This week, in advance of Purdue opening preseason practice Friday, GoldandBlack.com is taking a detailed look at each of Purdue's scholarship players for the 2015-16 season.
We are going in descending order by height for order. Now: Sophomore guard Dakota Mathias
Where things stand: Mathias is coming off a rock-solid freshman season, but one he can clearly improve upon.
He was set back last summer by illness and last fall by ankle problems, along with the conditioning issues that came from being sick.
He's been mostly healthy this off-season, though, and by every account was one of the team's most improved players, if not its most improved. He tore people up in summer open gym, for whatever its worth and shot the ball the way he expects to, not the way he might have last season.
Mathias is probably Purdue's best passer. He boasted a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a freshman and at times made passes others wouldn't so much as have the gall to attempt.
And he held up defensively better than people figured he would.
Mathias' value goes far beyond his shooting, but if he shoots better than the 32 percent he shot last season, his value will explode.
Keys to success: Stay healthy. That would seem like the biggest thing for him.
He can get quicker and stronger, but generally speaking Mathias' physical up-side is limited. He kind of is what he is. But his threshold for improvement might lie most simply in the better conditioning that comes from better health.
From basketball IQ and competitive standpoints, not sure Purdue can ask for a whole lot more
Projected role: Not sure who will be Purdue's No. 1 2-guard when practice starts tomorrow - Mathias because he finished last season as the starter or Kendall Stephens because he's older. But Purdue has two starters at that position, making for an interesting competition and combination. Not sure how much Purdue can play them together at the 2 and 3 either, due to defensive matchups.
Mathias will play a lot though. He's one of Purdue's most reliable players and can be a critical chemistry guy on offense due to his mind and passing ability.
Beyond that, Mathias and Stephens hold the key to answering Purdue's biggest need: Make jump shots.
What the future may hold: Mathias, again, kind of is what he is, but there's no reason to think he can't be a good college player now and a very good college player down the line.
If you had to take bets on which Boilermaker might be most likely to make the biggest jump from last year to this one, Mathias might be a good pick.
------------------------------
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2015. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.
