Indiana prep star Karissa McLaughlin commits to Purdue

By Mike Peden | Apr 12, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 05: Purdue Boilermaker forward Bridget Perry (13) goes in for the lay up over Maryland Terrapins forward Stephanie Jones (24) during the Women's Big Ten Championship game game between the Purdue Boilermakers an Michigan State Spartans on March 05, 2017, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

After 11 players from the Big Ten Conference transferred or resigned last week, news of an incoming player is highly welcome.

Enter Karissa McLaughlin, the Gatorade Player of the Year for Indiana. On Wednesday, Purdue announced McLaughlin’s signing to their class of 2017 recruits.

“All of our 3-point records went on watch the moment Karissa decided to join us. She brings an extensive combo guard experience to our program with outstanding court presence, showing her ability to play the 1 or the 2,” Purdue head coach Sharon Versyp said in a statement released by the school.

McLaughlin, who attends Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, should raise the profile of Purdue’s incoming freshmen. A four-year letter winner, she ended her high school career with a state championship in class 4A. Scoring is McLaughlin’s forte; she holds school records for most career points (2,586), most points in a season (778) and most points in a single game (40).

How McLaughlin will translate her high school success to the Big Ten stage remains unknown, but the potential is there. A finalist for Miss Basketball Indiana, she ranks in the top 100 on four national recruiting lists.

McLaughlin is one of five players who will join Purdue’s roster next year. The others are Léony Boudreau, Fatou Diagne, Tamara Farquhar and Dani Lawson.

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