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The last day of May means it is time for another mailbag, as I did have a few questions pop-in this week. As always, if you have a question, e-mail Hammerandrails@gmail.com.
I was hoping to get your opinion on the newest basketball recruiting class. I have heard everything from they are the Baby Boilers 2.0, to just another overrated, unproven class. What are / should the expectations be? Are we already setting the bar too high? Should we set a high bar in order to get back to relevance? Do you think they will nicely complement other players (Hammons, Stephens, Davis)? I know there is a ton of speculation, but I would like your view (and hopefully the commenters', too)! -- Kevin
I really like this class. I like that it has one player at each position and judging by what the guys have been saying on Twitter, they are coming in hungry. They at least seem to have the right attitude before getting to Purdue.
My expectations are always high. With the money we have shelled out improving facilities and with what we're paying Matt Painter we should make the NCAA Tournament. Period. Even the last two years, as bad as we have been, an improvement of five wins each year has us at least in the discussion. Those five wins can still come with improved attitudes, better defense, and more hustle, all of which have been lacking for some time.
One player I like is Isaac Haas, who I think will push A.J. Hammons in the way he needs to be pushed. Dakota Mathias and Vince Edwards should be good shooters compared to what was lost and I am a big fan of P.J. Thompson. I think he has some serious potential to remind us of LewJack and he plays bigger than his size. It is high time we had a point guard who played with a chip on his shoulder like LewJack always did.
@HammerAndRails can someone tell me when we are getting some more football recruits to commit.
I wish that I knew. The new recruiting guys have been all over the offers we have handed out, but they mean nothing until someone commits. Even then, with all the shifting we have had I don't consider a guy here until he signs on signing day. It is a concern because we're once again getting kicked around by the rest of the Big Ten, but being 1-11 will do that.
The best thing Purdue can do is start winning football games again with the guys we have. We'll probably see a handful of guys commit over the summer, but I don't expect a lot until the season starts.