Errick Peck Enrolls at Purdue for Graduate School and 5th Year Eligibility

The big news of the day is that Errick Peck will enroll in graduate school at Purdue University and will play a 5th year for the Boilermakers.  The Cornell graduate was not eligible for Ivy League play as a graduate student.  See the numerous articles below on Peck's decision.

• See some quotes on Purdue 247.
  

• The Indianapolis Star writes:

Former IndyStar Indiana All-Star Errick Peck, a 2009 Cathedral High School graduate, will play his final season at Purdue, he said Wednesday morning.
The 6-6 Peck is graduating from Cornell later this month and will be eligible right away at Purdue. He averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 rebounds last season, which turned out to be his last at Cornell. Peck injured his knee as a junior and was unable to play the entire season, but the Ivy League does not allow eligibility to fifth-year players who have graduated.
Peck said it was a dream of his to play in the Big Ten out of high school, but that opportunity wasn’t available at the time.
“I definitely wanted to play in the Big Ten out of high school and didn’t have the chance,” he said. “Now I have that opportunity and schools are calling me instead of me trying to call them. It’s kind of come full circle.”
Peck visited Purdue and Xavier.
“I got along with the Xavier coaching staff very well,” he said. “I got to hang out with the players. It was a great, small atmosphere. It was a tough decision. But Purdue is close to home and I was definitely comfortable with the coaching staff. It seemed like the best decision.”
At Cathedral, Peck was one of the final two players selected for the Indiana All-Star team as a senior. He had 30 points and 21 rebounds in a two-game sweep over the Kentucky team, more than proving he’d earned his spot.
Peck said Purdue coach Matt Painter didn’t guarantee him anything beyond a chance to earn playing time.“He didn’t promise anything, which you expect from any good coach,” he said. “I’m going to work my tail off in the offseason and be a better player than I was last year. Last year seemed like more of a rehab season because of the (knee) injury. I didn’t think I had my full athleticism last year and now I’m starting to feel the explosiveness come back.”

• The Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette writes:

Errick Peck, a 6-foot-6 forward who played three seasons at Ivy League member Cornell, has accepted a scholarship offer from Matt Painter and will use his final season of athletic eligibility with the Boilermakers.
Peck, an Indianapolis Cathedral graduate and a 2009 Indiana All-Star who was a high school teammate of former Boilermaker Kelsey Barlow, averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 rebounds this past season for Cornell. He sat out the 2011-2012 season with a knee injury. Peck is graduating from Cornell and will play at Purdue as a graduate student.
He visited Purdue two weeks ago and spent part of this past weekend visiting Xavier, which was the only other school he was seriously considering.
Peck will bring experience, maturity and versatility to a 2013-2014 Boilermaker team that as of this time will have only two other scholarship players with junior or senior eligibility – senior-to-be guard Terone Johnson and senior-to-be forward/center Travis Carroll.
Peck, who averaged 14.4 points as a high school senior, is expected to play small forward or power forward for a Purdue team that will have eight scholarship players who will have freshman or sophomore eligibility.

• The Ft. Wayne Journal writes:

Cornell transfer Errick Peck, a Cathedral grad, has committed to Purdue.
He kept it brief -- a "Yessir." via text -- in confirming the news.
The 6-foot-6 forward fills a need for the Boilermakers, who were down to 10 scholarship players before Peck's commitment. He will be immediately eligible as a graduate transfer.
Peck also considered Xavier. He averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for Cornell in his final season with Big Red.

