D.J. Byrd, a 6′4″ wing from the class of 2009, has given a verbal pledge to play for Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers. Byrd, who will be a junior at North Montgomery in Crawfordsville, chose Purdue over Indiana, Notre Dame, Xavier and Butler.

Crawfordsville is located approximately 30 miles south of West Lafayette and its no secret that Byrd grew up rooting for Purdue. Therefore, this news comes as no surprise to many.

There’s no question that Painter and staff are stockpiling talent from inside the state. His 2007 class featured four Indiana All-Stars in E’Twaun Moore, Scott Martin, Robbie Hummel and Jajuan Johnson.

And now with Byrd in the fold, Painter’s attention will turn to Lawrence North’s Stephan Van Treese (an AAU teammate of Byrd’s) and Tipton’s Derek Elston who are also primary IU targets for the 2009 class. These recruiting battles between Painter and Coach Sampson will only add more fuel to the revived rivalry between IU and Purdue.