On Tuesday, BYU signed Kanon Catchings, a top-40 recruit and former Purdue signee. Sacks picked the Cougars over schools like Florida State, Tennessee and NC State. On Thursday, Purdue head coach Matt Painter met with the media and stated that Catchings was “concerned about his role” at Purdue next season.
“He was worried about his role and just wanted to get out of his letter. I came back the next day and said everything was fine and it was like, no, it’s probably better if we split up… We wish him good luck and hope everything works out for him.”
Painter on catch release pic.twitter.com/HQ2Kje2Vq1
– Boilers in the stands (@BoilersInStands) June 20, 2024
“Not disappointed at all,” Painter said when asked how disappointed he was about Catchings’ situation. “We want people who want to be here… He was worried about his role and just wanted to get out of his role.”
Painter continued, insinuating that it was Purdue that made the decision to separate after Catchings expressed concerns. “(Catchings) came back the next day and said everything was fine and it was like, no, it’s probably better if we split up. If you’re questioning things before they start, it’s kind of an uncertainty that every freshman that comes in He has those true thoughts. You compete and you earn a position. I can’t give someone a role out of nowhere. You come in and compete… if anything, it’s just the happiness of your players and the happiness of your team. competition and it’s difficult, but if you’ve immediately felt like you’re starting off on the wrong foot and someone wants to get out of their card, it’s probably best that you go your separate ways. Good luck and I hope everything works out for them.
Update: Kanon’s mother, Tauja, responded to Painter’s comments via the Indy Star. “Kanon’s goal when he committed to Purdue was just to play college basketball,” Tauja Catchings told IndyStar. “His goal now is to play in the NBA. Purdue has been a more traditional program, which I like. …But I think Kanon was probably looking for a show that could support her timeline.”
BYU and new head coach Kevin Young were the beneficiaries of the breakup. The Cougars had just hired new assistant coach Tim Fanning. Fanning was Catchings’ coach at Overtime Elite. The Catchings-Fanning relationship helped BYU once Catchings was released from his letter of intent.
Ironically, this is not the first time Matt Painter has taken a shot at a former player of his who ended up at BYU. When Matt Haarms transferred from Purdue to BYU, Painter publicly took shots at his former player. “No, not at all,” Painter said when asked if he was concerned about Haarm’s transfer. “When you look at the center position where Matt Haarms was, we tried to play him and Trevion Williams together. It didn’t work,” Painter said. “To his defense, he got hurt and suffered two concussions. I don’t know how things changed for him and that’s how I see it. I try to take a step back and look at it from his perspective… Are you going to play against better competition in the league you went to? No.”
Painter went on to say that Haarms was defeated. “But actually, Trevion Williams beat him (Haarms). That’s it. Matt was starting at the beginning of the year, he had some injuries, but I really wanted him to come back and embrace (the competition). You know, ‘Hey, I had two concussions, I got hurt, let’s fight here because that’s what you do.”
Haarms ended up being named WCC Defensive Player of the Year and helped BYU to a sixth seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Speaking of roles, Catchings will have a role for BYU in 2024-2025. Whether or not he fits into the starting lineup right away remains to be seen, but his combination of size and skill will be difficult to keep off the court.
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