PAINTER ANNOUNCES FIVE COMMITMENTS ON NATIONAL SIGNING DAY

Nov 8, 2023 | BASKETBALL, BIG 10 SPORTS, COLLEGE BASKETBALL, PURDUE MEN'S BASKETBALL, SPORTS NEWS AND SCORES

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue head coach Matt Painter has announced that five prospects have signed their national letters of intent and will join the Boilermakers for the 2024-25 season.

The class is ranked eighth by Rivals.com and ninth nationally by 247Sports. It is Purdue’s highest-ranked recruiting class since the class of 2007, when the Baby Boilers were ranked No. 4 nationally by Scout.com and No. 5 by Rivals.com.

The class is second in the Big Ten behind Rutgers according to Rivals.com. 

Guards C.J. Cox and Jack Benter, wing Kanon Catchings and post players Raleigh Burgess and Daniel Jacobsen have all submitted their paperwork and are now officially members of the Boilermakers.

“Obviously, we were able to touch a lot of points with this class. Anytime you have skill like these guys provide who can move and pass and play together, it really opens up a lot of different things you can run on both ends. Getting size and versatility in this class was really important to us,” Painter said. “We’ve got a bit of everything with this class and can still take one more player. We still need some help in our backcourt with what we are losing this year. We feel like if we can get one more guard that it will really help our case next season and moving forward. We’re excited about this class and where we are going with our program. This is a class that has a lot of skill and high basketball IQ.”

Under Painter, Purdue’s recruiting classes have now been ranked in the top 20 three different times (2007 – 5th; 2012 – 19th; 2024 – 8th).

JACK BENTER (Guard / 6-5 / Brownstown, Indiana / Brownstown Central)

  • An outstanding scorer, Benter excels at Brownstown Central, already setting the school record for career points and points in a game.
  • A 3-star recruit on 247Sports, Benter accepted an offer early (June 2022), turning down offers from Indiana State, Bellarmine and Liberty. Virginia, Virginia Tech, Northwestern, Stanford and Penn State were others showing interest.
  • Fits the mold of previous Purdue recruits Dakota Mathias and Sasha Stefanovic.
  • Averaged 18.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists as a freshman.
  • Then his sophomore year, averaged 26.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a sophomore, shooting 45 percent from 3-point range (93-of-207).
  • Named to the Indiana Junior All-Star Team following his junior season.
  • Shattered a backboard on a breakaway dunk during his junior season.
  • Tallied 50 points against Jennings County on Jan. 6, 2023.
  • Led the Braves to a sectional championship as a sophomore and to the semi-state championship game as a junior. Should be considered a favorite to win the state title as a senior.
  • Competed in the Top 100 showcase after his sophomore year.
  • Played for Grand Park Premier AAU.

PAINTER QUOTABLE: “Jack really gives us the type of player that has thrived here at Purdue in terms of skill level and understanding of his game, in the mold of Dakota Mathias and Sasha Stefanovic. He has really good size at the two or three position even though he handles the ball a lot and plays point at Brownstown Central. He is a great decision maker and can really stretch the defense with his ability to shoot the three.”


RALEIGH BURGESS (Forward / 6-10 / Cincinnati, Ohio / Sycamore)

  • Missed some of his junior season, but is now 100 percent for his senior season at Sycamore.
  • Ranked as the No. 89 prospect nationally by Rivals.com, Burgess received 19 offers, turning down offers from Indiana, Cincinnati, Iowa, Virginia, Wisconsin among others.
  • Was averaging 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.2 blocks as a junior before his injury. Was named second-team All-Southwest District All-star despite playing only half the season.
  • A stretch big man that can step out and hit the three, but also play on the block.
  • Chose Purdue because it was a perfect fit of basketball and education.
  • As a sophomore, averaged 10.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 62.6 percent from the field.
  • In July 2022, helped his AAU team (Indiana Elite) to a 3Stripes Select Basketball U16 Championship.

PAINTER QUOTABLE: “Raleigh has the ability to play two positions at the four and the five and his athleticism, mobility and the ability to play both in and out is something that we really looked for in this class. He has the ability to stretch the defense, but also play down low. His versatility and size makes him interchangeable and he plays really hard and has a lot of fun playing the game.”


