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Purdue Women’s Basketball: Introducing The Incoming Recruiting Class

Katie Gearlds secured a good group for 2023!

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: FEB 13 Womens - Purdue at Wisconsin Photo by Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It has been another eventful offseason for Purdue women’s basketball as three main contributors left the program (five in total) and five talented players come into the fold. Three of them are freshmen (Ainhoa Holzer, Addison Potts, and Lilly Stoddard) and the remaining two are transfers (Lasha Petree and Caitlyn Harper).

Here is a look at the incoming Boilermakers for the 2023 season:

  • Caitlyn Harper: No. 34 (Redshirt-Senior Transfer)

Harper is the more accomplished transfer coming from Cal Baptist where she averaged 13.8 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game last season. Those numbers earned her 2021-22 WAC Player of the Year as well. She will come in right away to compete for a starting spot alongside Rickie Woltman at the other frontcourt spot.

  • Lasha Petree: No. 11 (Redshirt-Senior Transfer)

Purdue is Petree’s third and final stop throughout her college career. After playing three years at Bradley, she played with Big Ten rival, Rutgers last season. In her one season with the Scarlet Knights, she started 26 of 31 games, averaging 8.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Petree is a sniper from three-point range, shooting 38.4% from downtown last year. She should slide in with Cassidy Hardin to provide more shooting for the Boilermakers.

  • Ainhoa Holzer No. 2 (Freshman)

Holzer is an international product out of Switzerland where she has a lot of valuable experience. She was also named to the Swiss National Team this year in preparation for the 2023 Women’s EuroBasket qualifiers. That is incredibly impressive for a player of that age. Holzer might not have the most buzz at the moment, but I think she will step onto campus and have a large role immediately.

  • Lilly Stoddard No. 31 (Freshman)

An Indiana All-Star from Crown Point, Stoddard is the most highly touted of the three freshmen coming to campus. She is ranked as the 87th best player in the class by ESPN HoopGurlz. Stoddard is also a proven winner, having a 103-7 record in high school, with four sectional championships and a state title. It will be interesting to see how she fits in with the other post presences, Rickie Woltman, Ava Learn, and Caitlyn Harper in particular.

  • Addison Potts No. 30 (Freshman)

The final member of the class is the 2022 Florida Miss Basketball. She has played high school basketball for 6 years... yes 6 years. That speaks to just how talented she is. Last season, she averaged 21.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. Potts could very well end up being the best of the bunch and play a bit of a Madison Layden role as she progresses in her Purdue career.