Purdue size

[BoilerDaddy]

If Purdue goes with an 8 man rotation of Hammons, Haas, Swanigan, Edwards, Davis, Stephens. Mathias, and Hill, the average height will be about 6'8" with quite a bit of length and strength. That's NBA size. Would there be a bigger rotation in the country?

Of course, it's not the quickest group. I think that Painter will definitely make some adjustments to his man D to take advantage of the strengths of that group. I think the Painter's D will look a lot like Sean Miller's did last year at Arizona when the Wildcats had great length and played a very efficient pack-line style D. It should be fun and interesting to watch.

 

[GregJM24]

Taylor could get some play too.

But there's almost no doubt PJ will get significant minutes.

 

[BoilerDaddy]

Taylor could get some play too.

But there's almost no doubt PJ will get significant minutes.

You are probably right about PJ. I don't think that he'll play a lot of minutes, but he'll most likely be in the rotation. He's certainly the exception on the team regarding height and length.

I don't know about Taylor, but my guess is that by January he's no longer getting regular minutes.

Smotherman, on the other hand, could come off the bench for 5-10 minutes a game to provide a spark. It's hard to see where those minutes will come from, however. (I'd actually like to see him redshirt if he isn't going to play.)

Regardless, Purdue will be playing a ton of size this year.

 

[GipperProductions]

If Purdue goes with an 8 man rotation of Hammons, Haas, Swanigan, Edwards, Davis, Stephens. Mathias, and Hill, the average height will be about 6'8" with quite a bit of length and strength. That's NBA size. Would there be a bigger rotation in the country?

Of course, it's not the quickest group. I think that Painter will definitely make some adjustments to his man D to take advantage of the strengths of that group. I think the Painter's D will look a lot like Sean Miller's did last year at Arizona when the Wildcats had great length and played a very efficient pack-line style D. It should be fun and interesting to watch.

 

[GipperProductions]

Imagine if Cline come in with near Mount type shooting ability and Taylor proves much better than he's showed due to his injuries to go along with the above mentioned

 

[BoilerJS]

Imagine if Cline come in with near Mount type shooting ability and Taylor proves much better than he's showed due to his injuries to go along with the above mentioned

Practices will be very competitive. When your second five can start for many of D1 schools, it really helps for everyone to get better. The second five being Haas, Taylor, Stephens or Mathias, PJ, Basil. Cline may even start for a lot of teams.

 

[thenagemj02]

If Purdue goes with an 8 man rotation of Hammons, Haas, Swanigan, Edwards, Davis, Stephens. Mathias, and Hill, the average height will be about 6'8" with quite a bit of length and strength. That's NBA size. Would there be a bigger rotation in the country?

Of course, it's not the quickest group. I think that Painter will definitely make some adjustments to his man D to take advantage of the strengths of that group. I think the Painter's D will look a lot like Sean Miller's did last year at Arizona when the Wildcats had great length and played a very efficient pack-line style D. It should be fun and interesting to watch.

Well, this is probably one of the biggest, or at least tallest, Purdue teams ever from top to bottom. Yeah, there's not really anyone you can point to and say that they're a "speedster" or anything like that. A lot of people on here that seem to be "traditionalists" don't want to hear it, but going back to the 2-3 zone at times (I repeat, "at times") could help this team. They didn't use it in enough games last season to start seeing progress being made with it. CMP gave up on it too quickly, IMO. I think a 1-3-1 or 2-2-1 could be even more effective than a 2-3 with this group.

 

[GodFamilyCountryPurdue]

Well, this is probably one of the biggest, or at least tallest, Purdue teams ever from top to bottom. Yeah, there's not really anyone you can point to and say that they're a "speedster" or anything like that. A lot of people on here that seem to be "traditionalists" don't want to hear it, but going back to the 2-3 zone at times (I repeat, "at times") could help this team. They didn't use it in enough games last season to start seeing progress being made with it. CMP gave up on it too quickly, IMO. I think a 1-3-1 or 2-2-1 could be even more effective than a 2-3 with this group.

It has nothing to do with being a "traditionalist". It has more to do with seeing how poorly we played the zone last year. I'd love to see us implement a zone but not if it looks like it did last year.

 

[BoilerDaddy]

It has nothing to do with being a "traditionalist". It has more to do with seeing how poorly we played the zone last year. I'd love to see us implement a zone but not if it looks like it did last year.

Last year also gave me a better appreciation for how good Purdue's half court man D is. I advocated for zone quite a bit in the prior offseason, but seeing how much more effective Purdue was in man got me off that bandwagon in a hurry. Purdue's man D featured a lot of help last season. There were zone concepts incorporated and Hammons was used very effectively.

It was a lot tougher for Haas, but I think he'll be a much better defender as a sophomore, because he's coachable and a hard worker.

 

[BoilerDeac]

Smotherman redshirting? Would he actually even agree to that?

