Ahmed Nur sorting through recruiting onslaught, Purdue included; Thursday recruiting notes from Rock Hill

ROCK HILL, S.C. — It was in this very building — the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center — that Ahmed Nur made his name in June, erupting for an MVP performance at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp. What came next must have been dizzying. “I kind of knew I was going to be the player I am today, but showing the world, people were pretty shocked,” Nur said Thursday at adidas’ 3SSB Palmetto Road championship event in Rock Hill. “Schools that I didn’t really know at the time started reaching out, and they were big-name schools. I was happy at first, getting all the offers, but now I’m kind of advancing to the next level, looking at the schools, sitting down and seeing what’s next for the future.” Part of that rush of schools suddenly interested: Purdue. New Boilermaker assistant coach Kenneth Lowe knows Nur’s native Minneapolis well from his stint at St. Thomas the past several seasons. Nur reciprocated Purdue’s overtures by immediately making a mid-summer official visit. “I enjoyed it, going out there, spending time with all the coaching staff, getting to know them as well,” said Nur, who’ll spend his senior year at Bella Vista Prep in Arizona. “That was really important to me, so I really enjoyed it. Just kind of envisioning myself on that campus. Can I see myself playing there? That’s the most important thing to me.” More: Thoughts from Thursday in Rock Hill Nur — all of 6-foot-10 with uncommon length and an immense developmental ceiling physically — describes himself as “positionless” due to his perimeter ability combined with his size on the interior and mobility on defense. But the floor-spacing, jump-shooting big man would most likely fit most logically at the “power” forward position in college. I haven’t really given much thought. Once I sit down with my parents and kind of narrow that list down, that’ll be the next step for me. The 4 has been a position of need for Purdue to maybe complete a class that already includes two high-level commitments in center Isaiah Hill and point guard Kevin Savage Jr. “They really see me coming in and being a big part of their team as a freshman,” Nur said. “They play a lot of freshmen, so that’s really important to me. That coaching staff’s been there for a while, so they know what they’re doing. They’re not going anywhere for a while. They kind of envision me coming in right away, developing and being ready for the Big Ten.” As Nur targets a fall decision, it seems unclear where anyone really stands with him, given the sheer volume of offers and interest he and his family are navigating. “My parents haven’t really set anything up as of right now,” Nur said. “But like I said, we’re trying to finish this stage strong. Once that gets out of the way, then I’ll start to narrow that list down.” Some of those also really targeting Nur are Syracuse, Texas, Indiana, Cincinnati, Minnesota, SMU and Washington. Michigan State, Michigan, North Carolina and Vanderbilt are among those still actively watching, Nur said. Among the head coaches at his game Thursday afternoon were Illinois’ Brad Underwood, Louisville’s Pat Kelsey, Indiana’s Darian DeVries and Florida State’s Luke Loucks. Two Purdue assistants were present, as were staffers from Nebraska, Washington, Minnesota and others. Nur will schedule more visits following July, then figure things out. “Fit (is most important), for sure,” he said. “It’s got to be a great fit for me, envisioning myself staying there and being a big part of the program, as well as the environment. That’s super important to me. Those are the main two things, and just building relationships with the coaches. Those are the guys I need to spend my time with for at least a year, if not more. So it’s who I see myself playing for.” THE SECOND JULY EVALUATION PERIOD BEGINS Both adidas’ 3SSB event in Rock Hill and Nike’s Peach Jam — as well as events all over — opened to college coaches on Thursday, beginning the second July evaluation period. Purdue coach Matt Painter spent Thursday at the Peach Jam, watching Hill and others. Purdue is focusing a great deal of time and energy on 2029 prospects. Assistants P.J. Thompson and Paul Lusk were in Augusta/North Augusta, too. Brandon Brantley and Lowe were at adidas, which includes Savage, Nur, 2028 target Cole Kelly and several 2029 targets. Hill’s Indy Heat team dropped each of its first three games in Augusta, the hot shooting it rode to a 16U title last year reversing itself; Savage’s Game Elite 17U team lost a narrow 57-54 decision to New World Thursday, eliminating it from the championship bracket. Savage scored 18 points, sinking four threes. 2029 TARGETS Newly offered Michigan shooting guard Drew Cabana and in-state guard Will Tonagel each scored 20 points in Indiana Elite 15U’s win over New York Wiz kids Thursday morning, while New Albany’s Karson Stoudemire added 14. All three of them figure to be seriously recruited by the Boilermaker coaching staff. Tonagel and Cabana combined to make seven threes, nothing new for either of them. Cabana looks like an elite shooter; Tonagel reminds of Luke Ertel at the same stage of his career. His 20 points came with five assists and three steals. More to come on 2029 targets the next few days.