Jalen Washington's offer from Purdue, which came Thursday at its team camp, surprised him, he said.

"I didn't know they'd do it so early," Washington said, "but at the same time, they'd been showing a lot of interest, so it's not surprising (in that sense)."

The 15-year-old rising sophomore from Gary West Side probably shouldn't be that surprised, though, as he's regarded as one of the better prospects nationally in the Class of 2022 and looks the part of it, a versatile 6-foot-8, 200-pounder with inside-outside ability, athleticism and length.

"It means my hard work is showing up," Washington said of the Purdue offer, and the offer he's also fielded from Indiana, "and that I'm getting closer to achieving my goals."

Kansas is among those who's also shown some early interest.

Though he's young and injuries sidetracked his freshman season at West Side, Purdue's been showing interest in Washington since before he began high school, and Thursday offer was probably more a formality than anything else in that sense.

"I know Coach Painter and Coach Brantley, they're blue-collar guys and they're not going to sugar-coat anything. They want guys who are all about the team and all about winning."

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