Purdue Basketball: Matt Painter opens up about transfers Haarms, Eastern
On Matt Haarms
Painter acknowledged that injuries played a part in Haarms’ loss of his starting role, but he said the competition Haarms will face at BYU is no better than the Big Ten.
The center position worked out for Swanigan and other ex-Boilermakers A.J. Hammons, Carl Landry, JaJuan Johnson and Isaac Haas, Painter noted. Each of those players has spent time in the NBA or the G-League.
“I was really looking forward to (Haarms) coming back and embracing (the competition),” Painter said. “‘Hey, I had two concussions, I was hurt.’ Let’s fight here. Because that’s what you do.”
“Did he work hard in practice? Sure,” Painter said. “Did he work hard in games? Sure. Was he a good player for us? Yes. But if you take him and rank him against those guys I just mentioned, where would you rank him? And so Trevion Williams beat him out, and if he wants to move on, then that’s his choice. He got his degree from here.”
Haarms chose BYU over Texas Tech and Kentucky. He’s immediately eligible to play.
On Nojel Eastern
Painter said Eastern’s transfer caught him by surprise, but that he had a hunch it was bad news when the guard sent him a text out of the blue.
“It’s like the kiss of death,” Painter said. “You get that text. ‘Hey coach, you got a minute tomorrow to talk?’ I’m like, “Oh, he’s leaving.’”
Eastern committed to Michigan on Thursday, just one day after Painter’s interview. But Painter said the departure doesn’t spell doom for his program.
“We probably got better,” he said. “Because if you don’t want to be here and you don’t want to embrace competition, then the door swings both ways.”
Painter compared Eastern to Edwards and a number of other Purdue guards that he said took major strides between seasons, including former sharpshooter Ryan Cline, who chimed in on Twitter with high praise for Painter’s coaching style.
“If you look at them, you say, ‘Well, all those guys improved, and then you didn’t improve,” Painter said. “He made a really good jump — Nojel — from his freshman to his sophomore year, and then he took a step back this year.”
“The other guys got better,” he continued. “The other guys improved. But the other guys also stayed and fought through adversity. Now you walk out the door after you put your name in the draft twice, when you averaged 4 points.”
Painter said he feels bad because Purdue will move on, and Eastern will miss out on all the perks the university has offered Painter since his own playing days years ago.
“When you walk out the door, and you turn your back, you’re not thinking clearly in terms of the big picture of your life and what Purdue can do for you,” he said.