• Scout.com/Boiler Sports Report writes:
  

Filling scholarships was a top priority for Purdue this offseason. It made a key addition on Wednesday with Cornell transfer Errick Peck. A source confirmed the forward picked Purdue over Xavier.
Peck, an Indianapolis native and former standout at Cathedral High School, joins the Boilermakers as a fifth-year graduate transfer, making him eligible to play immediately this season.
A 6-foot-6 forward, Peck first visited Purdue on May 1 and got a glimpse of what the program offers. He spent this past weekend at Xavier while his mother visited West Lafayette.
As a senior -- his third year of eligibility -- Peck averaged 9.7 points in 24.5 minutes per game. He missed his entire junior season due to a knee injury.
Purdue lost three players -- Sandi Marcius, Anthony Johnson and Jacob Lawson -- to transfers after the season, leaving the program along with departing seniors D.J. Byrd and Dru Anthrop. The Boilermakers do have three freshmen entering the program, but must add depth for next season.
Boiler Sports Report will provide further updates as they are made available.

• Rivals.com/Gold and Black writes:

Cornell fifth-year transfer Errick Peck has decided on Purdue.
The 6-foot-6 forward chose the Boilermakers on Wednesday over Xavier, Loyola and Duquesne.
"Coming out of high school, I definitely wanted to play at a higher level and for whatever reason, I wasn't able to," Peck said Wednesday, while preparing for final exams at Cornell. "I came to Cornell for the degree itself and to be able to play for a very good mid-major team. For me, education was really important. My parents are teachers.
"This time, academics was important, but it was also a basketball decision. The chance to play in the Big Ten is huge, and so was the chance to see a lot of playing time, maybe even start, and showcase my talents on the biggest stage. That was the main thing. And also to be close to home. My family hasn't been able to see me play consistently since high school. They've missed that and I've missed that, too."
"(Purdue) fit the criteria for all those things."
This past season, Peck started 11 of 29 games for Cornell and averaged just under 10 points and five rebounds per game.
Peck redshirted as a junior at Cornell due to a knee injury, thus putting him on track to graduate after four years and spend his fifth season elsewhere under the NCAA's graduate-transfer allowance.
Peck will come to Purdue immediately eligible to play his final season.
The former Indiana All-Star from Cathedral in Indianapolis gives Purdue 11 scholarship players as of right now and provides key depth in the frontcourt, where Peck is projected to be able to play either frontcourt spot.
Peck hopes his ability to do a variety of different things can impact Purdue next season.
"I know they have a great point guard, a great 2 guard and a great big. I don't want to come in and seek shots or anything like that," he said. "I want to win and that's the main thing for me. But versatility is the main thing. Whether they need me to guard the best player on the floor, get off the glass and go and get other people involved or if they need me to just post up on the block and score. I don't really have a specialty or anything like that. I just play basketball.
"I feel like I've matured a lot since (high school). I was like a 6-5 post player then. I still can get on the block, but I think the best part of my game is being able to get in the mid-post and try to create mismatches against bigger guys or set up jumpers or use size and strength to get to the rim against someone smaller. I think I'm a good passer out of the post."
Peck is the first fifth-year transfer to come to Purdue since the practice has become prominent in recent seasons. And Purdue may not be done adding such players.
Purdue has lost fifth-year transfers each of the past two springs with John Hart leaving last year and Sandi Marcius - assuming he doesn't change his mind and return - this year.

• The Black Hammer writes:

Purdue was in a need for another basketball player for next season and they got one in Cornell transfer and former Cathedral(IN) High School standout, Errick Peck.
Having only 10 scholarship players next season would have been rough but Matt Painter played last season with only 11 and he will at least match that again this season. Peck was down to Purdue and Xavier after visiting both schools over the past 10 days with Loyola(IL) and Duquesne on the outside looking in.
While at Cornell, the 6-6, 224-pound wing averaged 7.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, and 1.1 apg. Errick Peck played his high school ball at Cathedral(IN) in Indianapolis and was a member of the 2009 Indiana All-Star team his senior season. Peck missed a year due to a knee injury but looks healthy over the past year or so.
Peck's former AAU coach David Hamilton gave 247Sports an idea of what to expect from Purdue's future wing:
"Errick is an outstanding person and player. His experience and knowledge of the game would be beneficial to Purdue's younger players. His rebounding and mid-range game would be an added asset to the program."

