Earlier this evening, one of Purdue's top prospects decided he'd like to come to God's Country to play for Painter and Co. He chose Purdue over offers from Illinois, IU, X, Georgia Tech, Minny and Cincy.
AJ Hammons, who comes to Purdue from Carmel via Oak Hill Academy is a large human being. He's a legit 7'0" and has an enormous wingspan and moves well for a guy who is nearly three bills. Some people knock his work ethic, but I really like the fact that he chose to come to a place where he knows he'll have to work to be part of the system...for those of you who have been around a few years, he might remind you a bit of Joe Barry Carroll.
The last 7-foot, back-to-the-basket center I can remember on campus was Mat Ten Dam. The last one that was supposed to be an impact player, I simply can't recall...so this verbal is good news.
Hammons' verbal pushes Matty's '12 class into the top-10, according to EsPN's Dave Telep...and there's still room for one more player who might or might not choose to come to Purdue. If he does, Painter has room for a fifth member of this already talented class...but I don't think we'll know more about that for weeks, if not months.
Until everyone's signed, I think it's best to not get too excited (but we've told you our philosophy on recruiting a few times)...but early signing day is less than one month away (11/9/11).
Here's a short clip of Hammons: