Big man stops by Purdue during official visit tour
Purdue's foremost remaining post target for the 2017 class passed through town this weekend as part of his whirlwind official visit tour in advance of the Nov. 9 start of the early signing period.
Chilean forward/center Felipe Haase of Miami Christian High School visited West Lafayette along with guardian and mentor Art Alvarez and high school coach Juan Cardona.
"It was a huge success," Alvarez said, "an excellent visit."
For several reasons, Alvarez said.
"One of the things we saw that's very important to us is that he's going to have an opportunity to come in and play right away," Alvarez said of Purdue's pitch to Haase, who spent much of the spring and summer with the Chilean national team. "That's very important in our decision-making. I know they have (Isaac Haas) and (Caleb Swanigan), who may go pro, but even if he doesn't go pro, Felipe is a 6-foot-10 kid who's as skilled as any kid in the country. He can shoot it from around the perimeter, has great footwork, can face up or play with his back to the basket. And what they love about him - and this is why he's so highly recruited - is that there's not a better passing big man than him, either from the block or the perimeter, and his basketball IQ is off the charts."
Purdue emphasized its history of post focus, but also its use of past post players' diverse skill sets.
"Playing time, of course, is something every freshman wants, but also, he's wanted to see - and Purdue did a pretty good job showing him this - if these programs have had somebody like him, someone similar to him, who's played in the system, for the coach and the program," said Alvarez, the former coach at Miami Christian and the founder of the Miami Tropics summer program Haase played for. "That was vital. When a program wants to recruit him and says, 'We've never had a kid like this,' you and I both know they're not going to change their whole offense for one kid, no matter how much they like him. Matt (Painter) did a really good job showing us the different 4s and 5s they've had - especially the stretch 4s - who've been very successful in their program.
"The thing that I love about Matt is that he's all about developing players and you can see it on his résumé: He'll get a guy and make them better. We know Felipe's skill level, but we know that with the right coach and the right situation, they can develop him even more and the sky's going to be the limit for this kid."
Purdue struck a chord, too, Alvarez said, with cuisine: Cow tongue, his "favorite meal," per Alvarez.
"When the kid saw that, he couldn't stop grinning," Alvarez said. "(Painter) really went out of his way to do that and that was a great gesture on his part."
Painter and assistant coach Greg Gary, who recruited the Tropics program during coaching stints at Miami and South Florida, will visit Haase again Wednesday, Alvarez said, the day before the group leaves for an official visit to Louisville, then South Carolina immediately thereafter.
Haase visited Pittsburgh and Missouri prior to Purdue.
After the South Carolina visit, a dead period takes hold, affording Haase and his coaches a chance to sort through their options, then decide. Haase will sign during the early signing period, Alvarez said.
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