Purdue among the many targeting Class of 2020 7-footer
INDIANAPOLIS — A Boilermaker program that's been known to horde 7-footers has its eyes squarely set on another: The Class of 2020's Zach Loveday.
Purdue was the first school to offer the center from Gallia Academy in Gallipolis, Ohio, in the Southeast portion of the state. Matt Painter and his staff offered that scholarship when Loveday was just 15, doing so when he visited for a pre-World University Games practice last August.
"Normally it wouldn't have mattered (who offered me first)," Loveday said at this past weekend's adidas Gauntlet event at Warren Central. "If it had been someone else, it wouldn't matter as much, but it being Purdue, and them being who they are, with their tradition producing big guys who thrive at a high level, that definitely gets my attention, and they'll be in high consideration."
And that reputation has been the crux of Purdue's pitch to Loveday.
"They're a great big man school obviously," Loveday said. "Isaac Haas and Matt Haarms are two of the better big men in the country, probably. They really develop big men. They tell to keep working on what I'm working on, keep getting stronger, keep getting better."
Ranked 68th nationally by Rivals.com in the rising junior class, Loveday's Purdue offer will stand as the first of many.
Ohio State and Xavier (pre-coaching change) have since offered, too, with the Buckeyes maybe being a particularly strong contender in the long run.
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"I do really like them," Loveday said. "Coach (Chris) Holtmann's a great guy and what he did with the program this year, he put them back on the map. They're thriving again. Coach (Ryan) Pedon is really proactive in recruiting me. He calls my coaches all the time. I really like them."
Michigan came to see him this spring, Loveday said, and West Virginia's Bob Huggins has initiated some involvement. Loveday said he'd like to make a second trip to Kentucky and a visit to Indiana, among others, this spring.
Coaches are drawn to Loveday's height — he thinks he might top out at 7-1 — and length, but also his mobility. For a player his size, his quickness allows him to cover a lot of ground and his suddenness off the floor allows him to block or challenge shots he might not be able to otherwise.
"I need to get a lot stronger," Loveday said of his emphasis for this spring.
But also, Loveday looks like a natural shooter with range extending out past the three-point line.
"I've heard them say, 'You're not really a 5. You have the skill set of a stretch 4,' because I can step out and shoot the ball better than what a true 5 can."
It's an uncommon combination, one that promises to make him a very highly recruited player.
"Right now, my window is wide open, and I'm not really trying to collect offers," Loveday said, "but I'm trying to take in as much as I can mentally so I can find something that I want to do and find colleges that suit me best. Then when it comes time to narrow things down, I know who might fit my best interests."
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