• HammaerAndRails.com writes:

Purdue Basketball received some much-needed good news on Wednesday when Errick Peck announced his decision to use his final season of eligibility in West Lafayette after playing for Cornell for three plus seasons. Peck was a key reserve as true freshman in 2009-10 on a Cornell team that reached the Sweet 16 and missed the entire 2011-12 season due to a knee injury, opening the door for his transfer to a bigger program.

The numbers are good but far from overwhelming. As a 6'6" 223 pound forward he averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 for Cornell in 2012-13 coming off of injury. How does he fit in with Purdue though?

Outside Shooting

One of Purdue's biggest vulnerabilities in 2012-13 was the lack of any outside shooting aside from D.J. Byrd. Byrd was 79 of 218 from three with Terone Johnson next on the team at 37 of 107. the only player with more than 10 or more made threes for the entire season was Rapheal Davis, who was 10 of 33, and two of those ten came against Western Illinois in the CBI.

Peck at least brings the threat of the outside shot. He was 14 of 43 last year and 25 of 66 as a sophomore. For his career he is 45 of 127 for a respectable 35% average. With Byrd gone much of the same load is going to fall on Kendall Stephens. It is not like Purdue is going to suddenly be full of snipers, but Terone is at least a threat from outside and Davis, Ronnie Johnson, and Peck should at least be decent.

Purdue still needs more production and development from the guys returning as opposed to those just entering the program, but everyone knew Byrd was taking threes last year. Now there will at least be a little mystery and teams don't have to focus solely on one player on the perimeter.

A Better Barlow?

Peck was a high school teammate of the infamous Kelsey Barlow, and what we lost in Barlow's dismissal from the program and a year of his services could be given back even better. Peck is a slightly bigger, stronger version of GDB. He is not afraid to work on the glass and get rebounds. He defends well with the ability to block the occasional shot or get the occasional steal. He can distribute the ball if necessary, though I don't think he will serve as a backup point guard like GDB.

Ultimately I'd like to see him work as a run, rebound, and defend guy that is capable of scoring the ball, just like Barlow was doing before his dismissal. That is not a bad thing.

Senior Leadership

Right now, Purdue has Terone Johnson and Travis Carroll as upperclassmen and that is it. TJ is a player that could be an all-Big Ten talent this year, but Carroll is a hard-working career backup that does some things well, some things poorly, and is more of a reserve than a difference-maker. They are the only two players on the roster that have played in an NCAA Tournament game.

The rest of the roster is comprised of two walk-ons, four sophomores, and four freshmen. That's it. Peck brings in a calming presence that has played in a lot of ballgames and has been through a lot of wars. At Cornell he has played against some decent non-conference opponents (Wisconsin, Duke, Syracuse, Minnesota, Kansas, and Kentucky) so he knows what big games feel like.

As long as Peck meshes well with the roster he helps fill a leadership vacuum. Since he is an Indiana kid on a roster full of them I think he'll do fine.

Projected lineup:

With Peck on board here is how I can see the lineup working out:

Smaller, quicker starting five:

PG: Ronnie Johnson - So.

SG: Terone Johnson - Sr.

SF: Rapheal Davis - So.

PF: Errick Peck - GS

C: A.J. Hammons - So.

That's a pretty quick, athletic starting five that can spread the floor and open things up for Hammons. All four are at least capable outside shooters, and if the volume can come this season that will help Purdue immensely. All can create their own shots as well.

Big Five:

PG: Ronnie Johnson - So.

SG: Terone Johnson - Sr.

SF: Errick Peck - GS

PF: Donnie Hale - So.

C: A.J. Hammons - So.

People have been up and down on Hale, but with the loss of Lawson and Marcius he is now our second best post player by default. I can also see Carroll starting in this role based on experience alone. Carroll is better away from the basket, but doesn't have the size or strength to really pound down low defensively. Hale is slightly better there, but Carroll's hustle was better last season.

