3-Star 2022 Point Guard Braden Smith Commits to Purdue

Purdue picked up another in-state commit last week when Indiana native Braden Smith announced that he was committing to Purdue.

The 5’10” point guard is a three-star prospect from the 2022 recruiting class and had offers from a number of other mid-major programs including Toledo and Appalachian State. Smith joins Fletcher Loyer, a four star guard from Fort Wayne, in Purdue’s 2022 recruiting class. Loyer committed to the program back in November.

While Purdue was the first major conference program to offer Smith, the guard had been gaining interest from other sizable programs including Gonzaga, Oregon and Indiana. As a junior Smith averaged 22 points, 6.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 45% from three.

“I just felt like it was the right time and place to do it,” Smith told the Indy Star. That comes as no surprise as there had been chatter that Smith was waiting for Purdue to offer, with the guard immediately committing once said offer was made.

He’s been a bit under the radar, with Rivals not even ranking him yet, but there has been enough interest from several notable programs to suggest that at least some coaches saw something in Smith. He also seems like a logical fit in Matt Painter’s system, making him a solid pick up for the Boilermakers.