2017 Forward Commits To Purdue

The Purdue Boilermakers’ newest addition is 7’2”. He has short blonde hair and good potential. His last name starts with an “H” and two “a”s.

No, Isaac Haas doesn’t have a twin, or clone (that we know of). The new Purdue signee is named Matt Haarms, and he originally hails from the Netherlands.

Haarms weighs in at 225 pounds and is currently playing at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kansas. Haarms is rated a 3-star recruit by Rivals, but since this is his first season in the United States he has not yet been rated by any other recruiting sites. Haarms held offers from Vanderbilt, Washington State, and Colorado before choosing the Boilers.

Despite his incredible height and choice of school, Haarms isn’t like most of the Purdue big men we’ve seen in recent years. Matt plays like a European-style stretch 4 and has range out to the 3-point line and beyond.

This is Purdue’s first commit for the 2017 class, despite making the final cut for a handful of quality players. Expect Purdue to continue recruiting hard for next season as they have many open scholarships. Purdue is expected to try and grab at least one other forward/center and a point guard. Key targets still on their board include Nojel Eastern, Jacob Epperson, and Sterling Manley.

If Isaac Haas remains for his senior season in West Lafayette, expect Haarms to play sparingly and try to add some bulk before becoming a Big Ten starter. If Haas and Caleb Swanigan both jump to the NBA, we might see more of the young Dutchman as a freshman.