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Two big men who offer differing styles of play and two quick guards who can score are what Purdue needed to complete its roster for next season, coach Matt Painter said.
The Boilers got that when forwards Travis Carroll and Donnie Hale and guards Anthony Johnson and Terone Johnson signed national letters of intent Wednesday to play for Purdue.
Rivals.com ranked the class the 16th-best in the nation, and ESPN.com ranked the group at No. 20.
“I think it really solidifies a lot of different needs for us,” Painter said. “I feel good about those four coming in. They’re all a little different.”
Painter called Carroll, a 6-foot-9, 219-pounder from Danville, a throwback inside player, comfortable down low with good post moves and a solid rebounder.
Hale offers a different approach with his 6-8, 210-pound frame with an ability to not only score down low but extend his game beyond the three-point line, Painter said. But Hale also is a defensive presence, averaging 4 blocks to go with 20 points and 10 rebounds for second-ranked New Albany.
Anthony Johnson, a 6-2 guard from Chicago, and 6-2 guard Terone Johnson, from Indianapolis North Central, were four-star recruits by Rivals.com. Terone Johnson (19.4 points, 3.9 assists) was rated the No. 12 point guard in his class and is a candidate for Mr. Basketball this season.
Painter described both guards as scorers who can hit shots from the outside.
Women’s coach Sharon Versyp added Courtney Moses from Sweetser and Indianapolis forward Dee Dee Williams to go with transfers Antionette Howard and Drey Mingo, who already are practicing with the team.
Versyp called the 6-foot Williams the most versatile player she’s ever recruited – and that’s evidenced by Williams’ rankings.
She was the country’s No. 8 shooting guard by Collegiate Girls Basketball Report and the No. 8 forward by All-Star Girls Report.
The Hoosiers had one signing, adding Victor Oladipo.
The 6-foot-4 guard from DeMatha Catholic in Washington, D.C., is ranked No. 133 nationally in the class of 2010, according to Rivals.com, and No. 36 among shooting guards.
“We targeted Victor as a young man that we wanted to pursue as a part of our restoration of the Indiana program,” IU coach Tom Crean said in a statement. “He comes from two great programs in DeMatha Catholic High School and Team Takeover (an AAU team), and has been well-coached and more importantly well-raised. We feel Victor will provide athleticism and skill, but most importantly a toughness and will to compete that enhances our program from the moment he steps on campus.
“He made a name for himself with his ability to defend other elite players in the country and we feel that defensive mindset, along with his ever-improving offensive skills, will help him have a very strong career at Indiana.
“That toughness and will also applies academically, and we feel he will be an asset to IU as well.”
Numerous reports have IU in contention for two top-10 recruits: point guard Josh Selby of Balitmore and small forward Jelan Kendrick of Marietta, Ga. Shelby is ranked No. 4, according to Rivals.com, while Kendrick is No. 8.
Both might wait until the spring to make their decisions.
Will Sheehey, from Sagemont High in Weston, Fla., is also considering Indiana.
The IU women’s team did not announce any signings Wednesday.
The Notre Dame men’s basketball team added three guards on the first day of the early signing period.
Eric Atkins of Mount St. Joseph in Columbia, Md., Alex Dragicevich of Glenbrook North in Northbrook, Ill., and Jerian Grant of DeMatha in Bowie, Md., signed national letters of intent and will enroll in the fall of 2010. And all three could contribute right away.
“You got (guards) Jon Peoples and Tory (Jackson) out the door, and Ben Hansbrough is a senior. The only guard in the program is Joey Brooks,” coach Mike Brey said. “Certainly, those guys will all compete for playing time as freshmen.”
Atkins, who is 6-foot-1, averaged 23.4 points, 6 assists and 3.2 assists as a junior. He likely have the best chance to start next season because he is a true point guard, according to Brey.
Dragicevich is a 6-6 shooting guard who averaged 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a junior. The 6-5 Grant averaged 7.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6 assists as a junior.
The women’s team plans to announce its signees Friday.
Neither the men’s nor women’s teams at IPFW had any signings to report Wednesday. Chris Paul’s women’s team was in the process of completing paperwork on several recruits, however, and is expected to release some signings today.
sclardie@jg.net, lpope@jg.net,
tkrausz@jg.net, bensmith@jg.net
Stacy Clardie, LaMond Pope, Tony Krausz and Ben Smith of The Journal Gazette contributed to this report.
