2012 PG Kyle Molock de-commitment shouldn't come as too much of a surprise considering that talent that has been recruited around him.
After Molock was sidelined with a torn ACL/MCL early last summer, Painter has signed 2013 PG Bryson Scott and 2012 PG Ronnie Johnson, each projecting to play ahead of Molock. While I am confident Painter didn't force him to de-commit, It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to see that his chances of being much more than a role player were slim.
In my (unwanted) opinion, this move benefits all parties involved. Purdue obviously had work to do with the scholarship situation and Molock can pursue a school in which can play a bigger role. Is that opinion going to get challenged by those claiming he was "Creaned"? Abso-frickin-lutely. But I stand by the fact that this situation worked out well for both Purdue and Molock.
A team needs hard working role playes, and with Purdue's luck with injuries, it's wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that he could have worked his way into the starting lineup. Role players have lots of opportunity in Painter's system. And for that, it's unfortunate because Kyle Molock could have certainly been a value to the team. Prior to his injury he was the top rated PG in his class in Ohio. By all accounts he was healthy heading into July AAU.
The news has been out for less than 20 minutes (as I write this) and the real story line is already surfacing. Purdue now has 12 scholarships next summer and can add another member to the class of 2012.
It's no secret that Purdue is in a dog fight with MSU, Louisville, and IU to land Gary Harris and this certainly can't hurt Purdue's odds. I can't speculate if this actually makes a difference as most teams will make room for the 2012 standout either way, but it does remove some of the ambiguity marks pertaining to the future rosters.
Purdue has also been in pursuit of 7-footer AJ Hammons, whose offer is contingent upon having a spot for him. With Molock's de-commitment, Purdue is now capable of signing two more class of 2012 members (one as an over-sign) and has a year to work out the scholarship situation so that it can bring them both on board if it worked out that way.And maybe there is a dark horse prospect out there that we don't know about or Painter decides to bank it for an additional class of 2013. Nothing would shock me.
Regardless of what happens, Molock's commitment certainly gives Matt Painter options . Couple that with the momentum he's had and it should make for an exciting July Evaluation Period.