Express: Final Analysis--July BB recruiting period

The July evaluation is (pretty much) over and our trip to Nike's Peach Jam and Under Armour's event down here is over, too.Some final thoughts on all this ...

JADEN IVEY IS A PLAY-ER

Not sure how many different ways I can keep saying it after these events, but never have I have been more certain in so doing than right now, that Purdue recruit Jaden Ivey is legit, as good and complete a guard of any kind that Matt Painter has landed as his alma mater's coach

Ivey had a good spring for his Indy Heat team, but as the competition got better, so did he, and at the Peach Jam, the NCAA Tournament of grassroots basketball — and I'm telling you, that it is different — he was outstanding. He scored with efficiency from all levels, he facilitated, he defended, he rebounded and more than anything else, he just competed.He's a big-time shooter, but he's excellent at breaking people down off the dribble and his knack for navigating traffic and operating in confined spaces is special, and at the Peach Jam especially, he showed a physicality at the basket that complemented his body control and savvy as a finisher.That's all talent.At the Peach Jam, I thought some real intangibles showed up, too, because he played hard, he played smart and he played both ends of the floor.Throughout this grassroots season, Ivey was effective both with the ball in his hands and without it, and the Peach Jam served as reminder of his effectiveness leading a transition offense, using ball screens and facilitating. He's going to be a 2 at Purdue most likely, but he can absolutely be a scoring point guard type, and probably ought to be a guy Purdue puts in different positions to make plays, because he can do a lot of different things.I think Purdue might have gotten a star here, and shout out to Rivals.com for having him ranked accordingly, both as a top-100 player, but also the No. 1 prospect in Indiana, a distinction for which, in my view, there is no close second.

TIME FOR ETHAN MORTON TO THRIVE AGAIN

He may not say it, in so many words at least, so I will, and already have: Grassroots puts fellow Purdue commitment Ethan Morton in position not to fail, but to blend in.

I'm not saying totally disregard his productivity this spring and summer, because productivity should matter no matter what, but just saying to take it in context.Morton is a system guy, I think, and by that I don't mean someone who needs a specific system to thrive, but rather structure, period, and he's a point guard-wired player who didn't have the ball primarily in his hands with New York Renaissance, a loaded team with a couple studs whose triggers might make Carsen Edwards wince. That said, those guys on the Rens are elite talents, and this isn't Pete Carril basketball being played here.It basically cast Morton to the background, the occasional catch-and-shoot guy off the ball in the games I saw. He just wasn't as involved as a player of his accomplishments should be, but unless 20 prominent college basketball programs — and USA Basketball — are wrong, he's a real player.The reality is that Morton chose Purdue in large part because it's the opposite of all this, because it will put him in structure and ask him to do things that he inherently values himself.Purdue's program has been successful with substance, and while substance does come out in AAU-type settings, that doesn't mean it's necessarily featured.

ON HUNTER DICKINSONI just want to make this very clear because I feel like the opening credits are rolling on a movie I've seen before, where we cover the hell out of a recruit, talk about them constantly, and that creates a sense of false security among fans getting their hopes up, and that makes the blast radius in the court of public opinion even wider when that player commits somewhere else.

Purdue has just as good a chance as anyone, in my view, at Hunter Dickinson. That does not mean it is getting him. This is a national recruitment, with some heavy, heavy hitters involved and some really intriguing new entries.Purdue, as it always seems to be, is a great practical choice. Dickinson wants a coach he can trust, a coach with a track record of developing bigs, a program that will feature him, and Purdue checks every box in Sharpie. Throw in friendships with Purdue's two existing commitments, and the fact that Morton is the rare player to lives to share, and that is a hell of a case Purdue can make.But the thing with five-star-type recruits: They can get what they want pretty much anywhere, and the practical choice can take on a lot of different meanings. So I'm just saying: This is far from over. There is a long way to go on one of the best players in the country, and while Purdue has done a great job putting itself in a great spot, great is relative when you're dealing in this kind of thin recruiting air.So, be advised.

THE CLASS OF 2021 SETS UP WELL

Again, Purdue is in on some great players in 2021, and they're players who might have just enough imperfection about them to fly under the Duke-level radar, and even if they don't and they get those kinds of offers, I still think Purdue can get a Caleb Furst or Max Christie or Trey Kaufman. I do think the Chet Holmgren Show is probably moving away from the Boilermakers in a hurry, but the others, Purdue is going to have its say.At the Peach Jam, in Furst, you saw a player who is probably best suited to play the 5, where his skill would stand out. He made a bunch of jumpers. But he's not that 6-10/6-11 physical force around the basket, at least not yet. Remember, he's only a freaking junior, so people looking at him now as what he'll be are assessing him at halftime of his high school career.Max Christie, No. 13 in the country, as Rivals.com has him ranked, seems like a big little number to me, but you can see what he's got. Big time shooter and creator, an excellent passer, with pro height and length for his position. What he is not — yet — is a five-star body and in the two games I saw this week, that wasn't his best day, so maybe had I seen him on another day, I'd be thinking different.But there's no question he'd be a five-star get for Purdue should it land him, because he's an outstanding player, but also an ideal total package — a good student, conscientious guy and terrific human being, I think. I can't claim to know him at all, but that's my well-sourced impression at least.Kaufman might end up the best of the bunch, and his recruitment is just beginning. We'll see where Purdue fits in long-term but as of today, it's in a good spot, thought that part of the state isn't exactly Boilermaker Country, shall we say. Doesn't mean Purdue can't get him, but it's going to be a heated battle.

NEW POSITION

Purdue is in a different spot in recruiting that it's been, in a position now where there are good players out there — to be had, in some cases — that it just doesn't have to offer/take early anymore.I think a good indication early on this year was Jake LaRavia, who's a good player I'm sure Purdue liked who'd have jumped at an offer. Purdue had open scholarships, and in 2008, 2012 or 2016, he might have gotten one.Luke Goode is a Goode example. Most other years, he's a Purdue guy who'd have a Purdue offer already, but with Purdue being in the spot it's in, but also having so few scholarships, it's waiting, with the very real possibility being that it lets a good one get away.The Kiyron Powell ship has probably sailed now. Again, a good player and prospect who at one point would have jumped at an offer, and most years, he'd probably have gotten one.Good position to be in, obviously.