PURDUE WOMENS BASKETBALL RECRUITING:
Cooks set to announce November 15th


Published: 10/17/2016
Author: Bob_Richards
© Old Gold Free Press Columnists

Cooks visits, Purdue waits

Class of 2017 forward Sidney Cooks visited the Purdue campus for her official visit this weekend, her fourth of five officials. Her final official will be in two weeks to Wisconsin on October 29th. She plans to make her announcement at a press conference at Kenosha St. Joseph on Novermber 15th. The early signing period runs from November 9-16.

The last visit will be to home-state program Wisconsin, and new head coach Jonathan Tsipis. Tsipis has been spending quite a bit of time trying to keep Wisconsin elite players home, specifically Kenosha's Cooks and Madison's Estella Moschkau. Moschkau chose Stanford last week, a program she has made little secret she coveted for a while now. Cooks is his final hope to make a splash in 2017. He'll try to do it on a weekend with a prime time nationally televised football matchup against Nebraska, with both teams likely still ranked in the top ten at kickoff. While the Tsipis women's basketball program is still more of an unknown at this point, as least as far as official visit football atmosphere goes, advantage Wisconsin on Halloween weekend.

This weekend, Versyp also brought to campus Purdue's two 2017 commits, 6'2 post Dani Lawson and 6'0 wing Tamara Farquhar, as well as Farquhar's teammate from Quebec, Leony Boudreau.

For a great shot of Cooks in a Purdue uniform from this weekend, click the link below.

READ MORE: Instagram

Newest name: Leony Boudreau

As the recruiting board reduces to just a few known 2017 possibilities, it is nice to see a new name in the mix. One new name is Leony Budreau, a 5'9 guard from Ste-Julie, Quebec. Boudreau, a teammate of Purdue commit Tamara Farquhar, has also visited Delaware, Hofstra and Akron.

Farquhar and Boudreau were on the same travel team, and the below scouting report was from the USJN Championships in Washington, DC this summer.

"With Tamara Farquhar on her team, right off the bat it was more than apparent that Boudreau was not the most athletic player in DC. That being said, she is a sure handed combo guard that is able to do a lot of the little things that one would expect a skilled Guard can do. With some pretty decent length, Boudreau proved throughout the event that she not only knows how to pick her spots with how and when to score, from inside or out, but that she knows just what it takes make others around her better. There is likely to be several schools in need of a similar skill set that will be inquiring of her services when the freeze is over, as they look for a smart Guard, that knows how to put her team first, in of the Class of 2017." -- Michael Henry, Crown Scouting

I think the 'athletic' comment is more in relation to her comparison beside Farquhar, not some dig on her endurance or ability to move. Farquhar came away from this tournament with the label of being one of the most athletic players in the competition. Boudreau was named a pool all-star at this same event.

In another take from the same tournament, Bret McCormick from All Star Girls Report said, "Leony Boudreau 5-9 2019 tough heady PG with skills. Plays aggressively & plays hard. Marginal high to major PG."

Below is a link to her scouting video. She is no. 10 in blue. The video lists her as 5'10 with a 4.0 gpa. You can also see flashes of Farquhar (no. 7) in some of the action.

SEE MORE: Scouting video: Leony Boudreau

Tai-yanna Jackson back in Indiana

One of the promising young prospects from Indiana's freshman class last year was 6'5 center Tai-yanna Jackson of East Chicago. She averaged 10.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, and five blocked shots, and further increased her stock during the summer. It was a surprise to many when she, and fellow East Chicago teammate Precious Browning, announced they were both transferring to a Florida Prep school at the beginning of September. All that changed again this week, when news came that Jackson had returned to East Chicago. East Chicago is currently talking with the IHSAA regarding any effects on Jackson's eligibility.

This and That

Several Purdue targets chose other programs over the past week, including Kiana Williams and Estella Moschkau to Stanford, Hailey Brown to Michigan, Eleah Parker to Penn, and Channise Lewis to Illinois ... 5'5 point guard Makira Cook (2020, OH) visited Purdue unofficially in August ... shooter Cassidy Hardin (2018, IN) has reduced her list to Purdue, Michigan State, and Vanderbilt ... Rhyne Howard (2018, TN) made an unofficial visit to Vanderbilt ... 5'8 guard Victoria Oglesby (2018, GA) has also reopened her recruitment after originally picking Dayton ... Victaria Saxton (2018, GA), Rhyne Howard (2018, TN), Grace Berger (2018, KY), Amy Dilk (2018, IN), and Morgan Jones (2018-GA) all visited Kentucky this weekend ... point guard Anaya Peoples (2019, IL) and forward Samantha Brunelle (2019, VA) visited UCONN this weekend ... center Grace Cumming (2019, IA) and 5'9 point guard Zoe Young (2019, IA) visited Iowa State this weekend.