Boilers Sign Coveted Combo Guard in Early Period

One of Ohio’s best in 2024, Antoine West is the long signee in the class so far for the Boilers

The Purdue Boilermakers and Head Coach Matt Painter announced that Whitmer High School combo guard Antoine West out of Toledo, Ohio has signed his letter of intent to join the program in the fall of 2025. West, a top 100/4 star ESPN recruit, was a high priority for the Boilers because of his length at the position along with his skills and intangibles that Matt Painter has come to value highly. West is also a top 200 (197) recruit on 247 along with On3 (176) but remains unranked on Rivals. He is also the third rated recruit in the state of Ohio. West chose the Boilers over a final four that included Nebraska, Dayton, and Ohio State and with interest from Creighton and Arizona State.

Head Coach Matt Painter had this to say about West:

“We are really excited to sign Antione to our squad for next season. He is going to be able to help us in a lot of different ways on both ends of the floor. He is a lead guard that can play both positions, but perhaps most importantly, he is just a player. He can score the basketball. He can catch and shoot, play off the dribble and has a very good pull-up game. I’ve always liked guards like him that can draw a lot of attention like he does. He has a good skill level, good speed and athleticism and loves to compete and battle. I am just really looking forward to coaching him.”

The addition of West continues the route that Matt Painter has taken as the landscape of college sports has continued to shift. Painter is looking for players who want to compete, are motivated to get better, and want to get an education. Those attributes tend to lend themselves to players who put team over their individuals accomplishments earlier in their career and are a lower risk to transfer. Painter’s emphasis on skill doesn’t always translate to rankings and players like Dakota Mathias, Zach Edey, and more recently CJ Cox and Jack Benter are all the evidence in that decision making process.

For more on West’s recruitment and decision to pick Purdue, see Joe Tipton’s interview on On3.com.

West will join a rather crowded group of guards but his ability to play multiple positions will help him find the floor quickly. With Smith and Loyer being seniors along with Harris, Cox, Colvin, and Benter next season being available, West may be a candidate for a redshirt season. However, Painter has never shied away, especially over the last several seasons, to play the best available players (four true freshman have started games over the last three seasons).

Purdue does have room to add one more player potentially in the later signing date and has its’ focus directly on Sebastian Williams-Adams. The 44th ranked player on 247, SWA is a big bodied power forward in the same mold of Vince Edwards and is down to the Boilers, Vanderbilt, Auburn, and Oklahoma State.