50 Days to B1G Basketball: 2018 4-Star Center Emmanuel Dowuona Commits to Purdue

The Boilermakers added their second 2018 commit late Tuesday with the news that Emmanuel Dowuona had verbally committed to the program.

Dowuona is a four-star center from Miami that is ranked by 247Sports as the 127th best recruit in the 2018 recruiting class and the sixth best center. He had offers from a number of power programs, including Tennessee (who he was supposed to visit this weekend), Connecticut and Miami. Part of the reason for Dowuona’s commitment was likely a timing issue, as Purdue was set to host another center this weekend and only had one spot available for another big man.

Dowuona joins four-star power forward Trevion Williams as the second commit for 2018 and will help the Boilermakers continue to utilize a large frontcourt in the future. Dowuona’s skill set will allow the big man to potentially grow into a true rim protector, potentially reminding fans of what A.J. Hammons did in West Lafayette. He’s a bit raw, but should prove to be a strong addition on the defensive side of the ball while continuing to develop his offensive game.

"It was the time that they spent. They spent a lot of time on me, letting me know how much I mean to them and how important I would be for their team at Purdue,” Dowuona said. “They proved it to me when I went on my visit. I was satisfied with it."

Now with Dowuona and Williams committed to the program, Purdue has a couple of remaining spots for the 2018 class and will likely look at some smaller options in the backcourt. The combination of Dowuona and Williams will give Matt Painter plenty of size in the near future, which is a plus with senior Isaac Haas set to depart after this season.

So far the 2018 recruiting class is off to a promising start for the Boilermakers.