Trent Sisley's official visit to Purdue gave him a close look at the team he'd actually be part of
Reality is, there wasn’t a whole lot Matt Painter or his coaches could show or tell Trent Sisley this past weekend that they hadn’t already.
The long-time Boilermaker Class of 2025 recruiting target has been a priority for Painter and Co. for literally years and a regular visitor to campus. Between his numerous unofficial visits, the dozen-or-so times Painter or his assistants have traveled to him — most recently last week, when Painter and Paul Lusk visited Montverde Academy in Florida — and an incalculable number of phone calls, there hasn’t been much ground gone uncovered.
But the official visit could have served one purpose none of those other interactions could: The players.
Purdue has just one senior set to depart after this season, so barring any hard-to-predict comings and/or goings, the team on campus this past weekend that Sisley watched practice and spent time with, that would more or less be the team he’d be joining in 2025 should Purdue be his pick.
“It was good to be around the players more and get to know them, and then just being around the coaches more,” said Sisley, hosted this past weekend by ’25 senior-to-be Fletcher Loyer. “Building those relationships with both the players and coaches more, that was the main thing.”
That 2025 team projects to be very good, perhaps a credible opportunity for the Boilermakers to make another Final Four run, putting an onus on whatever newcomers sign on to be ready to at least play a role.
“They just told me I could play that 3-4 position,” Sisley said, “and play inside or outside.”
Purdue has long recruited Sisley more or less as a stretch power forward sort of player, with size enough at 6-foot-8 to rebound and post up against smaller matchups, but shooting and ball-handling skills and athleticism enough to play on the wing or at least present complications for bigger forwards.
Where that skill set could fit in right away remains to be seen given some moving frontcourt parts on the roster now, but Purdue has communicated a need regardless, a need its coaches are casting a wide net trying to fill, with a few other forwards slated to visit this month, though Sisley remains a priority same as he always has been.
How it turns out, that answer might be a matter of weeks away.
Sisley has official visits left to Indiana (Sept. 20-22), Notre Dame (Sept. 27-29) and Michigan State (Oct. 12-14).
“I should be able to make a decision after that,” he said.
After spending his first three years at Heritage Hills in Southern Indiana, the consensus four-star and On3 top-150 forward, transferred to Montverde for his senior year.
