Purdue women's basketball recruiting target: Q&A with Noblesville's Meredith Tippner
The 2025 prospect was offered a scholarship by the Boilermakers earlier this spring
SCOTTSBURG - On Sunday, Meredith Tippner demonstrated the numerous ways the Noblesville standout can impact a game during the Indiana-Kentucky Junior All-Stars matchup.
She scored, either at the rim or through her midrange game. She found open teammates. She pushed the ball in transition. She battled against taller players for rebounds. She was active defensively.
Her performance wasn’t much different than what the 2025 prospect put together during her high school career with the Millers. It helped her earn a spot on the core team of the Junior All-Stars, which should lead to an Indiana All-Star selection next year.
The numbers from Sunday - 18 points (8 of 10 shooting), four rebounds, four steals and three assists in nearly 18 minutes during the 111-76 victory.
Following the solid game, Tippner - who also plays soccer - heads to Purdue on Monday for a campus visit after coach Katie Gearlds offered her a scholarship earlier this spring. Tippner is also scheduled to visit Miami (Fla.) this weekend after playing in Wednesday’s exhibition against the Indiana All-Stars at Kokomo.
More from Tippner in this Q&A.
Question: What did the Purdue offer mean to you?
Tippner: “It’s always great when a hometown school believes in you. I know the community I’ve had at Noblesville, and they’ve been amazing. A lot of people want me to stay close to home if I have any chance. Purdue has an outstanding fan base, and to be able to play in front of a crowd like that would mean a lot to me. I know a lot of the girls going there. I play with Avery Gordon (2025 Purdue commitment); she’s on my AAU team. Just a lot of people I know and the familiarity and a lot of those coaches I’ve grown up watching, and now they believe in me.
Q: Was the offer something you saw coming over the last few months?
Tippner: With Avery being on my team, the coaches have had a good chance to watch me throughout the summer. They believe in what I can do and what I can bring to a team from the defensive end and the offensive end. You never know when an offer is going to come but I think through the hard work and the people surrounding me, it’s nice to be rewarded on that end.
Q: You were offered by other schools around the time the Purdue offer came. Did you pick up a lot of interest? (Oklahoma State also offered).
Tippner: “We played in two live periods and Tony Marlin, who is my AAU coach, did an amazing job of getting coaches to be there. At the end of the day, it’s your job as a player to perform. You’re going to have games where you’re hitting everything but if you rebound, you hustle, you play defense, the coaches notice the right plays.
Q: Where does your strong knowledge and background of playing basketball come from?
Tippner: My dad played in high school and my older brother, who goes to IU. Having that older brother, you have that competitive spirit growing up and I’m always playing one-on-one. When you have that older brother who isn’t afraid to push you down, you learn those gritty habits. You become that hard-nosed player with a chip on your shoulder, and I think it’s made me very successful and I’ve won a lot of games because of it.
Q: How much has soccer helped your basketball, and has basketball helped your soccer?
Tippner: The sports are very similar – other than one is with your feet and the other is with your hands – but the court vision, the different cuts, the different runs, the different angles you have to take. From a younger age, I was making more decisions. I had a ball in my hands more often. Conditioning helps on both ends, but I don’t think I’d be the (basketball) player I am today without soccer.
Q: If you had to pick one.
Tippner: Growing up, I went with soccer. I was naturally better at it as a kid, but there’s something about basketball – you just love the game and the crowd and everything that goes into it. I want to be in the gym every day. I want to be getting up shots. I want to be getting better and I didn’t have that passion with soccer. I think I knew basketball was where I wanted my future to head. I’ll be sad when soccer is over, but I’m excited to go to one sport and give my all to it.
Q: How much do you pride yourself on doing a lot of things on the court?
Tippner: Being active is extremely important. I think defense can be underrated. It’s not how good you are at defense; it’s the effort and the decision-making. A lot of kids see offense only. To be on a team that’s successful and a team that wins consistently, you have to be great on both ends of the floor. That’s something I’ve always grown up doing, and that’s how I’ve learned to play the game, and I’m hoping to bring it to the next level.
Q: What is your recruiting timeline as far as what’s next and how soon do you want to get this taken care of?
Tippner: I'm going to Purdue on Monday, and I’ll visit Miami this weekend. Building that relationship and seeing that place in person is important to making that decision. At the end of the day, I’m excited to commit and I’m excited to find my people and give my all to them.
Q: You seem ready.
Tippner: I know a lot of 25s who are committed, and they love it, and they’re super-glad they found their fit. I’m not going to rush this experience. Even though it’s great to have the transfer portal at your access, I would like to find my forever home. I want to do it right the first time.