Matt Painter: Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team adding freshman to roster

Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team adding freshman to their roster

Purdue's Matt Painter adds another piece to his team

Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball coach Matt Painter announced today that the team has added another piece to their roster. The Boilermakers have added freshman guard Braden Smith. Smith is a local product, playing his high school basketball at West Lafayette High School.

Smith is a 6'2 guard who averaged 18.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game his senior season. He shot 44.6% from the field, 36.7% from three-point range, and 80.4% from the free-throw line.

Smith was named the Sagamore Conference Player of the Year and was also named to the Indiana All-State team. He is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports and is ranked as the No. 210 player in the class of 2023.

"Braden is a talented young player who we think can come in and make an immediate impact on our team," Painter said. "He can score, rebound, and pass the ball. We believe he has the potential to be a very good player in the Big Ten.”

The Boilermakers are coming off a season in which they finished 29-8 and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Painter has been successful in recruiting in-state players

The Boilermakers have been successful in recruiting in-state players in recent years. In addition to Smith, the Boilermakers have also added Trey Kaufman-Renn and Caleb Swanigan in recent years.

Kaufman-Renn was a McDonald's All-American and was ranked as the No. 1 player in the state of Indiana in the class of 2021. He averaged 20.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game as a senior.

Swanigan was a consensus five-star recruit and was ranked as the No. 1 player in the country in the class of 2015. He averaged 17.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game as a senior.

The Boilermakers are hoping that Smith can make a similar impact to the program as Kaufman-Renn and Swanigan. Smith is a talented player who has a chance to be a star at Purdue.