Brian Wolf | April 7th, 2020
Purdue University announced that Matt Haarms is transferring. The 7’3″ big man caught the coaching staff by surprise by entering the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. He will be eligible immediately for the 2020-21 season.
The Netherlands native has been a huge part of the Boilermaker rotation the past three seasons, starting 41 contests during that span. Haarms averaged 8.6 points, along with 4.6 rebounds and 2 blocks per game this past season, after averaging 9.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in the 2018-19 season.
Expect for Haarms to be a hot commodity given his size, shot-blocking ability, and immediate eligibility.
The graduate transfer rule, which was brought into existence during the 2011 calendar year, has been a hot topic, especially as of late. Before the 2019-20 basketball season began, there were 124 grad transfers. While this rule allows players with their undergraduate degrees to continue their playing and educational careers elsewhere, it does hurt from the recruiting perspective, that a young talented incoming freshman may wait to see where everyone else lands before making their final decision. One would have to believe that Duke University would have swooped in and made a pitch to Haarms, instead of settling with Patrick Tape, who recently, recommitted to coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils.
It is a rule that will be discussed time and time again, but will anything truly ever change?
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