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This weekend looks like a big one for Purdue basketball recruiting and the long-awaited first domino may fall. It has been a very long time since Purdue got a commitment. Carsen Edwards committed sometime last year, but being a class of one means very little action since the first Swanigan watch.
That could change this weekend. Purdue is hosting three top targets for official visits. No, Jaren Jackson is not one of them, but he does remain on the board for now.
Nojel Eastern - To me, this is the top guy I want Purdue to land. We're going after plenty of bigs and forwards, but I would love to get a scoring guard with good size. Eastern fits that mold. He is 6'5" 210 and is rated No. 58 nationally by Rivals and No. 78 by ESPN. He has a ton of offers all over the place, but the main competition appears to be Michigan State. He is from Evanston, Illinois, meaning we could steal him literally from Northwestern's back yard.
Xavier Tillman - Tillman is a 6'8" forward out of Grand Rapids that is No. 81 according to Rivals and No. 84 according to ESPN. His offer sheet should basically say "The Big Ten", but Purdue, Michigan State, Marquette, and Florida are rated as "high" on his Rivals profile. He seems like a solid four that could play a lot of minutes next season if Swanigan and Edwards are both gone.
Terrell Brown - Brown is the lowest rated of the three, as he is a 6'10" big that is a three-star according to Rivals and only a 2-star according to ESPN. Not a lot if known about him. He is from Rhode Island, originally, but he will play this season at the Tilton School in New Hampshire. His ESPN profile says he runs the floor well and can shoot from the perimeter. He has a smooth jumper in his limited video here:
It seems unlikely that Purdue will get an immediate commitment this weekend, but you never know. At least it is not next weekend showing a half empty football stadium to recruits.