Welcome to Friday, where Braden Smith has become Purdue’s 30th consensus first-team All-America selection, the second most in NCAA history. Smith earned the distinction twice during his career.

3-POINT SHOOTERS X 2

As mentioned earlier in the week, Fletcher Loyer will participate in Friday’s 3-point shooting championships at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse. So will incoming freshmen Luke Ertel, who will compete in the high school version of the competition. Loyer won the high school competition before arriving at Purdue, and Ertel will look to duplicate that success.

Loyer set the career 3-point field goal record for the Boilermakers this past season. He’s one of eight in the field.

The left-handed Ertel guided Mt. Vernon to the Class 4A state championship last weekend and gets another shot to represent his school. He’ll also be a member of the Indiana All-Star team, likely Mr. Basketball, this summer in the annual grudge match against Kentucky.

There’s also a slam dunk contest as part of the festivities. It starts at 7 p.m., but won’t be shown on TV until Sunday at 1:30 p.m. (ESPN).

PLAYER/COACH MOVEMENT

The shakeup with Purdue’s women’s program isn’t slowing down. Expect to see some changes to the coaching staff. Katie Gearlds is close to adding two assistants - rules allow for four assistants and one head coach to oversee skill instruction. Those five can also recruit on the road, but not all at once. Expect some new faces on the bench heading into the 2026-27 season. Also, you can expect some changes within the support staff (director of operations, etc.).

At least six players have indicated they’re headed to the transfer portal. The reasons are different for each player. As much as people won’t want to talk about it, money is an issue for some, but playing time, winning, and other factors play a role. Players don’t need a reason to transfer. It’s never just one thing, either. Purdue has a reasonable amount of revenue share available, but how you allocate the dollars to build the roster is the key. Gearlds needs to find the right formula.

WHO’S NEXT

It’s clear Gearlds needs to dip into the portal to fill out the roster with only five scholarship players currently available. It’s not finalized that all five will be back. It’s a safe bet Avery Gordon is expected to return, though.

Two potential names have surfaced as portal/recruiting targets:

—Irene Oboavwoduo, a 5-foot-10 guard from Manchester, United Kingdom. Signed with Boston College but opted out after a coaching change. Has scheduled a visit to Purdue but still trying to confirm the date from my end. Was called up to the Great Britain Senior Women's National Team for the EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers last November. Purdue also has three international players scheduled to join the program next season as part of the 2026 recruiting class. Oboavwoduo would join that class if she decides to attend Purdue.

—Meredith Tippner. The one-time Boilermaker recruit signed with Miami (Fla.) after a solid career at Noblesville. She announced last week that she’ll submit her name to the portal, and the Boilermakers are expected to be in the mix. Tippner considered Purdue, Miami (Fla.), and Oklahoma State. She averaged 1.7 points in 8.5 minutes as a freshman. She scored 19 points in 22 minutes against Wake Forest in December. She plays hard, excels on defense, and demonstrates strong leadership qualities. Tippner likely won’t be a double-digit scorer in college, but she brings plenty of attributes that can help a team. Asking her to be the main player in a program that’s re-stocking its roster probably won’t work for both parties.

FINAL FOUR

Is this the year another Big Ten team joins the Boilermakers as national champions? UCLA has the opportunity to become the second conference team to win a national title as a member of the league. Purdue is the only one to accomplish it on the women’s side (1999).

But the Bruins will need to get past Texas, which has looked sharp in the tournament, and likely UConn, the defending national champions. UCLA has the talent and depth to win it all. But the Bruins were blistered by UConn in last year’s Final Four and will need to clear that hurdle. But first, they’ll need to slow down a defensive-minded Texas team that is unforgiving. Just ask Michigan. It’s shaping up as a UCLA-UConn title game matchup.

When was the last time South Carolina was an afterthought in the Final Four?

MORE GRAND SLAMS?

Purdue baseball resumes Big Ten play on Friday, hosting Illinois in a three-game series. Friday’s game has been moved up to 2 p.m. due to rain expected in the early evening. More schedule adjustments may be needed since it’s supposed to rain throughout Saturday.

The Boilermakers hit four grand slams last week. They didn’t hit one on Tuesday at Indiana State. But maybe Big Ten play brings out more grand slams.