An Interesting Day Lies Ahead

The Boiling Point: Here’s a recap of what transpired on Monday and what lies ahead on Tuesday in regards to courting Matt Painter.

Another 24 hours of the Matt Painter saga has past and it might have been the most busy day in terms of actual news. While the previous four days had plenty of talk about Missouri pursuing Painter, Painter talking with Missouri and potential contracts being on the table, Monday set up what should be a very eventful Tuesday.

Here’s what went down on Monday to help set up a busy Tuesday.

-Former Purdue coach Gene Keady toured the radio circuit sharing his thoughts on what Painter might do. Keady coached Painter in college and then picked him to be his successor for the Boilers. Early in the day, Keady seemed confident Painter wouldn’t leave West Lafayette, but as the day progressed Keady’s sureness digressed.

"“When I talked with him a day ago, he didn’t sound like he was interested in leaving at all,” Keady told GoldandBlack.com, Rivals’ Purdue affiliated site, late Monday night. “Then today it’s kind of a different story so I don’t know for sure right now. Like I said, it’s touch and go.”"

If there’s a handful of people in the loop on what Painter might do, Keady is in that group. Keady did make it clear Painter is looking for a quality commitment to the basketball program, whether that’s Purdue or Missouri. That’s a commitment not even Keady saw during his time at Purdue, he told GBI.

"“No, never has been,” Keady said about if Purdue’s commitment to basketball is where it needs to be. “Your assistants have to be well paid. Assistants all need cars … only (Purdue athletic director) Morgan (Burke) can answer that, what he’s willing to give. I can’t answer it. Just because I say it doesn’t make it true. You have to stay ahead of the game. You can’t always be catching up. You have to get ahead of the game.”"

Again, early in the day Keady thought Painter would stay, but by the time he talked with GBI, that had changed. He wasn’t sure what Painter might do.

-Missouri officials flew down to Florida, where Painter is on a family vacation, to meet with the prospective coach, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune, as well as other reports. That meeting is taking place Tuesday morning and is expected to include a contract offer that some have estimated could be $14 million over seven years. The confirmation of Tuesday’s meeting quieted down a lot of talk on Twitter, specially from @NYDNDickWeiss, on a deal already agreed upon.

-That same report from the Columbia Daily Tribune got word from Purdue’s sports information office that Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke was out of the office traveling and couldn’t be reached. The destination wasn’t shared and could mean nothing, but could add intrigue if Burke is also headed to Florida.

-If Purdue’s players know anything, they are doing a good job not sharing. Multiple news outlets, including TheBoilingPoints.com, haven’t gotten any information regarding Painter’s future from players. Brian Neubert of GBI reported this.

"We know players and recruits have been told little and what they have been told has been non-committal. Painter and his staff, we’d imagine, would be the types to be very careful not to be deceptive in matters like this. So by saying nothing, maybe they’re saying something.Suffice to say, players aren’t thrilled about this. And Purdue’s six unsigned verbal commitments have something to think about."

-Missouri has been very public about wanting a hire by midweek and considering it has been on Painter from Day 1, its going to make a stiff push at him on Tuesday. And Painter’s going to have to make a decision quickly. Not minutes or necessarily hours, but it would seem Missouri would want to move on by Wednesday, with or without him. If it doesn’t end by then, the saga will be approaching a week, which is a long time for Purdue’s program to be in limbo with Painter. That could be detrimental to relationships and trust Painter has been testing during the past couple days.

-The hire would be a home run for Missouri. The Kansas City Star talked to several AAU coaches about how much Painter’s presence would help open up a pipeline from KC to Missouri.

"KC Pump N Run coach L.J. Goolsby told The Star on Monday that he had no recent contact with Painter but that he knows Painter from when he recruited Michael Dixon, a former Pump N Run player who is now a sophomore point guard for Missouri.“I think it would be great if he does get it,” Goolsby said. “It would be a great hire for Mizzou.“He’s a great guy. He works his butt off. He recruits well. He’s great at building relationships.”"

-Regardless of the outcome, Burke is going to be in a difficult position. It appeared he wasn’t going to be around much longer with the Mackey Arena Renovation Project nearing completion and the expansion of Ross-Ade Stadium on hold. If he planned on staying longer, this whole ordeal might expedite that. He’s been raked through the coals by fans and media, and he likely will have some type of explaining to do once the dust settles.

For full coverage of Tuesday’s happenings, continue to follow TheBoilingPoints.com here and also on Twitter @PUBoilingPoints.