Purdue Guard Nojel Eastern Enters Transfer Portal

Purdue guard Nojel Eastern has entered the transfer portal, entering his name shortly after the end of Purdue’s spring semester. Eastern joins fellow junior Matt Haarms as the second player to leave the program before their senior season.

Per Gold and Black Nojel Eastern isn’t listed as a graduate transfer so it looks like he’ll have to sit out a season before finishing his last season of eligibility.

Eastern had a rough season last year averaging 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, both a drop from the 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game he had as a sophomore. The 6’7” guard struggled shooting the ball, shooting 42% from the field, 48.5% from the free throw line and missing all three of this three point attempts.

While Eastern was limited on the offensive side of the ball, he was hands down one of Purdue’s best players on the defensive side of the ball. In two of his three seasons as a Boilermaker Eastern was a Big Ten All-Defense team selection and was key for Purdue in a number of big wins.

The transfer currently leaves Purdue with zero seniors on the roster for 2020-21, making it all but certain that Matt Painter will hit the market for one or two grad transfers to add some depth. Eastern might not be a big loss on the offensive side of the ball, but the loss of Eastern will definitely weaken Purdue’s stout defense.