UTEP transfer Mahri Petree "fired up" about new opportunity with Purdue
When Mahri Petree entered the transfer portal in late March, she did so with a "do not contact" tag, meaning she would have to initiate the dialog with schools while on the open market.
It took just one phone call and a trip to West Lafayette to find her next home.
Petree was familiar with Katie Gearlds and Purdue, considering her older sister Lasha was a part of the 2023 NCAA Tournament squad two years ago. The elder Petree was vocal with her younger sister about her experience with the Boilermakers that helped get her to the next level. That preexisting connection made it so it didn't take long for Petree to feel the sense of family in West Lafayette.
"As soon as I met with the coaches. I think my sister's presence there already soften all the relationships. It was just really cool to meet with sisters and to meet with people that know your family a little more closely. Because a lot of times people go to college and their family is across the country and your coaches have met your siblings, maybe once," Petree told Boiler Upload.
The connection was felt immediately upon Petree's arrival for her official visit to campus last week. The long and storied history of the women's basketball program that was once mainstay atop the basketball world stuck out to the UTEP transfer.
"I think as soon as you step on campus, they've got this unique atmosphere of excellence and it's tangible," Petree said. "That's kind of what was sparking my interest was opportunity to taste excellence and hopefully become it."
Along with finding a family atmosphere and a home for her final year of college eligibility, Petree's move to West Lafayette marks a step up in her basketball career, onto the Big Ten stage. A new opportunity in one of the best conferences in college basketball has Petree chomping at the bit to compete.
"The opportunity to play against the best players in the country. I think I'm highly skilled, and my game translates to the Big Ten very well as coach has told me. The competitor in me is very fired up just to hoop and just to see what I can do against those best players in the country," Petree said.
At 6'0", Petree offers a different level of versatility for the Boilermakers in 2024-25. The sixth-year senior can score at all three levels while being able to facilitate and play in the front court if needed.
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After growing up as a point guard, Petree hit a growth spurt in high school that allowed her to make an impact at forward, while keeping her guard skills intact. Last season at UTEP, she averaged 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, while shooting 38% from the field and 34% from three-point range. Petree will provide length and athleticism for Purdue on the wing, while having the ability to handle the basketball or play the four in smaller lineups.
Perhaps Petree's most intriguing trait is her defensive ability, however. The Purdue coaching staff expects their newest addition to be a lockdown defender, guarding multiple positions.
"It's been a thing I've been striving after because you can never master being a defender. I think you can get very good at it, but you can always get better. The coaching staff at Purdue, they want me to come in and guard. They want me to come in and guard multiple positions. I think it's really humbling because I want to prepare myself and be ready to defend. That's the most important thing to me is being able to lock down on the other side of the court. You know, who cares if you score 30 If the other person scores 40," Petree said.
Purdue will be the third and final stop of Petree's career, following stints at UTEP and Bradley over her previous five years at the collegiate level. When she steps foot on campus later this year, she will be the most experienced player on the roster, surrounding by a plethora of young talent returning from last year.
With 118 career games under her belt, Petree views her experience and new opportunity as a platform to serve in a leadership role, taking the young Boilermaker core under her wing. Becoming a leader is something Petree welcomes as she joins Purdue this summer, going hand in hand with what she wants to provide for the program.
"They're a young team and I am not young. I'll be in my sixth year, my final year, so I'm looking to just come in and be myself and exhibit or portray the things that I've learned in the last five years of my college career. Be a leader, be a good role model, just be a good presence for my teammates," Petree said.
"I'm not so much trying to come in and and set a tone from the top. I think it comes from the bottom and just showing what hard work is and being able to demonstrate consistency with that hard work and demonstrating love for the people around me. Being willing to hustle, being willing to sacrifice myself for my teammates. I think that's what makes the best leader and that's the kind of example I want to set, the energy I want to bring to our team," Petree said.
Purdue has added two veteran transfers out of the portal this off-season with Petree joining Stephen F. Austin transfer Destini Lombard in heading for West Lafayette next season.