Let us not forget Jay Simpson here. The big man can give us a pair of twin towers to cause havoc in the paint defensively like the Pacers are currently doing with Roy Hibbert and David West. Simpson easily could pass Hale and Carroll in the rotation.

Top reserves:

PG: Bryson Scott - Scott is going to be a bulldog and compete for minutes immediately.

SG: Kendall Stephens - With Anthony Johnson gone Stephens is going to get even more minutes. Everyone was talking about his shooting prowess, but Ic an see him starting off as a Ryne Smith/Byrd guy when both were coming off the bench and sniping from long range before teams knew about them and they were starting.

SF: Peck/Davis I think Davis and Peck are our best options here regardless of if we go big or small.

PF: Travis Carroll - Name Purdue's best shooter from the field last season. It was Carroll, who was a stunning 62.5% (25 of 40). You know what you're going to get from Travis. He's going to give you 8-10 minutes of hard work every night, a couple of rebounds, a decent mid-range jumper, and generally scrappy play. We could do worse in that regard. I still like Tacos' jumper enough that I'd love to see him become a three-point shooter (he is 2 of 6 in his career), but I feel the same about Hale, who also shot well from long range in HS.

I would love to have TC as a reserve at the three, but he is not quick enough to defend opposing threes.

C: When Hammons needs a spell Purdue is going to go small. I see Simpson, Carroll, and Hale splitting his reserve minutes, but we could have really used the Chooch in this spot.

From all this it looks like Peck is a key addition. He is more of a forward when Purdue needs another one on the floor, but not a hulking power forward to protect Hammons' weak side. He can bring his defender away from the basket to open up the motion offense, and Purdue was sorely lacking that in 2012-13.

• KentSterling.com writes:

Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star has reported that former Cathedral High School standout Errick Peck has committed to Purdue for his post-grad year of eligibility.
Peck spent the last four years at Cornell, but Hoosiers know him as a an Indiana All-Star who enjoyed a nice prep career at Cathedral.
What Purdue gets in Peck is a selfless and coachable player who can do everything.  He’s 6’6″, long, and athletic, able to shoot it, and possesses outstanding hands.
He can post up, step out and shoot, and is an accurate passer.
Peck was a teammate of my son’s at Cathedral, and he enjoyed Peck as a person and player.
It was baffling to me that Purdue coach Matt Painter didn’t recruit Peck straight out of high school as he signed Cathedral teammate Kelsey Barlow.  He certainly must have seen him play a great deal.
The only downside to Peck in the way he was evaluated was that he was never selfish.  His play is never about him.  He’s a lot more Pacer than he is Knick.
I coached him in a couple of fun youth games when he was 16, and while I was more a proctor than instructor, anytime I called a timeout, Peck ran to the huddle and looked at me with an expectation that I might say something smart to help the team win.
He listened attentively, and always did exactly what he was told – by me.  Imagine the attention he’ll pay to Painter.
This may not appear to be a big deal for the Boilers, but it can be.  Peck will help the culture of Purdue Basketball with his presence, and when called upon, he will do some big things, but a lot of little things all with the intent of helping the team.
Congrats to Purdue, Matt, and Errick.

• NBC Sports writes:

Purdue has added a piece that could bolster their front court next season as Cornell transfer Errick Peck committed to play his final season as a collegian with the Boilermakers.
Peck, a 6-foot-6 forward and Indianapolis native, averaged 11.0 points as a sophomore in 2010-2011, but missed all of the 2011-2012 season with a knee injury. He came back to average 9.7 points and 4.8 boards last year, but with a degree in hand, he’ll be heading to the Big Ten to finish up his career.
Peck will provide a veteran presence for Matt Painter’s club. Purdue has just two upperclassmen currently on their roster — Terone Johnson and Travis Carroll.