Purdue landed a big basketball commitment, according to multiple reports.

A.J. Hammons, a 7-foot center from Carmel who attends Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, orally committed to Purdue late Thursday night.

"He is a heck of a player. It came down to Purdue, Minnesota and Cincinnati," Jared Quarles, Hammons' AAU coach for the Speice Indy Heat, told the West Lafayette Journal and Courier.

Hammons is rated a four-star recruit by ESPN and is the 78th player in its top 100. He is rated a three-star recruit and the No. 123 player in the nation by Rivals.com.

Hammons joins Purdue's 2012 recruiting class that includes wing Rapheal Davis, a former South Side standout who transferred to La Lumiere in LaPorte, as well as forward Jay Simpson and guard Ronnie Johnson.

Davis is rated a three-start player by Rivals.com, and Simpson and Johnson are four-star recruits, according to the website.

Purdue is also pursuing Hamilton Southeastern shooting guard Gary Harris, who is also considering offers from Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan State, according to reports.

The Boilermakers' recruiting class is drawing comparisons to coach Matt Painter's haul when he brought in Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson, and E'Twaun Moore.