His season was as disappointing for him as IU's was. He is low hanging fruit. IU needs to target a level above with a higher ceiling.
Conner Essegian enters portal,
- Thread starter bleedin'red
- Start date
Isn't Essegian about as far away from a Woody type player as you can be?
We're not immune to it, but Purdue is not or will not be a portal school for as long as it doesn't have to be.
For now, Purdue continues to recruit guys who have been willing to sacrifice starting and playing minutes for the good of the team. We'll have some transfers out, and we need one more for this year to take our full 6 for the incoming recruiting class. My guess is Painter knows who that transfer already is or has a strong suspicion of who it is.
We may get two transfers out, but I don't think we'd fill that vacancy with Essagian. He's a Loyer-lite, and we already have plenty of guards right now who can shoot. If it happens I'd likely take a 4-man in the portal as that is probably where we are the thinnest next year. TKR will move to the 5 and Gillis is gone.
I saw Essegian play in high school , and his shot was so good that he made it seem effortless. I talked to his old high school coach this year , and I asked him if IU ever contacted him . He said they did , but by that time he had already committed to Wisconsin, and that he felt he should honor his commitment at that time . He also said Dane was his contact person at IU. I talked to Conner a few times , and he is a class kid . He was always yes sir , and no sir . If IU could get him they should go all in , as anyone who has seen us play knows we need some shooters . We have open ships , and need shooters , so this should be a no brainer .
We'll see...
Lots of big schools with new coaches and a TON of NIL money.
Also, I sense there will be a huge shift away from relying on high level HS kids. So even schools like UK, Duke, Kansas...could be shopping for quality upperclassmen via the portal.
And when those schools reach out, even guys like Smith and/or TKR will take their call and listen.
He would dominate--the dude has unlimited ability to stand in the corner like a statue.
Supposedly, Gonzaga made a run at Smith last year and was rebuffed.
If either Smith or TKR leaves, I'd be stunned. I think you're projecting some hope-ism here.
I know Gillis still has a year if he wants to use it. Has he said that he’s done?
Painter actually said point blank just a few days ago that he's not bringing in anyone from the portal.
I said UK, Duke, or Kansas...not Gonzaga. Zags are probably in Purdue's range NIL wise, maybe a little bigger bag, but not a lot bigger.
I wouldn't bet on Smith leaving, or really any particular guy on their roster. I would, however, bet that they will have defections.
Michigan is a good call, I think. 3 hours from his home and coached by a Hoosier.
Probably a good fit, if he doesn't come to IU.
It doesn't hurt the women's FT or 3 pt shooting
You're probably right. But frankly those are the guys I wouldn’t want.
He's done at Purdue. Sadly. He went through Senior Day.
My guess is he is likely done with basketball as the injuries on his back have taken a toll. But if basketball is still in his future I'll be cheering for him.
Ehhh. you're reaching man.
If TKR was going to transfer, he would have done it in the last 2 years he's been sitting behind Edey.
He's a top 50 recruit who was willing to redshirt behind Trevion and Edey in his first year, and then he has been willing to play behind Edey for 2 years. Why would he leave when he's destined to be the focal point on our front line now? He's earned it, and Purdue will pay well for it.
Smith was shunned by all P5 programs except Purdue. Purdue brought him in, and he's going to go down as a legend there. He is already setting season records as a sophomore and will likely obliterate program career records before he is done.
Believe it or not, some players want to play for more than money. They both will continue to get that, but I doubt any program can lure either away -- I don't even think they will entertain it.
Of course I'm reaching...
Just saying with the right offer, from one of the actual big boys... You never know.
And I have a feeling some of the actual big boys are going to be throwing out BAGS of money to make their rosters older and better.
I’m with you right now. He would be a role player at best. Maybe sign him later. But we need some dawgs who can shoot and scrap on both ends of the court. Essigian is not a big difference maker. Those guys scratching and clawing in the Houston - Texas A&M game are what we need. And there will be a number of guys like that in the portal.
