With the offseason in full effect it’s time to start thinking about the transfer portal and how Purdue men’s basketball can improve their standing for next season. We asked last week what position you all thought that Matt Painter and his staff should prioritize in the transfer portal and it was a resounding result that the 4 and 5 positions were where Purdue needed the most help. That made sense to me because Purdue is (most likely) losing Oscar Cluff barring some unforeseen change in NCAA rules which let’s be honest isn’t exactly out of the question with the way that organization is run.
However we have to go into next season assuming that Cluff is gone and not coming back. That will leave Purdue with Daniel Jacobsen who is coming off a redshirt freshman season in which he underwhelmed. He saw his minutes go down as the season progressed and while that’s certainly partly because of the emergence of Oscar Cluff, Jacobsen did not put his best foot forward as he was a step slow on defense and found himself out of position on a number of occasions. Then there’s Raleigh Burgess who is coming off of a redshirt season after playing during the 2024-2025 season. He’s listed at 6’11” and 245 pounds but that number will likely go up after a full year of workouts and (hopefully) transforming his body. Then, Purdue has incoming freshman Sinan Huan who was measured just last week at 7’1”. He has looked great when I’ve seen him play but college is a whole other level and he will be a true freshman. At the 4 Purdue will have newcomer Caden Pierce from Princeton, a former Ivy League player of the year, who is listed at 6’7” (or 6’6” depending on where you look) and 225 pounds (which I’m sure will change). Then there’s Jack Benter who really is more of a 3 man but was forced into playing the 4. He will be recovering from a wrist injury this offseason.
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Now, the transfer portal is wide open and we’ve seen a number of players from across the country enter, something like 40% of all players believe it or not. It’s astounding to see the number of players who seemingly are in good positions who are entering their names in the portal. It’s a me first business these days and I understand it. These guys may never play professional basketball anywhere so they’ve got to strike while the iron is hot. That being said, there is still a scholarship limit in college basketball. It’s 15. Let’s take a look at what Purdue has right now. Especially after they tweeted this:
Which to me signified that everyone in that picture is coming back. The only Boilermaker we’ve been told who has entered the transfer portal is walk-on extraordinaire Aaron Fine. Now, we all love our walk-ons but he’s not gonna impact the scholarship situation, and he could still return to Purdue, so let’s put him aside for now. In that picture you’ve got 10 players, all returning. Now, that includes walk ons like Sam King, Jack Lusk, and Jace Rayl. To the best of my knowledge these guys are not on scholarship. That means that there are seven returning scholarship players. Purdue is adding Pierce, that makes eight. Then there’s the incoming freshman class of Luke Ertel (PG), Huan (C), Jacob Webber (SF), Rivers Knight (F), and Jamyn Sondrup (C/F). That’s five. Even though this won’t be on the test, eight plus five equals 13. That means Purdue has AT MOST two scholarships available for next season if my assumptions about scholarships are accurate. There has been some online discussion of awarding Sam King a scholarship but I’ve seen no confirmation of that. So, with two theoretical spots open, who could Purdue be looking to add in the transfer portal? Well, I’ve got some names that I think are interesting.
Camden Heide – Texas via Purdue – 6’7” 215 pounds
Listen, I know roughly half of you are already angry at me for even listing him here but hear me out okay? He left Purdue on good terms, got plenty of playing time at Texas and yes he was foul prone but a long athletic four man who can shoot the three, knows the system, and is incredibly athletic is a hard spot to fill. Now, could his defense use some work? Absolutely, but the athleticism can cover up some of that. In this new era of college sports fans are going to have to put their animosity toward transfers aside if they want to win games. Sometimes a player leaves a place, learns from another coach and maybe sees they made a mistake, and comes back home. That’s a perfectly fine thing to do and I don’t think anyone should hold that against a guy like Heide should he find his way back to the Boilermakers.
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Johan Munch – Oregon State – 6’11” 222 pounds
Johan Munch is a guy that intrigues me for his size alone. Yes, I know he played at Oregon State last season which found themselves in a weird limbo these last couple of seasons after being left out in the cold during the conference realignment shuffle, but good players can come from anywhere. Plus, you can’t teach that type of size. As you can see, he averaged just under 8 points and 5 rebounds per game. He averaged 21 minutes per game so that’s a 16 and 10 average over 40 minutes. Not too shabby. We all agree that Purdue needs size and they need experienced size, well Munch is that. Plus, Purdue is apparently showing interest in him as you can see. He’s not a guy who will stretch the floor as he shot just 12.5% from distance but if Purdue’s shooters show up you don’t need your big man to spread the floor like that.
Anton Bonke – Charlotte – 7’2” 270 pounds
Anton Bonke is a stretch five who can shoot from distance. He would be a big change for the Boilermakers after going with Oscar Cluff, Zach Edey, and to a lesser extent Trey Kaufman-Renn at the center these most recent seasons. Bonke averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds per game in the most recent season. He also shot a respectable 34% from three (albeit only on 38 attempts). Still, you’ll take that percentage on that many attempts from your big man. It forces the defense into uncomfortable positions. As Purdue fans we know this all too well.
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Eric Reibe – UConn – 7’1” 260 pounds
Eric Reibe comes to the transfer portal via UConn after playing just one season. He averaged 16 minutes per game while putting up 8 points and 4 rebounds per game. Not bad numbers for the freshman. This isn’t just out of the blue to add him to this list though, Reibe was a guy that Purdue recruited out of high school. Purdue and Reibe did not ultimately swipe right on each other, but that could be due to any number of factors. When Reibe announced his top 11 Purdue did not make the cut but the timing could be because Purdue already had a commitment from another big man. These things are fluid. So, would Painter and company get back involved in this second recruitment of Reibe? I’m not sure, but it would be fun to take a player from Dan Hurley I’ll be completely honest.
Now, there are a number of additional factors to consider here. Would Painter be willing to take a multi-year player on or is he simply looking for a one year guy like we’ve seen him do in the past ala Johnny Hill, David Jenkins Jr., Jon Octeus, Lance Jones, Oscar Cluff, Liam Murphy, Evan Boudreaux etc. That’s a question that only Matt Painter knows but it will color much of their search in the transfer portal. Then there is the question of how much faith does the staff have in guys like Pierce, Jacobsen, Burgess, and Huan? Obviously these are guys they like and believe can contribute, but do they think they can hold down the 4 and 5 all season long next season? With the loss of so much firepower from an Elite Eight team there’s going to be plenty of opportunities to make an impact on next season’s team. It seems clear that everyone knows that and so everyone is coming back to do just that. The continuity of this team could be a real strength, though if Michigan is any indication that’s not such a huge factor anymore, and so Painter will want to ensure that whoever he brings in, if anyone, fits well with the core they already have built. It should make for an interesting offseason.
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So, what do you think? Would you be interested in bringing in any of these guys? Was there someone I missed who you believe would make a good fit on next season’s Boilermaker squad? Let me know in the comments.
