Purdue Basketball Recruiting: Grant Weatherford

I don't know if the next kid is on Purdue's radar or not, but Friday night I saw a rising 2015 player that could be a useful addition. If Purdue fills the 2014 class with the full three available scholarships there would be only two available for the 2015 class. If things go really well a player like A.J. Hammons or Jay Simpson could always declare early for the NBA to free up another spot, but for now the class looks like it will be a small one.

Because of that I don't know if Grant Weatherford fits in. As of right now he is pretty far down the list of ranked Indiana players and there are some much bigger targets (Hyron Edwards, Jalen Coleman, K.J. Walton, Etc.) ahead of him. Here is what Indiana Scouting had to say:

Grant is really fun to watch. He is a good athlete with good jumping ability. He does a lot of things well on the court, always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Rebounds the ball well from the guard spot. Grant is really good when attacking the rim off the dribble, finishes well inside.

I agree that he is a fun, well-rounded player. That's what makes me think he could be a good fit for Purdue. He's a good shooter that is not afraid to get dirty and do some rebounding. Because Hamilton Heights made the class 3A football state championship game and many of their players play both sports their season was delayed until Friday. They tipped off with a 65-47 win over conference rival Lewis Cass.

Weatherford had a game-high 20 points in the game and it was a testament to him being in the right place at the right time. He was never overwhelming, but he is the type of player that plays first with his head, then his talent. Senior teammate Alex Etherington (headed to Kansas State) was the player that was physically overpowering, but Weatherford show he could hit the three, drive the lane, rebound, distribute, and do damage at the free throw line.

Weatherford did much of his damage in the second half as Heights broke open a two-point game with four minutes left in the third quarter. He was effective on the defensive end as well. Cass was just 12 of 39 from the floor for the night and had a Purdue-vs.-Xavier level of three-point shooting by going 0 for 11. Much of that was credit to Weatherford being very effective at the top of a 2-3 zone.

I think Weatherford is one of those names that will grow over time. So far Indiana State has only showed interest, but he is definitely a Division I talent as a point guard. He has some interesting games later in the season against Tipton (with St. Louis commit Mike Crawford) and 4A schools Noblesville and Westfield. Paired with Etherington he is also getting experience with Division I guys on his team. He's already been to a Purdue camp as well.

It is still early, but Weatherford is one of those players that could be very, very good only to get passed over by teams grabbing earlier commitments. He's worth keeping an eye on.