2014-15 College Basketball Transfers: Eron Harris And Darius Thompson Update

The 2015-16 Purdue backcourt situation could be very interesting if the Boilermakers get good news in the next week or so. It seems as if Purdue is down to the final three for a pair of transfers in Darius Thompson, formerly of Tennessee, and Eron Harris, formerly of West Virginia.

First, an update from Thompson on his visit:

Now, if it's not a return to Tennessee, which again, has not been publicly ruled out, it'll almost certainly be either Purdue or Virginia.

Thompson will officially visit the Cavaliers next week, maybe beginning Monday.

Thompson asked fro a release from his scholarship when Cuonzo Martin left to coach at Cal and he was recruited by Purdue in the 2013 class. He is more of a true point guard and would have three years of eligibility left. That would put him on the same graduation track as the incoming P.J. Thompson since he would have to sit out a year. He has not completely ruled out a return to Tennessee, so we're int he unique situation of having a player being recruited by the school he is leaving.

Next is Eron Harris:

The 6-3 Harris, who averaged 17.2 points and 3.5 rebounds as a sophomore at West Virginia, visited Purdue on Monday and plans to visit Michigan and Michigan State once he can get it aligned. After that, the 2012 Lawrence North grad may be ready to make a decision.

"Those are my top three, basically," Harris said of Purdue, Michigan and Michigan State, adding that he's still hearing from a few other schools, including Auburn and Indiana.

Purdue has a small in on Harris, as he was a HS teammate of Basil Smotherman for a year. He would have two years of eligibility remaining if he came to Purdue and would also have to sit out a year.It is entirely possible Harris and Thompson could be the starting backcourt in 2015-16, though P.J. Thompson, Bryson Scott, Dakota Mathias,  and Kendall Stephens will have a say.

Where it gets interesting is the scholarship situation for the 2015 recruiting class. Right now, Purdue does not have a commitment from that class. Here is the hypothetical scholarship grid if both come on board:

Now there are many parts in play, as Purdue will almost certainly have more than one scholarship available for 2015. A.J. Hammons is almost certainly off to the NBA next year unless he takes a massive step back, so that is one additional spot. Getting both of these guys seems unlikely too, but you never know.

With what looks to be a limited class I would still make Caleb Swanigan a top priority because you don't get a guy like him unless you try, so why not? With three point guards (Thompson, Thompson, and Scott) I would bet the second hypothetical scholarship would be for a shooter or forward that can play inside-out. A post player is almost essential if you don't get Swanigan, because otherwise we have only two sophomore bigs in Haas and Taylor.