Ranking Recruiting Classes for 20 Years Under Coach Matt Painter

If you go strictly by the recruiting rankings, it seems impossible that in Matt Painter’s 20 seasons as Purdue men’s basketball head coach that the Boilermakers have five regular season Big Ten championships, two Big Ten tournament titles and a trip to the NCAA championship game during his tenure.

Only once has Painter recruited a top-ranked class.

This year’s Purdue squad is currently featuring a starting lineup of two Indiana Mr. Basketball winners, two Mr. Basketball runners-up and the 266^th-best player (C.J. Cox) in the 2024 recruiting rankings provided by 247 Sports. Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn, the runner-up to Furst for Mr. Basketball in 2021, are the second and third highest ranked recruits in the Painter era behind the late Caleb Swanigan.

Fletcher Loyer was also a four-star recruit in 2022, but the player who beat him out for Mr. Basketball, Braden Smith, was rated 198^th overall and just the ninth-best player in Indiana. Smith’s suitors included Belmont, Toledo, Montana and Appalachian State, so it wasn’t just the recruiting experts who poorly evaluated the junior point guard.

When taking on the task of rating Painter’s best recruiting classes, I focused more on results and less on the players’ recruiting ranking. The first three classes on the list were easy, as you will see below.

2020: Zach Edey, Jaden Ivey, Ethan Morton

The so-called experts aren’t always right and here’s a prime example. This class was ranked 37^th in the nation by 247 Sports, with Edey coming in at 436^th overall. Two national player of the year awards later, it’s obvious there were not 435 recruits better than the 7-4 Edey who is now starting in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Like Edey, Ivey was an NBA Lottery pick after spending two seasons at Purdue. Ivey, who was ranked the nation’s 99^th best player, was on his way to a breakout season with the Detroit Pistons when his 2024-25 season was ended by a freak broken leg. Ivey was averaging a career-high 17.6 points and shooting nearly 41 percent from 3-point range.

Morton came to Purdue as Pennsylvania’s Mr. Basketball. He started 29 games as a junior before losing playing time to Lance Jones last season. Morton is playing his fifth season at Colorado State in 2024-25 thanks to the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA during the COVID epidemic.

2007: E’Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson, Robbie Hummel, Scott Martin, Nemenja Calasan, Chris Reid

The No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the nation according to 247 Sports not only brought in three of the best Boilermakers in the Painter era but placed him on the path to possibly surpass Hall of Famer Gene Keady as the winningest coach in school history.

If not for two ACL injuries suffered by Hummel, it’s possible that Purdue’s Final Four drought would have ended well before 2024. JaJuan Johnson literally grew from a 6-10, 195-pound string bean into the 2011 Big Ten Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American center. E’Twaun Moore became one of three Big Ten players at the time with 2,000 points (2,136), 500 (611) rebounds and 400 assists.

Robbie Hummel’s knees are one of Purdue athletics’ greatest “what if” stories. But when the 6-8 Hummel was on the court, his skills as a shooter and rebounder were so game-changing that Painter is still looking for a similar player 15 years after his final game.

Martin transferred to Notre Dame after his freshman season, and Reid was a seldom-used 6-9 junior college transfer. The 6-9 Calasan, however, started 25 games in two seasons after transferring from Midland (Texas) College.

2014: Isaac Haas, Vincent Edwards, Dakota Mathias, P.J. Thompson, Jacquil Taylor, Jon Octeus (transfer from Colorado State)

Ranked only 33^rd by 247 Sports, this group reversed a downward slide for Purdue following the Hummel-Johnson-Moore class. They came in after the worst season in recent Purdue memory, last in the Big Ten and a 15-17 overall record.

Octeus stepped into the starting lineup immediately, while Haas and Edwards were contributors as freshmen as Purdue rebounded to a 21-13 record and a tie for third place in the Big Ten.

Haas, Edwards and Mathias became 1,000-point career scorers while helping Purdue win the 2017 Big Ten title and coming within a rebound against Ohio State of winning the league again in 2018.

The injury curse struck Purdue again in the 2018 NCAA Tournament when Haas suffered a broken elbow in the opener against Cal State Fullerton. With the 7-2 center, Painter might have reached his first Elite Eight one year earlier.

