HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i men's basketball coach Eran Ganot continued to add to his front line presence with the addition of stretch forward and Australian native Jack Purchase. Purchase (6'9, 215 lbs.) played at Auburn University last year and will sit out the 2015-16 season due to NCAA transfer rules. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
 
"We are fired up to welcome Jack to the Rainbow Warrior basketball family," said Ganot. "Jack is well regarded for his high skill set and tremendous basketball IQ, particularly at his size. He and his terrific family are a great fit for our program, this university, and the islands. It's no secret that Australia is a place we would like to target and for Jack to start us off there is a real shot in the arm. He comes from the very highly respected Melbourne Tigers program, where his father, Nigel, played professionally."
 
Prior to his one season at Auburn, Purchase enjoyed a highly successful career in his home country, tasting success in the Victorian Junior Basketball League (VJBL), Australian Junior National Championships and National Junior Classics. Representing his state of Victoria, he won the U20 Australian Junior National Championship in 2013, but it was one year earlier that he made his mark internationally. He helped the U-17 Australian national team to a silver medal at the FIBA World Championship in Lithuania, averaging 4.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game playing alongside NBA-bound Dante Exum and Ben Simmons.
 
Purchase continued to impress, leading the Melbourne Tigers that same year to the Big V (U23) title. He averaged 21.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and five assists per game and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Adding to his impressive stat line, he showed signs of the versatility he'll bring to Hawai'i, shooting just under 50% at the tournament from beyond the arc.
 
He made his jump to collegiate level last year, playing at Auburn where he made his impact off the bench in seven contests.
 
"While we are thrilled with his current abilities," added Ganot, "the opportunity is there to make significant strides as his potential and ceiling are very high. Jack has a very bright future and we are ecstatic it will be at the University of Hawai'i."