2028 forward Cole Kelly breaks down Purdue interest after offer and visit

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The 2028 recruiting cycle brings unknowns for Purdue, with scholarship numbers up in the air. However, when Matt Painter watched Neuqua Valley (Ill.) four-star small forward Cole Kelly in May, the rising 2028 prospect became a clear target for the Boilermakers. “(Matt) Painter had seen me play in person, and then he watched me play in Mishawaka. He was just like, ‘I love your feel for the game and the way you play the game.’ The way he offered me on the phone, it was just a really cool experience for him to say that. When I went on my visit, he was like, ‘Hey, here’s the situation,’. Then to watch me play for the first time in person and make the offer, it was really special,” Kelly said. Kelly’s feel for the game and his tendency to make the correct play stood out to the Boilermaker coaching staff. “They like my feel. They like my passing game, the way I’m just active all over, getting rebounds, making the right plays. They like the way I’m a good teammate,” Kelly said. Kelly is coming off a visit to West Lafayette last month, where how Purdue runs its program stood out most to him. “I really, really like them. I really liked their visit. Painter and the staff are great coaches and winning coaches, all their coaches. They run a great program, and they have a great retention rate, which is not something you see in today’s game. That’s a really big thing for me,” Kelly said. Somewhere between a “power wing” and stretch four describes Kelly’s skillset well, as he can play with his back to the basket to either score or make plays for his teammates. “I can guard one through four and bring the ball up if you need me,” Kelly said. “On this team, we’ve got shooters that can shoot it all day, every day. So for me to get in the paint and make those reads, hit open guys. I mean, that’s a layup for us. That’s what we like to say. So for me, getting in the paint and creating those opportunities is a big thing for me.” Over the first two days in Rock Hill, Kelly has averaged 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, four assists, while Breakaway has a 1-1 record through Friday’s action. Kelly is planning on visiting Ohio State for an unofficial visit on September 26, but does not have any other visits lined up at this point. He did say that he wants to get back to Purdue for a basketball game in the winter, however. The Boilermakers are one of several high major programs to have jumped at Kelly and a number of those schools have already been pushing for him the hardest since June. “Ohio State, Iowa, Illinois, Creighton, Purdue, Notre Dame, Marquette, Wisconsin—they’ve all been. Pretty much everyone that has given me an offer has been really, really going after me,” Kelly said. Dub Jellison also contributed to this report MORE: Day 2 at at the adidas 3SSB