Purdue men's basketball: Hammons, walk-ons and more

Purdue men's basketball continues to await 7-foot center A.J. Hammons' decision on whether to return to school or put his name in for the NBA Draft.

Boilermakers coach Matt Painter said Hammons received his full report from the NBA Draft Undergraduate Advisory Committee. While Hammons did improve his stock, his projected draft range hasn't changed much. That stems both from a lack of consistent play until mid-season and from an influx of foreign talent and other underclassmen that have made this a stronger-than-expected draft class.

Last week, Hammons said he expected to make his decision sooner than last season, when he announced his return on April 16. But now indications are there might not be an announcement until next week.

Draftexpress.com projects Hammons as the No. 48 overall pick (to New Orleans). It's easy to see an NBA team drafting Hammons based on his size and skill, but harder to see him getting a spot in the league right away. Does he want to spend a year or more in the D League, or does he want to come back for another year of development at Purdue (which could also take another step forward as a program with his help)?

While some NBA-bound players have been known to check out school-wise, Painter said there has been no drop-off in Hammons academic commitment in recent weeks. The Organizational Leadership and Supervision major is on track to graduate next spring.

Transfer talk

Painter is scheduled to travel to meet with three possible fifth-year transfers over the next week.

One is presumed to be former Villanova guard Dylan Ennis. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported that Purdue is on Ennis' list of eight finalists, along with Illinois, Duke, Baylor, LSU, Georgia Tech, Oregon and Tennessee.

Obviously some stiff competition there. One thing in Purdue's favor: the success Jon Octeus had last season in a similar situation.

A possible long-term solution on the transfer market is former Miami guard Manu Lecomte. The 5-11, 170-pound native of Belgium started 23 of 38 games for the Hurricanes, averaging 7.9 points and hitting 45.6 percent of his 3-pointers.

Lecomte would have to sit out a year and have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Walk-ons welcome

Senior guards Jon McKeeman and Stephen Toyra are currently the only two walk-ons in Purdue's program. (Toyra's 2014-15 scholarship was a one-season situation.)

Painter said after last week's banquet that he is open to adding more walk-ons going into the season. But that could depend on how many players Purdue adds between now and then. If they get a fifth-year transfer (who can play right away) and a transfer who must sit out a year, that would take the Boilermakers up to the 13 scholarship limit.

"We have two (walk-ons) coming back, so that gets us to 15," Painter said of the scenario. "I would take at least one more, maybe another one, but when I get to 15 that's all I can travel with. You can have more people on you team that can dress for home games, but they can't travel."

Purdue has had success with local walk-ons in recent years: Bobby Riddell (Harrison), Andy "Bubba" Day (West Lafayette), Dru Anthrop (Central Catholic) and Toyra (Faith Christian). I'm not aware of any local candidates going into next season.

It's possible the Boilermakers take someone from their open walk-on tryouts, which are held annually just before the start of practice in September.

Recruiting update

Jarron Cumberland, a 6-4 shooting guard from Wilmington, Ohio, was scheduled to make an official visit this weekend. But that visit has been postponed due to a family scheduling conflict.

Cumberland already has an offer from Purdue, as well as Xavier and Cincinnati. Cumberland has made at least one unofficial visit to Purdue.

Cumberland recently switched AAU alliances and now plays for the LeBron James-affiliated King James Shooting Stars. That roster features two other Purdue targets: Lima (Ohio) guard Xavier Simpson and Columbus (Ohio) Northland forward Seth Towns.