Purdue basketball is on the board in the 2025 recruiting class, as Toledo Whitmer (Oh.) guard Antione West Jr. announced his commitment to the Boilermakers today. West took an official visit to West Lafayette the weekend of September 14th and now becomes the first member of the class for Matt Painter and company.
West chose the Boilermakers over his other finalist, Nebraska, and held offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Xavier, Arizona State, Creighton, Georgia, and Dayton. Purdue was a finalist, alongside Nebraska, in what turned into a Big Ten recruiting battle, with Matt Painter besting Fred Hoiberg and company.
The 6-foot-4 guard excels on the offensive end of the floor, having a smooth shooting stroke that has helped him become an efficient catch and shoot threat, as well as having the ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays off the bounce.
West offers a versatile skillset, which he put on display in northern Ohio. As a junior at Whitmer last season, West averaged 20.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 36% from three-point range and leading the Panthers to the Division I Final Four.
When West arrives in West Lafayette in 2025, the Boilermakers could have a logjam in the backcourt. The All-Big Ten tandem of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer will be seniors and likely maintain their roles in the starting lineup for a fourth consecutive season.
The Boilermakers also have rising sophomore Myles Colvin that is poised to take a step forward in his second year on campus, while the current freshmen CJ Cox, Gicarri Harris and Jack Benter all vie for playing time this season.
With Smith and Cox likely to handle the point guard slot, West could come in and compete for minutes at the two with Harris, Loyer and potentially Colvin. At 6-foot-4, he offers the ability to play both the two and the three for Matt Painter and company.
The Boilermakers are now at 13 scholarships for the 2025-26 season, which is two under the new expanded limit of 15, that will go into effect during that academic year. Purdue will have an additional two scholarships at its disposal, while they await decisions from Tre Singleton and four-star forward Sebastian Williams-Adams.
