Keady selects players during
early-signing period
By Purdue Sports Information
Last week Purdue coach Gene Keady announced the
signing of four players to National Letters of Intent during the NCAA's
early-signing period.
The Boilermaker class includes junior college forward
Chris Booker from Tyler, Texas; guard/forward Melvin Buckley from South
Holland, Ill.; forward Matt Kiefer from Evansville, Ind.; and guard
David Teague from Indianapolis.
Bob Gibbons' All-Star Report ranks the Boilermakers'
class in the top 25 in the country and ESPN.com puts Purdue's
class on the waiting list to crack the top 10, meaning they are a top-25
class.
Purdue coach Gene Keady believes this is one of
the better recruiting classes he's signed at Purdue.
"We feel it's a very good class and one of the
better ones that we've ever had here at Purdue," said Keady. "We have
a little bit of everything with this class. We have size and athleticism
and most importantly the kids come from good families that have the
same values that we have here at Purdue."
Forward Chris Booker is a sophomore at Tyler Junior
College in Tyler, Texas, which is where Darmetreis Kilgore attended
the past two years. Booker went to high school at Diamond Hill in Ft.
Worth, Texas.
He averaged 9.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and shot 51
percent from the floor in his freshman season at Tyler. Future Stars
Magazine ranked him as the eighth-best junior college power forward
in the nation.
"We think Chris will be instant help because of
his size and the fact that we are losing John Allison and Rodney Smith
next season. He's gained valuable experience while in junior college,"
said Keady. "He's a big strong kid that will help us around the basket."
Guard Melvin Buckley is a senior at Thornwood High
School in South Holland, Ill. The 6-foot-7 wing player averaged 13.6
points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a junior. He was a teammate
of current Chicago Bulls player Eddy Curry, who was drafted straight
from high school.
Buckley is rated as the 89th best player in nation
by recruiting expert Bob Gibbons and 40th by ESPN. ESPN.com lists
him as the 71st best recruit in the country and the 13th-best small
forward.
"He's a very athletic player with long arms," said
Keady. "We think he can develop into one of the better players in the
nation. He's very mobile for his size and will be a tough matchup for
other teams."
Forward Matt Kiefer is a senior at Mater Dei High
School in Evansville, Ind. He was a second-team all-state selection
as a junior by The Associated Press after averaging 17.6 points,
9.3 rebounds and more than two blocks per game. HoopScoop rated
Kiefer as the 44th-best player in the nation. Gibbons ranks him 71st,
while FutureStars Magazine and TheInsiders scouting service
ranks him 84th.
Kiefer led Mater Dei to the Class 3A state championship
game as a junior.
"Matt's a great student and plays very smart on
the court," said Keady. "He's been very well coached in high school
so he's got the fundamentals down. He has great size and along with
Booker will help our front line next season."
Guard David Teague is enrolled at an academy in
Maine after graduating from Pike High School in Indianapolis, Smith's
alma mater, a year ago.
The 6-foot-5 Teague averaged 15.3 points and 4.7
rebounds as a senior and shot 42 percent from three-point range. He
started every game for the Class 4A State Champion Red Devils during
his senior season.
ESPN.com lists him as the 69th-best recruit
in the country.
"David's one of the biggest guards in the country,"
said Keady. "He's a good 3-point shooter and a very athletic player.
He's a special kid because he went to prep school for a year, even though
he qualified academically, so a scholarship would open here."
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