July 19, 2001

Matt Brann and Brian Neubert
GoldandBlack.com

Gearlds, from Beech Grove High School, is a virtual clone of former Purdue All-American Katie Douglas, from her skills and versatility on the court, to her physical appearance and 6-foot-1 frame, to her mannerisms on and off the floor.

That's no coincidence, either.

"Katie Douglas is awesome," said Gearlds, who earlier this summer was named to the AAU 16-and-under All-America team. "She's my favorite player to watch. She's so versatile and I like to pattern my game after her."

Gearlds said she's being recruited by some schools as a shooting guard, while Duke likes her as a point guard, her preferred position. In high school, she plays just about everywhere.

"I'm versatile. I can play the 1, 2, 3 or 4 and if I really need to I can play the 5," she said. "I'm not real fond of crashing and banging, but I can if I'm needed to. I like to play the point because I like to lead and control the game by playing at my tempo and getting my teammates involved."

As a sophomore, Gearlds finished second in the state in scoring, averaging 27.0 points per game for Beech Grove, just southwest of Indianapolis. As a freshman, she averaged 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists.

It's easy to see why Gearlds is considered one of the best rising juniors in the nation, and why she's drawn recruiting interest from several national powers already.

Purdue and Notre Dame have already offered Gearlds scholarships in what could prove to be the first major in-state recruiting tug-of-war between the two schools following their meeting in the 2001 national title game. Duke and Tennessee are also heavily involved.

"Right now I like Purdue and Notre Dame because they're close to home, Duke because it's beautiful and Tennessee because it's always been a dream of mine," Gearlds said.

At this time, though, Purdue appears to be in the driver's seat. In the past, Gearlds has pointed to the Boilermakers as her clear favorite, which she says is still the case.

"Right now, I would say Purdue's my favorite," said Gearlds, who attended several Purdue games this past season, sitting behind the bench wearing Purdue apparel on several occasions. "The atmosphere up there is unbelievable, the coaches are awesome and it's really close to home."

While Purdue is the leader, an early commitment from one of the nation's elite players may not be forthcoming.

"I want to take my time and take some official visits so I look at all my options," she said.

Russell, meanwhile, is also high on the Boilermakers' wish list. The 6-5 center from Terre Haute South High School is a wiry athlete with long limbs and tremendous athleticism.

Despite giving up several pounds to older, heavier centers at the camp, Russell held her own in the post thanks to her shot-blocking ability and soft shooting touch from up to 15 feet. There were a few campers taller than Russell, so it provided her the chance to go up against bigger competition, something she doesn't get to do very often in high school.

"I love playing against girls who are my height and taller than me," Russell said. "I played against a 6-7 girl here and it's more competition for me. In high school I usually go against smaller girls, but I love playing against girls my size to see where my skills are.

"I know I always need to get better at something. Right now I'm working on my weight lifting. There have been girls bigger than me, but it's just your mindset. If you think you can handle them inside, you usually can. I just think about my mental toughness and that helps me against those players."

Russell's short but early list of colleges is fairly impressive. Along with the Boilermakers, she's considering Notre Dame, Tennessee and Stanford. In the early stages of the recruiting process, it appears Curry and Co. may hold a slight edge. Russell attended a couple of Boilermaker basketball games last season and said she would like to attend Curry's basketball camp next summer.

"Purdue is definitely one of the top schools I'm interested in," she said.