Jahaad Proctor obviously put a great deal of thought and introspection into his final recruitment.
When discussing his decision Friday to finish his college career at Purdue, he spoke about emotion, academic ambition, the personal standard his young daughter demands of him and the “beauty in struggling” that’s come from his goal of maximizing his opportunities in school.
But while this has been a deeply thoughtful time for the newest Boilermaker, Purdue really gave him little to have to think about.
When Proctor committed previously to Iona out of high school, then High Point as a transfer, he did so without taking multiple visits. This time, he aimed to be more thorough.
Alas, Purdue was the graduate transfer’s only visit.
Not wanting to “miss my opportunity” with Purdue, he committed Friday, a few days after officially visiting, and canceled a set visit to Arkansas and plans to perhaps visit some of his other suitors, among them Kansas, Kansas State, Florida and Virginia.
“They seemed very genuine,” Proctor said of Purdue. “Coach (Matt Painter) kept it real and they didn’t promise me anything. He said, ‘You have an opportunity to come in and play, no matter whether it’s coming in and starting and playing 30 (minutes), being sixth man or a rotation guy, whatever it may, the opportunity presents itself.’ They were just very authentic with me, and I could tell that from the jump.”
Proctor said he got that sense from his lead recruiter, assistant coach Brandon Brantley, as well as during his visit when he met with support staff and academic personnel.
“Everyone just seemed very genuine and real, not like the coach went to them and told them to say this,” said Proctor, who'll graduate High Point with a 3.8, then pursue his Master's at Purdue in marketing. “Everyone had their own talk, and it just felt very real to me. I didn’t feel like they were trying to fake me out and bring me there just to fill up scholarships, because I know that happens with grad students sometimes. They want me, they want me to come in and produce and they want me to be myself.”
That was a critical consideration for Proctor, that Purdue wants him to be himself, but it also obviously wants him to be a player.
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With Carsen Edwards and Ryan Cline and their combined 36-plus points per game and 246 made three-pointers from this past season gone, finding immediate help from the graduate-transfer market was Purdue’s foremost priority at season’s end.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound guard — he laughed at listings putting him in the neighborhood of 220 — averaged 19-and-a-half points per game as a junior at High Point. He prides himself on his ability to use his stature to get into offensive comfort zones driving to the basket or dribbling into pull-up jumpers, but says that before anything else, he was a shooter and remains so.
He shot 38 percent from three-point range as a sophomore. As a junior, that number dipped to 31 percent, but he says a season-long shoulder issue held him back. Once it was diagnosed and treated late in the season, the results changed. He shot exactly 50 percent — 26-of-52 — from three-point range in the final eight games of the season, and made nine threes on 17 tries in his final two games for Tubby Smith’s team.
“I’m an older guy and I know there’s not a lot of experience with Ryan and Carsen leaving,” Proctor said. “That leaves a lot on the table. Being an older kid and having played in some big games, as a player who’s had to make big plays at times, I feel as though I can step in and do that. I don’t see that as pressure, because it’s everything I’ve worked for, everything I’ve grinded for, all those late night and early mornings.
“I’ve wanted to play at the highest level and I plan on taking advantage of the opportunity. I’ve always tried to be the best player I can be, and I don’t plan on stopping working to get there. I think I’ve done a good job to put myself in position for this, and now it’s just time to take advantage and make the most of it.”
Stay tuned for more next week on Proctor.
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