2015: Caleb Swanigan, Ryan Cline, Grant Weatherford, Johnny Hill (transfer from Texas-Arlington)

Swanigan, Purdue’s first Indiana Mr. Basketball winner since Glenn Robinson in 1991 and a McDonald’s All-American, lived up to expectations as the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2017 and a unanimous first-team All-American.

Cline, the runner-up to Swanigan for Mr. Basketball, was one of the heroes of Purdue’s Elite Eight run in 2019. Only teammate Carsen Edwards made more 3-pointers in the Big Ten than Cline’s 111 as a senior.

Hill started 11 games as a graduate transfer. Weatherford left for Georgia Southern after his freshman season.

2016: Carsen Edwards, Spike Albrecht (graduate transfer, Michigan)

As a sophomore, Edwards became Purdue’s first winner of the Jerry West Award as the nation’s top shooting guard. Not bad for a player ranked 139^th in his senior class.

The following season, Edwards had an NCAA Tournament to remember, making a tournament record 28 3-pointers in just four games.

Albrecht was a scoring threat off the bench, but a lingering back injury limited his playing time.

2022: Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Camden Heide, Will Berg, David Jenkins Jr. (graduate transfer, Utah)

Another recruiting class that rose above its national ranking (45^th by 247 Sports). Smith has been playing at an All-American level for two seasons. The former Westfield star earned his first Big Ten Player of the Week honor on Monday after averaging 25 points and 9.7 assists in victories against Toledo, Minnesota and Northwestern.

Smith is the first Big Ten player to surpass 1,000 points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds during his first three seasons. Smith already ranks second in Purdue history for assists (574) and has a chance to top Bruce Parkinson’s nearly 50-year-old mark by season’s end.

Loyer is expected to reach 1,000 career points Thursday night at Rutgers. He is shooting better than 48 percent from 3-point range this season after sinking 44.4 percent as a sophomore.

Heide was a key reserve as a redshirt freshman on Purdue’s national runner-up squad in 2024 and has made eight starts this season. The 7-2 Berg has made three starts and is currently backing up Trey Kaufman-Renn and Caleb Furst. Jenkins was a reserve guard who averaged 3.9 points in his only season at Purdue.

2021: Trey Kaufman-Renn, Caleb Furst, Brian Waddell

Kaufman-Renn is a first-team All-Big Ten contender in his second season in the Purdue starting lineup. The 6-9 forward/center is averaging 17.8 points and 6.3 rebounds through 15 games.

Furst started 12 games as a freshman, filling in for Mason Gillis. A highlight from Furst’s sophomore season came against Duke in the Phil Knight Legacy final when he put up 11 points and 10 rebounds. The emergence of Zach Edey and Kaufman-Renn limited Furst’s playing time as a junior, but the 6-10 senior has seen more playing time recently to shore up Purdue’s rebounding issues.

A torn ACL before his freshman season slowed Waddell’s progress to just 31 games during the past two seasons.

2006: Keaton Grant, Chris Kramer, Dan Vandervieren, Jonathan Uchendu

Kramer was a two-time winner of the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award (2008, 2010). Grant was a four-year starting guard and still ranks among Purdue’s all-time 3-point shooters.

Vandervieren, a 6-10 center, transferred to Colorado State after his freshman season. Uchendu left Purdue after his freshman season and was killed in a hit-and-run incident in his home state of Arkansas in 2009.

2012: A.J. Hammons, Rapheal Davis, Ronnie Johnson, Jay Simpson, Stephen Toyra

The 7-foot Hammons, Davis and Johnson were top 100 recruits in a class ranked 15^th by 247 Sports. Johnson transferred to Houston after Purdue’s last place finish during his sophomore season, but Hammons and Davis played critical roles in Purdue’s basketball rebirth.

Hammons was first-team All-Big Ten as a senior and was selected Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Davis, who committed to Purdue as a high school freshman, was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2015.

Simpson’s basketball career ended during his redshirt freshman season due to a heart condition. Toyra came to Purdue as a walk-on from Faith Christian High School in Lafayette.

2008: Lewis Jackson, Ryne Smith, John Hart

Until Braden Smith, Jackson was the best point guard of the Painter era. Jackson’s speed and passing skills made him a perfect complement to Hummel, Johnson and Moore.

Smith was a prolific 3-point shooter, making nearly 41 percent for his career. Hart, a reserve guard, is best remembered for scoring 14 points in 18 minutes to rally Purdue to victory at Illinois in 2010.