KANON CATCHINGS (Forward / 6-9 / Brownsburg, Indiana / Brownsburg / Overtime Elite)

  • The second-highest ranked recruit of the Matt Painter era, Kanon Catchings is ranked as the No. 22 prospect by 247Sports.
  • Currently playing at Overtime Elite after a sensational career at Brownsburg (Ind.). Became the first player from the state of Indiana to play at Overtime Elite.
  • Currently averaging 14.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game on Overtime Elite’s Cold Hearts team. Shooting 18-of-42 (.429) from 3-point range and 51.3 percent from the field.
  • Committed to Purdue in September (2022) as an unranked player, but exploded onto the scene in the last year.
  • Committed early to Purdue with his only other offer from Xavier. Was starting to gain interest from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State and others.
  • Son of former Illinois great Tauja Catchings and nephew of Naismith Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings.
  • In a win over state runner-up Kokomo and the No. 4-ranked recruit in the country, Flory Bidunga, Catchings scored a Cox Tournament-record 39 points, tallying 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting in the opening half.
  • Averaged 17.5 points and 4.8 rebounds as a junior at Brownsburg.
  • Was one of the youngest players invited to try out for the 2023 USA Basketball U19 World Cup team this past summer.
  • Excelled on a loaded Indy Gym Rats team in the AAU season.

PAINTER QUOTABLE: “Kanon has morphed into a big guard role at 6-9, 205 pounds, and can really play a lot of positions because of his versatility. His athleticism and skillset is really impressive and he is an elite shot-maker whether it’s catch-and-shoot or getting to his pull-up. He is still growing and expanding his game, but he’s just scratching the surface in terms of what he can do. He is outstanding in structure and is a very good player at all three levels. He has a chance to be a very productive player here at Purdue.”


C.J. COX (Guard / 6-2 / Lexington, Massachusetts / Milton Academy)

  • An incredibly underrated player, Cox had no high-major offers before committing to Purdue in early October.
  • Chose Purdue over offers from most of the Ivy League and UMass, but caught Painter’s attention this summer on the AAU circuit.
  • Stars at Milton Academy in one of the toughest conferences in the country (NEPSAC). Led Milton to the 2023 NEPSAC championship a year ago, outdueling one of the top recruits in the country in the 2026 class.
  • Also led the Middlesex Magic to the AAU Under Armour Championship last summer. Averaged 12.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting over 40 percent from deep in the summer AAU circuit.
  • In a premier Las Vegas AAU event, averaged 18.7 points, shooting 43 percent from long range, including 29, 27 and 26-point games, one of which came against a loaded Indiana Elite team.
  • Becomes just the second signee in school history from Massachusetts (Jacquil Taylor).

PAINTER QUOTABLE: “C.J. was an absolute steal for us. We are very fortunate to get somebody with a lot of substance who has such a competitive spirit to him. He’s very skilled and developed into a very good shot-maker, whether it be catch-and-shoot 3’s or on pull-ups. He can hurt you in a lot of ways and has a unique ability to take good shots. His shot selection and discipline on offense is something that really helps a team. C.J. has really good ball skills and is going to be a very good player at our level.”


DANIEL JACOBSEN (Center / 7-3 / Chicago, Illinois / Brewster Academy)

  • A late addition to the class, Jacobsen committed to the Boilermakers on Nov. 3, turning down offers from Wisconsin, Creighton, Iowa, Minnesota, Clemson and Xavier.
  • Jacobsen reclassified from the Class of 2025 and is ranked as the No. 94 prospect in the On3 national rankings.
  • Excelled at Peach Jam, AAU’s biggest event, averaging 12.2 points and 9.1 rebounds in just 19 minutes while starring in the pick-and-roll.
  • Averaged 8.3 points and 4.9 rebounds on the Nike EYBL circuit with JL3 Elite out of Houston. Shot 49.2 percent from long range, earning session standout accolades at Session II.
  • Started his high school journey in New Mexico, where he averaged 6.2 points and 6.1 rebounds as a high school sophomore.
  • Will play his senior season at Brewster Academy, where former Boilermaker Aaron Wheeler attended school.
  • Has tremendous upside and potential.

PAINTER QUOTABLE: “Daniel is a great shot-blocker, who is very versatile on both ends. He has a level of fluidity to him, and is very long and moves well. He can also pick-and-pop and really shoot the ball at a high level. He has the ability to really stretch the defense and has a lot of untapped potential. Daniel is a very talented player who is just scratching the surface of the player he can become and we are excited to watch his progress.”