Incoming Purdue women's basketball transfer Caitlyn Harper ready to start new chapter

WEST LAFAYETTE – The scholarship offer list for Wisconsin native Caitlyn Harper while playing at Arrowhead High School was small.

As in two Division I programs. And let’s not forget a handful of NCAA Division II schools were interested.

Harper now finds herself as a member of the Purdue women’s basketball program after spending four years at Cal Baptist, which was one of the two Division I schools that initially offered her a scholarship. In late April, she announced her decision to join coach Katie Gearlds and the Boilermakers.

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With limited options four years ago, Harper took a chance on herself and traveled halfway around the country to continue playing the game she loved. Her summer coach had a connection at Cal Baptist, creating an opportunity and a challenge.

“I came out to visit kind of unsure if this would be the place for me and when I got here, I met the team saw the campus and I wanted to take that risk of going far away from home and wanted to experience living in California,” said Harper, who narrowed her list to Alabama and Minnesota before picking the Boilermakers.

The 6-foot-1 Harper enjoyed her experience on the West Coast, learning new cultures and thriving on the court. She was named the WAC Player of the Year last season, overcame an ACL injury in 2019-20, averaged 13.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and shot 52.5% from the floor throughout her career.

But it was time to move closer to home.

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What was a 28 to 30-hour journey from her hometown of Heartland, Wis., to Riverside, Calif., becomes a 3 ½ hour drive to Purdue’s campus for her two years of eligibility.

“It was one of the best things I’ve done, but I’m looking forward to moving back home and starting a new chapter,” Harper said.

Moving far away from home forced Harper to “mature a little faster” during her freshman season and deal with a lot of unknowns both on and off the court. She battled being homesick and leaned on building relationships within the program but also outside of the team.

That foundation helped when Harper suffered a knee injury five games into the 2019-20 season. She was averaging 16.2 points and nine rebounds before her season ended.

“Now I don’t take any day I don’t get to play for granted,” Harper said. “As college athletes, there are days we aren’t feeling it as much as we do on other days. Going through that experience and being sidelined puts into perspective how special it is to be out on the court and how lucky we are to be out there.

“It made me a better player and I tried to enjoy it and stress about other things.”

Harper picked up where she left off before the injury, earning All-WAC second-team honors the next season after recording five double-doubles. This past season, Harper averaged 17.8 points, including 12 games of 20 or more points on her way to being named the league’s top player.

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“That was special,” she said. “I didn’t see it coming. I was very fortunate to have the people vote that way. My teammates made it happen. It’s a great accomplishment.”

Harper will bring more depth to Purdue’s inside game, joining Rickie Woltman and Ava Learn. Her versatility will put Harper in the mix to challenge for a starting spot from the first practice and give the Boilermakers another scoring option to go along with the perimeter threats.

Harper has developed into a 3-point threat, adding another dimension to her game. Over the last two seasons, she’s made 33.3% from beyond the arc.

“The past four years I’ve expanded out and been shooting a lot of 3s and working on taking people off the dribble from the perimeter and being a better passer,” Harper said. “Over the last 4 years, I’ve gotten better in all those areas and I feel comfortable in both spots.”

Purdue can use Harper’s skills as Gearlds looks to restock the program with improved talent and push the Boilermakers forward in the Big Ten standings.

“Talking to them and what their vision is for the next couple of years made me excited and made me feel like it was the place for me,” Harper said. “I think it’s a great opportunity.

"I think they’re headed in the right direction. We have the potential to be really good. I’m excited to contribute and work toward those goals with my teammates and I think it’s a real opportunity for us to prove something.”

Mike Carmin covers Purdue sports for the Journal & Courier. Email mcarmin@gannett.com and follow on Twitter and Instagram @carmin_jc

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue women's basketball: Caitlyn Harper ready to start new chapter