Yesterday was a very busy day for me and I completely whiffed on Basil's profile, so here is the second of Purdue's incoming class of freshmen that is expected to have a big impact.
Basil Smotherman Jr. - Fr.
Indianapolis, Indiana (Lawrence North HS)
6'5", 222 pounds
Forward
2013-14: In the rotation at forward
The most accurate comparison for Basil to a recent player is Kelsey Barlow. Both players are athletic wings that can go down inside and rebound or score at the basket. Basil is a solid defender and he can make the freakishly athletic plays a lot like Kelsey used to. I would say that Basil's give-a-shit is always turned on, however, whereas Kelsey had known lapses in effort.
I managed to see Basil play twice during his high school career. I saw him play as a sophomore for Heritage Christian, but last season I saw him in an 87-83 victory at Pike very late in the year. I had him with 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a blocked shot, which is a solid line for a guy that was on the floor with a bunch of other talented players. The most impressive play came in the third quarter when he took an inbounds 40 feet from the basket and knifed through the defense for a ruthless tomahawk dunk.
That athleticism is what will get Basil on the floor this coming season. I don't think he is going to come in and be an immediate double-figures scorer, but he can be one of those guys that gets a steal and ignites the crowd with a big dunk on the break. If he continues to develop his outside shot he has the makings of being a very promising player for Purdue. At worst, he is a defensive asset on a team that struggled defensively last year.