Love him or hate him, you can’t ignore graduate transfer on UK’s radar
When it comes to the hot new name in Kentucky basketball recruiting, UK fans should brace themselves for a love-hate relationship. Matt Haarms has been that kind of polarizing figure as a player for Purdue.
“He is beloved in West Lafayette,” said Jon Crispin, a commentator for the Big Ten Network. “The crowd loves him. He’s also the kind of guy that opponents will despise. But, you’ll love having him on your team.”
Since putting his name in the NCAA’s transfer portal, Haarms has drawn interest from Kentucky. That’s why the Big Blue Nation could fall in love with this polarizing dynamic. As for the hate part, Louisville has reportedly shown interest. So have such Southeastern Conference schools as Arkansas, Mississippi and South Carolina.
At 7-foot-3, Haarms is impossible to ignore. An eye-catching hairstyle that rises several inches from his skull and a willingness to play with unabashed emotion make him a target for affection or revulsion depending on a fan’s rooting interest.
“He gets the worst from every fan base,” Crispin said Tuesday. “And I think it’s because of the emotions he plays with. He’s always got a fist pump. He’s always fixing his hair. But he’s very emotional, and opposing fans and players just despise that. He’s blocking shots, and lets you know about it.”
The nadir might have come at Minnesota’s Senior Night in 2019 when a storming of the court after the Golden Gophers defeated Purdue led one fan to give Haarms a double dose of a middle finger.
When it was suggested that his description of Haarms brought to mind Kentucky fans’ dislike of former Florida big man Joakim Noah, Crispin said, “Oh yes. That’s a great one.”
ESPN commentator Dan Dakich said Haarms’ emotional involvement in games contributes to his impact on the court.
“He’s a high-energy guy, which at 7-3 is weird …,” Dakich said. “He’s high energy. He’s high enthusiasm.”
Haarms, a native of Amsterdam, Netherlands, averaged 8.6 points and 4.6 rebounds for Purdue this past season. He divided time with another player, Trevion Williams, which contributed to an average of 20.5 minutes a game.
“He didn’t have a very good year offensively,” Dakich said of Haarms. “In fact, I would argue that he regressed a little bit.”
That said, Dakich added, “He’s active as hell. He blocked shots.”
Haarms led Purdue with 57 blocks. The rest of the team had 52.
Crispin said that Haarms “plays more like a European.” He meant a big man who has shooting range out to the three-point line. (He made 10 of 32 shots from beyond the arc last season).
“He’s actually very agile for a guy his size,” Crispin said. “He runs very well, which is why I think he’d do very well at a fast-paced program. I think that would suit him better actually than Purdue would.
“When I heard Kentucky would be one of those teams reaching out to him, I thought that would be a terrific fit.”
Crispin likened Haarms to former UK players Willie Cauley-Stein and Nerlens Noel. Both were “bigs” would make up for lack of bulk with athleticism and skill.
As a plus, after averaging 20.5 minutes last season, Haarms might find it easier to fit into the team-first approach that UK Coach John Calipari favors.
“If I’m Cal, I’m looking at a guy like this and going, ‘I don’t have to do anything for this guy,’” Crispin said. “He’s got great experience. He understands how to operate within an offense. He makes good reads.”
And having played for Matt Painter at Purdue, Haarms is accustomed to being — as Dakich put it — “coached hard.”
Both television analysts were not surprised by the immediate and widespread interest in Haarms as a graduate transfer.
“I bet every school that has any aspirations at all is after him,” Dakich said. “No question.”
“I don’t know if he’s going to be all-SEC or anything like that. But, of all the people out there, I’d guess he’d be the guy everybody is after. No question.”
