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Former Purdue Center Matt Haarms Declares for NBA Draft

Former Purdue Center Matt Haarms Declares for NBA Draft

Matt Haarms, a 7-foot-3 center, played three seasons for Purdue before transferring to BYU for his senior season. He played in 127 games and made 64 starts during his collegiate career.
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Former Purdue center Matt Haarms announced Friday he would declare for the NBA Draft, forgoing his final year of college basketball eligibility. He played three seasons with Purdue and one with BYU. 

The 7-foot-3 center appeared in 102 games and made 40 starts for the Boilermakers between 2017 and 2020. He averaged 7.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks during that span. Haarms ranks fourth all-time in Purdue history with 210 career blocks and sixth in field goal percentage at 58.2%. 

As a junior, he averaged 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and two blocks per game. During his sophomore season in 2018-19, he led the Big Ten Conference with 2.1 blocks per game with a league-leading 63.2% shooting efficiency from the field. 

Haarms helped Purdue advance to the Elite Eight of the 2019 NCAA Tournament while earning a 26-10 record. He averaged 12 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 65.6% from the field in four tournament games that year. 

With Haarms, the Boilermakers also earned a 30-7 record in 2017-18 and a trip to the Sweet 16. 

After starting only 15 games as a junior, Haarms announced his transfer to BYU in 2020. In one season with the Cougars, he appeared in 25 games while making 24 starts. 

At BYU, Haarms set career-highs with 23 minutes and 11.3 points per game while adding five rebounds and two blocks per contest. After his uptick in production, Haarms decided not to utilize the extra season of eligibility that was granted to athletes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"However, while my year here was one I will never forget, it is time for me to move on into the next chapter of my life," Haarms said on a post made to his Instagram page. "After many conversations with those I trust, I have decided to forgo my final year of eligibility and enter the NBA Draft." 

Haarms graduated from Purdue in the spring of 2020 with a degree in political science. 

  • BIG TEN RECRUITS' FINAL RANKINGS: Three Big Ten basketball programs brought in five-star recruits in their 2021 recruiting classes. Michigan currently boasts the top-rated group of commits in the country, according to 247Sports. CLICK HERE
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  • RECRUITS IN THE HALL OF FAME CLASSIC: Purdue 2022 recruits Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith will compete in the 2021 Raymond James Hall of Fame Classic on Dec. 30. Both players were Indiana Junior All-Stars last season. CLICK HERE

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