)

 

Ranked as one of the Top Ten Dunkers in the Class of 2011, Jacob Lawson brings athleticism, charisma, and energy to the Boilers.  He came as one of the more surprising commitments in recent years because he resides in North Carolina, a state where Matt Painter does not often go to see players.  That alone should tell you how much the coaching staff likes this kid.  He has the ball handling capabilities to play the 3 in Painter’s system but will more likely play the 4 because he is scrappy and can finish.  Besides finishing around the rim, rebounding may be his biggest asset.  He always seems to be in position and is strong enough to come away with a 50/50 ball.  Shooting is his weakness at this moment and will need to be worked on a lot over the next four years but by his sophomore year he could be a potential double-double guy off the bench.

 

When Purdue got the commitment from Jacob Lawson, it told us two things.  One is that Painter really wants to have more athletic rebounders on the court at the same time.  The other is that he will go outside of the state to grab recruits if he cannot find what he wants in Indiana.  Between Lawson and Donnie Hale, Purdue should have upgraded a couple areas of concern…rebounding and depth.

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Purdue Freshman Profile: Donnie Hale

Published by Source on August 13th, 2011

By: Eric Gardner, Purdue Contributor

Donnie Hale

PF – 6’8″ 195 lbs

New Albany, IN (Bridgton Academy)

Rivals – 3* (NR); ESPN – 3* (NR); Scout – 3* (NR)

Donnie Hale has been at Bridgton Prep for the past year and is looking like he will make a big impact in his first year at Purdue.  Regarded as one of the best players on the team at Bridgton Prep, Donnie brings a wide array of skills for a man of his size.  At 6’8” he is a pretty decent ball handler and can shoot out to three-point range.  His shot might need some work during the summer, as it is a bit awkward coming from a lefty shooter.  He rebounds well and can play in the post a little bit, however he is much more comfortable on the wing.  Like fellow newcomer Jacob Lawson, Hale projects as a 4 in college but might see a little bit at the 3 or even the 5 depending on the matchups.

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Derek Willis Opens It Up

Published by Source on August 5th, 2011

By: Eric Gardner

So things are a little messy right now but all we do know is that Derek Willis is wavering, but his Dad is not.  There lies the problem.  Earlier today Derek Willis posted on his Facebook page that he was going to “back off” his commitment to Purdue University.  Apparently he talked with his high school coach Troy Barr and told him that he wanted to decommit.  Then stories started.  Then they changed.  As reporters started getting ahold of the high school coach and Derek’s father, they found out that not even his family knew that he was going to decommit.  His father said that he hopes his son stays committed to Purdue.  He believed that the relationship with Coach Painter and Owens is solid and that he is looking forward to his son’s career as a Boilermaker.  Del Willis, Derek’s father, said that his family was going to go to the lake this weekend and talk about their next step in the process.  They should have a decision by Sunday.  Sunday can’t come soon enough for Purdue fans.

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