Iowa State Transfer Point Guard Tyrese Hunter Includes Purdue Basketball in Top 6
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Iowa State transfer point guard Tyrese Hunter released his top six Wednesday afternoon, which included Purdue among his potential destinations for the 2022-23 season.
His list also included Tennessee, Kansas, Louisville, Gonzaga and Texas. Hunter visited with the Boilermakers over the weekend.
In his first season of college basketball, Hunter started in all 35 games for Iowa State — a program record for a freshman — and garnered Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors. He was also named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team following the 2021-22 season. He ranked second on the Cyclones with 11.0 points per game while also registering 3.5 rebounds and a team-high 4.9 assists per contest.
Hunter broke the Iowa State freshman records for assists (172) and steals (71) and finished the season fifth in steals and sixth in assists all-time among Big 12 freshmen.
The 6-foot, 178-pound guard had 20 games with double-digit scoring, including a career-high 23 points against LSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Hunter was 7-for-11 shooting behind the arc against the Tigers, the second-most 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game by any Cyclone.
Hunter was a four-star recruit out of St. Catherines High School in Racine, Wisconsin, as part of the 2021 recruiting class. He received 25 offers out of high school, including those from Creighton, Arizona State, Connecticut, Florida, Louisville, Miami and Minnesota, among others.
His top-six announcement comes soon after Purdue target Nijel Pack, a transfer out of Kansas State, unveiled his commitment to Miami while bringing in a two-year NIL deal worth $800,000.
This offseason, the Boilermakers are without Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Thompson and Eric Hunter Jr. However, Hunter will still have the option of returning to Purdue for his final year of eligibility.
Ivey and Hunter have both declared for the 2022 NBA Draft, while Thompson announced he is transferring to Florida Gulf Coast for his senior season.
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- PURDUE OPTIONS DWINDLING AT PG FOR 2022-23 SEASON: After Purdue transfer target Nijel Pack's commitment to Miami, the team's options at point guard for the 2022-23 season are shrinking. The team will continue to take a deep dive into the transfer portal, and Eric Hunter Jr. will have an opportunity to return to the program. CLICK HERE
- THOMPSON TRANSFERS TO FLORIDA GULF COAST: Purdue transfer guard Isaiah Thompson is headed to Florida Gulf Coast after three seasons with the program. The Zionsville, Indiana, native averaged 4.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game during the 2021-22 season. CLICK HERE
- ERIC HUNTER JR. ENTERS TRANSFER PORTAL: Following his decision to declare for the 2022 NBA Draft while maintaining his final year of college eligibility, Purdue guard Eric Hunter Jr. has entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. CLICK HERE
- JADEN IVEY DECLARES FOR 2022 NBA DRAFT: Purdue sophomore guard Jaden Ivey officially announced he will enter the 2022 NBA Draft. He averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game during the 2021-22 season for the Boilermakers. CLICK HERE
- ZACH EDEY TO RETURN TO PURDUE FOR THE 2022-23 SEASON: Purdue 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey announced Friday he will return to the program for his junior season. He averaged 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game during the 2021-22 season. CLICK HERE
- BREAKING DOWN PURDUE 2022 RECRUITING CLASS: Purdue basketball will bring in four new recruits to West Lafayette next season. The 2022 recruiting class consisting of Fletcher Loyer, Braden Smith, Camden Heide and William Berg are slated to join redshirts Trey Kaufman-Renn and Brian Waddell as freshmen. CLICK HERE
Follow D.J. Fezler on Twitter
D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.