Purdue women's basketball recruiting: 2027 prospect Lillie Graves
The junior to be at nearby McCutcheon holds nearly 20 scholarship offers, including one from the Boilermakers
INDIANAPOLIS - The team Lillie Graves was playing on during the recent IBCA Top 100 Showcase had scored and the standout from McCutcheon needed to tie her shoe.
Graves laced up her sneaker and when she finished, one of the top prospects in the 2027 recruiting class sprinted to the other end looking to engage defensively.
College coaches, including Purdue’s staff sitting in the front row, were watching during this recruiting event at Ben Davis. Any impression is meaningful. Not that Graves needed to leave an impression, but add this to the list of what defines the 6-foot-1 combo guard.
That’s one of many reasons why college programs are in pursuit of Graves, who has nearly 20 scholarship offers. Purdue coach Katie Gearlds offered Graves in middle school. She’s the only player from Indiana ranked in the top 60 by HoopGurlz ESPN at No. 44.
Florida, Auburn, Missouri, and Virginia Tech are among the latest programs to offer since college coaches were permitted to contact 2027 prospects, but Purdue has made Graves a top priority.
Here’s more from Graves, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark last season. She averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 3.6 steals in leading the Mavericks to the sectional championship. McCutcheon is playing at Purdue’s team camp this weekend.
From a recruiting standpoint, things picked up this month when coaches could start calling and texting. How did that go?
Graves: It was really chaotic. It’s been busy, but honestly, I’m just grateful for it all, and I think it shows that my hard work has been paying off.
Schools have been actively recruiting you for a while, right?
Graves: I’ve been dealing with the process, so I knew what to expect. It was just really busy.
Has the process slowed down?
Graves: It’s definitely been pretty consistent, especially since they can contact me directly. I'm just taking it all in and trying to manage it and not overwhelm myself with it. I'm just trying to have fun with it.
In an event like this with college coaches here, how conscious are you of them and making sure you’re playing hard, making sure you don't take a play off, and put your best foot forward?
Graves: I've been playing in events like this for a while, so I feel like I'm used to it. And honestly, at the end of the day, everyone messes up, so you can't go out there trying to do everything perfectly, because that's going to stress you out and make you timid. That's only going to worsen your game. I try to go out there and just play the game that I know how to play. If a school likes what they see, then they like my game.
What things are you working on this summer to help your game?
Graves: I would say making my shot more consistent, and just wanting to always stay aggressive and always attack, and not take plays off.
Where is the development of your outside shot?
Graves: I think with anything, more work can always be done. I think I'm still working on it to make it more consistent. I've been trying to get in a lot of reps, but honestly, I'm still not satisfied with the process. I know it's going to be a journey, especially since I changed my mechanics a little bit during the high school season. I feel like now it's getting the reps on my shot and trying to stay consistent.
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Was it last season you changed your mechanics? How did that go, and was it frustrating at times, if it didn't work the way that you wanted it to?
Graves: I would say it's a little bit frustrating, especially knowing how much time I was putting into focusing on that. I got lost on other things in my game, but I feel like at the end of the day, it's going to play off for me. Just trusting the process and trusting my trainers.
Why did you change your mechanics?
Graves: My jump shot before was really flat and just really inconsistent. I think it was for the better, and my trainer thought it was for the better as well. I trust him, so I was going with it.
What’s next? What else is going on this summer?
Graves: Playing with my high school team and having fun with them. I just got back from the Under Armour Future 60 camp, and that was a lot of fun. It was at IMG (Florida). But just looking forward to playing with my high school team and trying to get better with them.
Are you learning more about your game when you face high-level competition at these camps?
Graves: Going to events like that can always show you where you’re at and what you need to work on to continue to grow, but also what you do well. It’s always a good experience to get out there with good competition, especially in your class, to measure yourself and see where you’re at.
When do you consider taking visits?
Graves: I've already taken a couple of unofficials last fall. Right now, I don't have any scheduled. Time will tell with that, but probably in the fall, if I'm looking to visit certain schools. That will probably be the most efficient time to go take visits before the season.
What’s your feeling about Purdue right now, and where it stacks up with everybody you’re looking at?
Graves: Everyone knows Purdue is in my hometown. I grew up always going to the games, and my whole family is Purdue fans. When I go on game visits with them, I'll be walking around the arena, and everyone knows who I am or knows about me. That's a different experience.
But just being close to home, plus all the coaches there have been really helpful and really supportive. They got on me young, and they were coming to watch me before I started playing on the circuit. I'm really grateful for that, but those are the things that stick out.