Education Remains Key Piece of Purdue Basketball's Recruiting Puzzle

In today's era of college athletics, selling an education to a high school recruit may not be as important as it was a decade ago. But that remains part of the pitch for Purdue coach Matt Painter, and he's not planning to veer away from his approach anytime soon.

Painter has repeatedly stressed the importance of a quality post-secondary education throughout his career. Some might think he's falling behind — with NIL taking over as the primary discussion in college athletics — but the longtime leader of the Boilermakers continues to bring quality recruits to West Lafayette.

Speaking on the College Hoops Today with Jon Rothstein podcast, Painter said that pitching a quality education at Purdue is still a primary piece of his recruiting puzzle.

"Education has been a big piece for us," Painter said. "So, if education is not in the flow, then we're probably not your school."

It almost seems like a foreign concept now, doesn't it? All the headlines pertaining to recruiting typically involve an NIL deal. But Painter's honesty when talking to high school prospects has helped Purdue in terms of retention.

Since 2020, only seven total players have left Purdue's program and entered the transfer portal, PER 247Sports. Of that group, five remained in West Lafayette for at least four seasons before exploring their options.

There aren't any one-and-done prospects — at least in terms of the transfer portal — committing to Purdue's program. It allows the Boilermakers to jell over time and put more experienced teams on the court.

Maybe it's old school of Painter, but it's working.

Purdue has won four Big Ten regular season championships and one Big Ten Tournament title in the last eight seasons. It has appeared in every NCAA Tournament since 2015 (except 2020, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). This past season, the Boilermakers reached the National Champonship Game.

Everyone talks about changing with the times when it comes to recruiting. Obviously, Purdue has made some alterations to its program with the new rules that have overtaken college athletics.

But Painter isn't backing down on his stance regarding Purdue's education. Based on the results, he doesn't need to change his approach.