Purdue Basketball Lands Commitment From International Star Omer Mayer
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Purdue has added another major piece to its championship-contending roster for the 2025-26 season. The Boilermakers have landed a commitment from Israeli basketball star Omer Mayer, a 6-foot-3 guard who spent time with EuroLeague's Maccabi Tel Aviv BC.
Mayer could have continued to play in EuroLeague but decided that he wanted to go the college basketball route in preparation for a potential career in the NBA. Purdue coach Matt Painter and his staff were quick to act and their interest in the international basketball star paid off.
Mayer is considered the top international prospect in the 2025 class.
Playing in the U18 Israeli League this past season, Mayer averaged 12.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He recently scored 11 points and dished out three assists in a EuroLeague contest against Bayern.
This is another significant pick-up for the Boilermakers, who are hoping to make another Final Four run during the 2025-26 season. Shortly after Purdue was bounced from the NCAA Tournament by Houston, the program landed a commitment from 6-foot-11 center and former South Dakota State star Oscar Cluff.
Cluff's commitment provided some much-needed help to Purdue's front line, which will now consist of Daniel Jacobsen, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Cluff.
Mayer will had some serious depth to the backcourt, as he's a skilled point guard with excellent shot-making skills, as well as the ability to find shooters around him. He'll join a group that consists of Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith, All-Big Ten honorable mention Fletcher Loyer and rising sophomore contributors CJ Cox and Gicarri Harris.
Purdue finished the 2024-25 season with a 24-12 record and reached the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. Although it was a solid season in West Lafayette, the Boilers fell short of their two main goals: Winning a third consecutive Big Ten championship and reaching the Final Four for a second straight season.
With the addition of Mayer, Purdue is going to be one of the preseason favorites to not only reach the Final Four, but win the 2026 national championship in college basketball.
Omer Mayer highlights
During Hoop Summit, Omer Mayer showed flashes of why he could be an immediate collegiate contributor and is an intriguing long-term NBA prospect.
— Jam Hines (@jamontheboards) April 13, 2025
Confident playmaker, ambidextrous passing, feel and pace on top of a stout 6’3 frame pic.twitter.com/tdPmBSTbHM
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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