Analysis ($): On Haarms' departure | Day after thoughts

Matt Painter doesn't want to be a hypocrite, doesn't want to lament a valued player leaving his program when he himself has benefited from the graduate transfer wire at Purdue.

"The one thing you can't do as a coach is be open and accepting to people (transferring) and then you're getting a player," said Painter, whose two recruited seniors this past season were both graduate transfers. "... When the shoe's on the other foot, you have to be professional and take it in stride and move on."

That's part of his stance following Monday's news that senior-to-be Matt Haarms would be transferring out upon receiving his Purdue degree, a move that came as a surprise to many, Boilermaker coaches included.

In a farewell letter posted to Instagram Monday, Haarms wrote that transferring from Purdue was the "best decision for his personal journey." As of Tuesday afternoon, he'd not replied to a message seeking further comment, but did tell Rivals.com that he'd like to find an opportunity to "showcase an NBA-ready skillset."

Painter said he spoke to Haarms twice prior to being informed Monday of his plans to transfer, first In-person right after the season, then again over the phone. Monday, Painter said, was the first — and last — discussion about a transfer. Though the NCAA transfer portal allows for players to return to their original school, that is not a possibility in this case, Painter said.

"He simply said he wasn't happy, and he wanted more. He didn't elaborate from that," Painter said. "He just said he wanted more and that he wasn't happy from a personal standpoint and that's his choice. You have the right if you're not happy to go somewhere else. At that point, you don't really want to take it to court. You move on.

"If you're not happy, I don't want people in our program who aren't going to be happy. It just doesn't work that way," Painter said of Haarms, a key player for three seasons who finished the season backing up Trevion Williams and playing 20 or more minutes just once over the season's final 13 games. "I always say that if you want something to be mad about in a team sport, then you have something to be mad about, because everybody has something to be mad about.

"There are just sacrifices that get made in a team sport, and there's also unintended consequences. He had two concussions this year and an injury to his hip and I think that really set him back and he didn't play as well as he did in the past. To his defense, he had those injuries and it affected him."

Painter said, "We wish him nothing but luck."

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A productive and popular player during his three seasons at Purdue, Haarms' departure deducts a great deal of experience from the Boilermakers' projected roster next season, on top of a very good defensive player and a generally productive offensive player when healthy.

Figuring Haarms would be part of the program, Purdue worked into its planned August exhibition trip to Europe a stop in Haarms' native Netherlands, specifically for him to play In his home country.

That trip has now been canceled due to COVID-19, postponed 'til next season, Painter said.

Without Haarms, Purdue goes from arguably having one of the best center tandems in college basketball next season to a window of opportunity now opening — on paper — for sophomore Emmanuel Dowuona and/or incoming freshman Zach Edey, neither of which have played a meaningful minute of college basketball to this point.

Painter does have an open scholarship now for next season to potentially use on the transfer wire, but only for a one-year player as to not affect the 2021 recruiting class.

"We will look," Painter said, "but it's got to be somebody we feel fits and can help us."

That said, Purdue is late to the transfer market.

And the extended recruiting period may severely limit coaches' ability to get to know transfer candidates. There won't be off-campus or on-campus recruiting any time soon, and that's a significant red flag for Painter as he looks at the transfer wire.

"That's a huge challenge for me," Painter said. "Sometimes it's better not signing somebody vs. signing somebody if they're not the right guy."

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