2017: Nojel Eastern, Sasha Stefanovic, Matt Haarms, Aaron Wheeler, Eden Ewing

Eastern, a four-star guard and headliner of the 32^nd ranked class, was a standout defensive player and a starter on the 2019 Elite Eight squad. He left Purdue after his junior season and never played another college basketball game.

Stefanovic, the lowest rated recruit in the class at 381^st, started 80 games and left Purdue ranked seventh with 226 career 3-pointers. The 7-2 Haarms, ranked 367^th out of Sunrise Christian in Wichita, Kan., via Amsterdam, will be best remembered for his game-winning shot at Indiana in 2019.

Wheeler, once compared by ESPN analyst Dan Dakich to Kevin Durant, never harnessed his athletic ability and played his senior season at St. John’s. Ewing, a transfer from Tyler (Texas) Junior College, was dismissed from the team after playing six games.

2018: Trevion Williams, Eric Hunter, Emmanuel Dowuona, Evan Boudreaux (graduate transfer, Dartmouth)

The 6-9 Williams earned honorable mention All-America honors in 2021. Making way for Zach Edey in 2022, Williams was voted the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year.

Hunter was a three-year starting guard, exceeding expectations for the class ranked 49^th. Dowuona transferred to Tennessee State in 2021. The 6-8 Boudreaux played two seasons with 16 starts and averaged just over five points as a Boilermaker.

2019: Mason Gillis, Brandon Newman, Isaiah Thompson, Jahaad Proctor (graduate transfer, High Point)

Despite a serious knee injury that kept him off the court at New Castle and Purdue for two seasons, Gillis started 63 games before becoming the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2024. Gillis owns the Mackey Arena record with nine 3-pointers in a 2023 game against Penn State. He shot nearly 47 percent behind the arc as a senior.

Brandon Newman was seen as the leading player for the 55^th-ranked recruiting class, coming off a runner-up finish for Indiana Mr. Basketball. The 6-4 Newman started 23 games his junior season but followed assistant coach Steve Lutz to Western Kentucky for his senior season. Newman then accompanied Lutz to Oklahoma State for his COVID season and scored his 1,000^th collegiate point Tuesday night.

Thompson played three seasons for the Boilermakers and two at Florida Gulf Coast. He joined his brother, P.J., on the Purdue coaching staff this season as a graduate assistant.

Proctor averaged nine points a game in his lone season.

2010: Terone Johnson, Travis Carroll, Anthony Johnson

Much was expected from this trio, but only Terone Johnson became a regular. Terone scored 1,318 points as a two-year starting guard.

Carroll was a backup center to A.J. Hammons, and Anthony Johnson transferred after two seasons.

2013: Kendall Stephens, Bryson Scott, Basil Smotherman

None of the 29^th-ranked recruiting class finished their careers at Purdue. Stephens was a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman team but played his senior season at Nevada. Scott left after two seasons for Purdue Fort Wayne, and Smotherman departed midway during his junior season.

2009: Sandi Marcius, Patrick Bade, Kelsey Barlow, D.J. Byrd

The 40^th-ranked recruiting class had one of the best athletes to suit up for Painter (Barlow) and an effective 3-point shooter (Byrd). But none could fill the void left behind by Hummel, Johnson and Moore. Byrd was the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2012 and made 195 3-pointers.

2005: Tarrance Crump, Marcus Green, Chris Lutz, Korey Spates, Nate Minnoy

Painter’s first recruiting class had moments, but Green was the only four-year player in the group. Crump, a junior college transfer, hit the game-winning shot in a 61-59 victory against No. 25 Virginia in the 2006 ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Mackey Arena. Lutz led the Big Ten in 2007 with 47.2 percent shooting from 3-point range.

2011: Jacob Lawson, Donnie Hale

The experts got this class ranking (91^st) right. The athletic Lawson left after two seasons for Appalachian State. Hale departed Purdue after his redshirt freshman season to be closer to his New Albany home at Bellarmine.

To be determined

2023: Myles Colvin, Lance Jones (graduate transfer from Southern Illinois)

2024: Daniel Jacobsen, Gicarri Harris, Raleigh Burgess, C.J. Cox, Jack Benter

Kenny Thompson is the former sports editor for the Lafayette Journal & Courier and an award-winning journalist. He has covered Purdue athletics for many years.