Purdue women's basketball offseason tracker: Transfer target to visit, next season's roster, schedule chatter and more

Also, could Mackey Arena host another Boilermaker volleyball match next season?

Welcome to another unorganized collection of various things heading into Memorial Day weekend:

• Katie Gearlds may not be done adding to next year’s roster. Gearlds and the coaching staff are set to host former Indiana State forward Saige Stahl on Tuesday, according to a source. Stahl played two seasons for the Sycamores, appearing in 45 games with nine starts. The 6-foot-1 Stahl entered the transfer portal in mid-April. The graduate of Columbus North would likely provide depth to the front line, which consists of Kendall Puryear, Lana McCarthy, McKenna Layden - assuming she remains at the power forward spot - and incoming freshman Avery Gordon. Stahl averaged 7.4 points and 7.2 rebounds last season, including a double-double (16 points, 13 rebounds) against Purdue in December. Stahl produced six double-doubles last season. She’s also considering Boston College, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Nevada.

Former Indiana State forward Sage Stahl (Dave Wegiel Photography)

• How many players will be on next year’s roster? It’s a fluid situation. The Boilermakers have 12 players signed for next season as of Friday. That includes Israel combo guard Hila Karsh. Purdue hasn’t announced Karsh’s signing yet, but she committed last week and posted her decision on social media. Gearlds isn’t expected to have 15 players on the roster - the maximum permitted for women’s basketball programs once the House settlement is approved.

• Nearly everyone on the roster is scheduled to be on campus for summer school and offseason workouts, but incoming freshman shooting guard Keona Douwstra is a question mark due to playing in FIBA’s U20 Eurobasket tournament for the Netherlands.

• To recap, here’s a look at next year’s roster as it currently stands:

Seniors: Madison Layden-Zay, Taylor Feldman (Northern Arizona)

Juniors: McKenna Layden, Taylor Henderson (UNC Wilmington), Kiki Smith (Arkansas), Tara Daye (St. John’s)

Sophomores: Kendall Puryear, Lana McCarthy, Nya Smith (UNC Greensboro)

Freshman: Keona Douwstra (Netherlands); Avery Gordon (Brownsburg); Hila Karsh (Israel).

It’s a guard-heavy roster with more size on the perimeter.

• The only thing we know for certain about the non-conference schedule is the trip to the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya on Nov. 27-28. The Boilermakers are part of the Yucatan pool, which includes North Carolina State, Texas Christian, UAB, and two teams yet to be announced. NC State advanced to the Sweet 16, and TCU lost to Texas in the Elite Eight. Overall, the non-conference schedule is expected to come up soft. Last year, Purdue played Notre Dame, Kentucky, and South Carolina and suffered lopsided losses. However, the series with Kentucky was a two-year deal, and Purdue was looking to avoid a trip to Lexington, but the contract might be difficult to break. If the Boilermakers can’t get out of the deal, the Wildcats would be the marquee opponent before Big Ten play, assuming a matchup against NC State and/or TCU in Cancun doesn’t materialize. Expect the rest of the schedule to be filled with mid-majors at home, although the Boilermakers could play a road game at a non-Power 4 program.

ELSEWHERE

• Could Purdue’s volleyball team play another match - or two - in Mackey Arena this season? That’s the buzz. The Boilermakers faced Indiana and Wisconsin last year before a pair of sellouts and nearly 30,000 fans. Great atmosphere, and the match against the Badgers was broadcast on NBC. The two events generated over $256,000 in ticket sales and concessions, according to a records request provided by the school. The two Mackey Arena games comprised almost half the team’s home attendance, which continues to produce sellouts inside Holloway Gymnasium, which lists capacity at 2,288. Purdue is scheduled to host Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Penn State, and Washington during the Big Ten season. Nebraska would be the perfect opponent for one of the matches. We’ll see if it comes together again.

• The 12-team Big Ten baseball tournament featured a new format this year - three four-team pools, with the tiebreakers given to the highest seed. The semifinals and finals are single elimination. However, three of the four games on Thursday were meaningless since three teams had already secured berths in the semifinals. Even Friday’s matchup between USC and Washington did not impact the Big Ten tournament, but the Trojans are still fighting for an NCAA bid. The old double-elimination tournament had its downfalls, but every game mattered. Will it be this way every year? Probably not. The league must ensure every game counts in the overall tournament format.

• Let’s hope incoming Purdue men’s basketball players Oscar Cluff and Omer Mayer are involved in Friday’s Weinermobile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. At least, the pair should’ve been invited to wave the checkered flag. Perfect NIL opportunity.