WEST LAFAYETTE – Braden Smith knew he wanted Omer Mayer on his team.

Purdue assistant coach PJ Thompson solicited Smith's opinion on Mayer when the Boilermakers were recruiting the then-18-year-old Israeli pro in April. The All-American point guard was immediately sold upon seeing Mayer's highlight videos on YouTube.

"I’m like, 'Yeah, who wouldn’t want that? He’s European me,'" Smith said this week on his "Running Point with Braden Smith" podcast. "Why not go get a guy like that so I can get a little bit of a break and have somebody else who can create for others and obviously create for himself?"

Four games into Purdue's season, Mayer is already fulfilling the expectations that Smith – along with Thompson and head coach Matt Painter – had for him when he spurned interest from blueblood

See Full Page