Much has been made about the lack of top-notch 5-star recruits that coach Matt Painter has been able to lure to West Lafayette. Well, that could change:
Just confirmed that Purdue, Ohio State and Virginia has just offered ESPN 100 #10 Myles Turner. That is a really good move on their part !
— Reggie Rankin (@ReggieRankin) June 17, 2013
Coach Painter is definitely swinging for the fences here, as the No. 10 national recruit would easily be his best commitment if he is able to land Turner. One could argue that it would be Purdue's highest profile recruit since Glenn Robinson.
So let's learn about Mr. Turner here. He is a little outside the mold of the player that Purdue goes after in that he is a player from Texas. This is far from Purdue's normal recruiting grounds of Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. Turner is truly a national recruit and that is what makes this move even more interesting. The last player that was not from the Midwest that Purdue landed was Jacob Lawson. Before that you have to go all the way back to 2007 when Chris Reid and Nemanja Calasan came from junior colleges. (I count Sandi Marcius as an Indiana kid since he was a LaLumiere guy). For a kid straight out of high school you have to go back to 2006 with Keaton Grant.
Turner is a game-changing center at 6'11" 225 pounds. He could be insurance in case A.J. Hammons leaves for the NBA after this season. ESPN includes his list of offers as Arizona, Auburn, Baylor, Boise State, Creighton, Miami (FL), Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, UNLV, USC, and Vanderbilt. His potential recently exploded at the Top 100 camp:
Turner was named to the camp's all-star team, averaging 12.4 points and 4.8 rebounds. He was one of the most impressive players at the event, dominating on the defensive end of the floor on a consistent basis. He is also an adept offensive player from a face-up perspective, knocking down perimeter and mid-range shots with effectiveness.
I would say Purdue has room for a 7-footer that can dominate defensively and knock down shots on the perimeter and generally be a menace offensively. The low rebounding numbers are a concern, since no 7-footer should average less than 8 rebounds per game, but that can be an area of improvement. It also could just be a bad few games on the glass. Either way, it is nothing to scare Purdue fans off.
It is clear that coach Painter wants a big in the 2014 class. Jabari Craig and Isaac Haas have been offered while Steve McElvene up in Fort Wayne should get an offer by the end of the summer. Turner trumps them all, however. he would be a huge asset and, if he works hard (as is required at Purdue) he could dominate the Big Ten.
Of course, going from an offer to an accepted scholarship is a long, long trip. The early signing period isn't until November and Turner's recruitment could go until the spring. With so many offers for one player and now Kentucky getting into the mix Purdue is going to have to come up with something special to land Turner.