12/1 Big Ten Morning Power Bar: Unofficial Visits and New Offers Out

Every week, BTPowerhouse’s Big Ten Morning Power Bar details what’s going on across the league on the recruiting trail.

The Big Ten took one on the chin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge this week, but despite the lopsided results, there were a few interesting unofficial visits to some of these big games. Plus we’ll take a look at some new offers extended by Big Ten teams for point guards targets in the 2020 and 2021 classes, respectively.

-Graduate Transfer Target, Evan Boudreaux, Visits Purdue.

The Boilermakers face an impending reload next season as the 2014 class of Isaac Haas, Vincent Edwards, Dakota Mathias and P.J. Thompson all graduate. The 2018 trio of Trevion Williams, Eric Hunter and Emmanuel Dowuona is a solid top 40 class, but Purdue could have at least two open scholarships for next season. As mentioned, Purdue pursued top 70 point guard Tyger Campbell, but he delayed his decision until the spring.

Another need for Matt Painter’s squad is at the four. For more of an immediate impact, the Boilermakers are starting to look at the graduate transfer market.

Evan Boudreaux is a prime target. The 6-foot-8 Dartmouth graduated one year early and is sitting out this season and mulling where to play next. He will have two years of immediate eligibility wherever he decides to play. The scrappy forward nearly averaged a double-double last season with 17.5 points per game and 9.5 rebounds. He also shot 35.2 percent from three. Take a look at some of his highlights below.

It is unclear right now what other schools are reaching out to Boudreaux, but the interest between Boudreaux and the Boilermakers appears strong. The Dartmouth grad saw a great game and raucous atmosphere in Tuesday’s win over Louisville, so this one will need to be watched. Continue to check with BTPowerhouse for updates in Boudreaux’s interest in the Boilermakers.

-Key 2019 Target, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Visits Indiana Again.

Roughly 100 miles south of West Lafayette, Indiana was another raucous atmosphere an important target soaked up during the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The Indiana Hoosiers dropped a tough one to the no. 1 Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday, but, per usual, the crowd was intense and maniacal. An important 2019 target, Trayce Jackson-Davis, was there for his third visit to Bloomington since August.

Jackson-Davis is the son of former NBA player, Dale Davis, and is one of the top targets in the state of Indiana in 2019. He doesn’t have the “‘90s NBA tough guy” persona his father had, but that’s not a knock. Jackson-Davis is a top 50 player who is long, athletic and quickly developing an extended offensive game to complement great defensive potential. Take a look at some of his highlights from this past summer. Video courtesy of Hoosier blog, Inside the Hall.

Given that it was his third visit to Indiana in the past three months, the attraction to Indiana is clear, but his recruitment will be demanding. Jackson-Davis also has offers from Iowa, Purdue, Butler and Xavier according to Rivals. It remains to be seen who else might jump in his recruitment. Still, the Hoosiers remain in great position and figure to be among the finalists for Jackson-Davis when he decides to commit.

-Ohio State and Rutgers Extend Offers To Point Guard Targets.

As college coaches have practiced throughout the years, it is never too early to extend offers to classes that may seem far off. Two Big Ten teams put point guards on their radar for the 2020 and 2021 classes this week.

According to Julius Kim of Elevate Hoops, Rutgers offered 2020 point guard Adrian “Ace” Baldwin out of Maryland this week. According to an October article from Scout, the 6-foot-1 lefty already has offers from Miami (Florida), UConn and Kansas State amongst others. Additional interest has been shown by schools such as Kansas, California, Illinois, Villanova, Providence and UNLV. Some highlights are below, courtesy of HNTV Magazine.

Ohio State extended an offer to 2021 point guard Demetrius Johnson according to his uncle, Sonny Johnson, 1998’s Mr. Basketball in Ohio. The 5-foot-11 freshman already was offered by Louisville, but the status of that offer is unclear with the turmoil in that program. Other offers include Cleveland State, Southeast Missouri State and the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, according to an article from cleveland.com. Take a look at some highlights of Johnson courtesy of cleveland.com.

Johnson’s recruitment is clearly just getting started, but Chris Holtmann’s staff clearly see something in this young point guard. Stay tuned for the twists and turns of his recruitment.