Why top point guard recruit Kevin Savage III committed to Purdue basketball

New Purdue basketball commit Kevin Savage III pulled a black hat with a gold motion “P” from under his table, putting the Boilermaker brand in the national spotlight he created.

There was not really a lot of drama ahead of Savage’s live commitment Sunday on 247Sports and CBS Sports HQ. The Marietta (Georgia) Wheeler point guard had been linked to Matt Painter’s program for weeks.

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Yet landing the four-star, top-50 point guard from the southeast reinforced the spreading appeal of Purdue’s steady success and offensive achievements. Painter found the center for his class an hour from Mackey Arena in Pike’s Isaiah Hill. He and assistant coach P.J. Thompson considered several high-profile point guards before connecting with a championship floor leader from the Atlanta suburbs.

“I chose Purdue because of the relationship I have with the coaching staff, the trust I built, the system they have for me,” Savage said on the webcast. “I feel like they’re just the best fit for me.”

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Purdue just sent the NCAA’s all-time assists leader off to the NBA with Braden Smith‘s second-round selection. Smith concluded that historic career by leading a squad which produced the highest adjusted offensive efficiency ever recorded by KenPom.

Smith also did so after facing some of the same critiques as Savage — notably their lack of size. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound Savage has thrived in spite of that frame, winning championships at multiple levels and augmenting his point guard skills with scoring ability.

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Savage will need to answer those questions again at the Big Ten level — specifically on defense. From an offensive standpoint, though, Purdue’s abundance of big men and shooters set point guards up for success.

Insider: What a top-50 recruit’s commitment means for the future of Purdue basketball

Painter and Thompson were both point guards, and overall fit his always been a bigger factor in recruiting than chasing blue chips. In Savage they believe they found both.

“I’m just ready to start the journey,” Savage said on the webcast. “I closed my first chapter, but now it’s time to open up another one.”

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why top point guard recruit Kevin Savage III committed to Purdue basketball