Well...that's easy to answer. We didn't have many attempts, because we had no one that could really hit them consistently. If we actually recruit and land a portal transfer that can shoot, he'll get plenty of PT. Lord knows, we went after a bunch of them in last year's portal window, and struck out on all of them. I guess we'll see if our batting average is higher this time around. Sucking ass this past season doesn't help.
Yea but we’ll end up with Durr Sparks, Stewart or Walker type players..
Players will stay as long as they're winning big. You may see a different situation next year.
You never know when a player will jump to get paid. Maybe TKR prefers the PU family and is willing to accept small NIL to stay. Or maybe he wants the money. Never hurts to offer, I like the kid.
Maybe. The ride won't last forever, and we'll have a down year at some point. But next year, we should still be decent.
Rotation Players
Smith (Jr.)
Loyer (Jr.)
Colvin (So.)
Heide (RS So.)
TKR (RS Jr.)
--
Berg (Rs So.)
Furst (Sr.) -- I want to see what he does this offseason. I hope he sticks it out, but he is prepping for med school.
Catchings (Fr) -- Stud. He won't be at Purdue for more than two years, but it could only be one.
Harris (Fr) -- Legacy, and he is known to be a baller with excellent defensive instincts.
Waddell (RS Jr.) -- I want to see what he does this offseason. He is a legacy player, but he is currently buried in the lineup.
Cox (Fr) --- I will be interested to see if he can find the floor next year, but expecting a lot from him over 4 years.
Jacobson (Fr) -- Likely redshirt, but who knows if he wants to do that or not.
Burgess (Fr) -- same as Jacobson
Benter (Fr) is most likely to redshirt and is already on record as being fine with that.
Catchings is likely a 1 or 2 (max) and done. Harris should be a solid 4-year guy. Cox and Jacobson are probably the next two we have the highest hopes for, and then Burgess and Benter will be watching for development.
That six-man class is a lot, with one likely to go pro early. I wouldn't be shocked to see one more of those eventually transfer out, but we'll see how it plays out.
In the meantime, we'll be extremely young next year with only Furst projected as a Senior. So it will be a reload year and 2025-2026 is the target for our next deep run.
Vous devriez probablement gagner votre prochain match avant de parler de votre « prochaine course en profondeur ».....
La vie sans Edey sera un véritable réveil pour vous l’année prochaine. Je doute que Smith connaisse un jour une année comme celle-ci, où les équipes ne le laissent pas disponible pour aider. Je sais que vous n'êtes pas d'accord avec cela, mais il n'a pas connu un match exceptionnel contre Utah State jusqu'à ce qu'ils perdent leurs deux gros joueurs à cause de fautes. Il a réduit ses chiffres d'affaires par rapport à sa première année, mais il a toujours cette tendance. Ne vous méprenez pas – c’est un bon gardien lorsqu’il est ouvert et il est doué pour alimenter le poste – mais qui ne l’est pas quand vous avez 7'4" sur qui vous le jetez ?
I have a feeling life without Edey is going to be a difficult adjustment for you guys.
I doubt Smith has another year like this one. He susceptible to turnovers - not good in a point guard. Don't get me wrong, he's a good guard, but one made better by being left wide open when the defense is dropping off to help inside. He feeds the post well, but who can't, with a 7'4" target?
And don't you have to win another couple games before talking about your 'next deep run'?
You're right that results always trump opinions. We won't know about next year until next year happens.
But Smith will leave Purdue as its all-time assist leader, putting him above the "good guard" category in most people's books. He'll still be an elite point guard without Edey; he'll get his chance to prove it next year.
I’d be surprised if a single person read that post. All I saw was blah blah blah.
Dammit, I thought i had fixed that. My keyboard is super sensitive and sometimes I hit something and that happens. There's usually a translate button for the entire page and I can manage that, but this was just on that one post. Weird.
Looks sophisticated, though, right?
His decline was due to the emergence of John Blackwell, freshman shooting guard. Blackwell is a much better overall player than Essegian. He was also a good 3 pt shooter at a 45.5% clip. Essegian basically got recruited over.
