As we move into the last month of the high school season and before the postseason begins, we thought we'd take a look at a few freshmen that fans might want to keep an eye on who have been identified early as potential Purdue targets in the coming years.
Greg Oden, 6'11 center, Lawrence North HS, IN - Oden has been named by Bob Gibbons as the No. 2 rated player in the class of 2006, and luckily for the Boilers, Oden plays his basketball just an hour south of Lafayette. He's a low-teens scorer on a loaded Lawrence North squad that currently ranks No. 3 in Class 4A with a record of 13-1. Shooting 67-percent from the field, Oden also averages 10 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. Oden has been seen in Mackey Arena on unofficial visits. Excellent student.
Anjuan Wilderness, 6'4 wing guard, Dunwoody HS, AL - Wilderness has a high school career high so far of 38 points against Ooltewah, TN. Ranked as a top 10 player in the Class of 2006, Wilderness also leads his area in rebounding with a 14.9 per game average. He has received letters from Florida, Purdue, Duke, Alabama, Texas, and pretty much all of the other top 25 teams.
Marques Johnson, 6'4 wing guard, Fort Wayne Snider HS, IN - When former Boiler Roosevelt Barnes told us last May that he had one of the nation's best freshman on his Fort Wayne-based AAU team, we were skeptical. But that same night, over the summer and through his first year of high school ball, Johnson has not failed to live up to that label. Johnson is showing a wide range of skills for a player of his age group, from bringing the ball up the floor to posting up around the basket. It will be interesting to see where he ends up position-wise in a few years. Johnson is averaging around 18 points per game, and scored 16 in a 57-53 victory Friday over Northrop.
As news organizations move their stories to an archive, some of the links listed above may become inactive
OldGoldFreePress.com is organized & maintained by a group of college sports reporters with the help of Purdue sports fans everywhere. OldGoldFreePress.com is an independent and unofficial Purdue (+ Big Ten Conference/NCAA) sports news site that is not affiliated with Purdue University, the Big Ten Conference, the NCAA and/or any university athletic program.
Share