 

[Dryfly88]

Last year also gave me a better appreciation for how good Purdue's half court man D is. I advocated for zone quite a bit in the prior offseason, but seeing how much more effective Purdue was in man got me off that bandwagon in a hurry. Purdue's man D featured a lot of help last season. There were zone concepts incorporated and Hammons was used very effectively.

It was a lot tougher for Haas, but I think he'll be a much better defender as a sophomore, because he's coachable and a hard worker.

I completely agree with this. I kept complaining that they should play more zone. But once they settled in during the second half of the season and really clamped down on people I quit asking for zone defense. That being said, if they could play zone effectively it would be great to be able to sprinkle one in from time to time. It gives teams more that they have to prepare for and causes mid-game adjustments that sometimes throws a team off.

 

[proudopete]

I completely agree with this. I kept complaining that they should play more zone. But once they settled in during the second half of the season and really clamped down on people I quit asking for zone defense. That being said, if they could play zone effectively it would be great to be able to sprinkle one in from time to time. It gives teams more that they have to prepare for and causes mid-game adjustments that sometimes throws a team off.

I'm on the fence about this subject. A good man to man is always hard to score on, especially if you have size.
Last season it almost seemed like Painter over did the zone early on, hoping it would fail so he could say, "see, zone sucks".

That being said, if we could pull it off well for short stints, I wouldn't be against it.

 

[tjreese]

Well, this is probably one of the biggest, or at least tallest, Purdue teams ever from top to bottom. Yeah, there's not really anyone you can point to and say that they're a "speedster" or anything like that. A lot of people on here that seem to be "traditionalists" don't want to hear it, but going back to the 2-3 zone at times (I repeat, "at times") could help this team. They didn't use it in enough games last season to start seeing progress being made with it. CMP gave up on it too quickly, IMO. I think a 1-3-1 or 2-2-1 could be even more effective than a 2-3 with this group.

I’m a man to man person as “almost” everything can be done in a man that can be done in a zone with many advantages in the man. However, I can agree with you on the zone to a degree. Purdue’s zone was too spread out initially and allowed KSU to hit the short corner too easily and the way Purdue covered the trigger man on out of bounds under the basket left a baseline shot that beat them by Northern Florida. That said, a zone or match-up might be another look for this team. Then again, this team has enough depth that fouling out should not be a huge concern by playing tough man…other than the opposing team living at the line. Personally, I wish it was available for effective use in very limited roles, but it is hard to be effective without a lot of practice time.

Normally, I think a 1-3-1 is easy to attack, but with the length of Purdue this might be a very solid look. It is rare to see a 2-2-1 played, but a 1-2-2 provides good perimeter coverage with that hole in the middle. Haas wouldn’t be an ideal person for a 1-2-2, but could also play the 1-3-1 and 2-3. Anyway, I’m almost always a man person ,but the zone does make the opposing team be more organized and so it is a valuable look to have. The fact that Purdue got decent at man may reduce some fears by Matt in teaching more zone this year. “IF” Purdue play a zone effective and with the length force some outside shots…it may lead to some run outs for the Boilers…

 

[thenagemj02]

It has nothing to do with being a "traditionalist". It has more to do with seeing how poorly we played the zone last year. I'd love to see us implement a zone but not if it looks like it did last year.

They didn't even play it enough to give themselves enough time to improve upon it. They have to keep it in their arsenal for at least one full season before they can really evaluate it, IMO. Obviously most people aren't good at doing something when they first try it. It takes time. I don't think that's any different with a team using a new wrinkle in its defense more than a couple of possessions a game for the first time in ages for the program.

 

[dwhitebash11]

Smotherman isn't red-shirting. On top of that, he will play 5-10 minutes, and he will play an important part for this team.

 

[BoilerDeac]

Smotherman isn't red-shirting. On top of that, he will play 5-10 minutes, and he will play an important part for this team.

Do you think Smotherman thinks he will only be playing 5-10 minutes?

 

[dwhitebash11]

I don't think anyone thinks about how many minutes they will be playing for this team. But I think Smotherman knows he won't be a starter, but he is the second best defender on our team, and brings the type of energy that nobody else brings. I also don't find him to be horrible on the offensive side. He seems scared to shoot it at times. He has a nice release, good form to his shot. Doesn't make many boneheaded mistakes, or turnovers. Is another 6'6 body, a player who can be put anywhere between 2-4 and not really miss a beat. He has confidence issues, IMO. If he overcomes those, I think he can be very good, potentially NBA.

 

[BoilerDeac]

I don't think anyone thinks about how many minutes they will be playing for this team. But I think Smotherman knows he won't be a starter, but he is the second best defender on our team, and brings the type of energy that nobody else brings. I also don't find him to be horrible on the offensive side. He seems scared to shoot it at times. He has a nice release, good form to his shot. Doesn't make many boneheaded mistakes, or turnovers. Is another 6'6 body, a player who can be put anywhere between 2-4 and not really miss a beat. He has confidence issues, IMO. If he overcomes those, I think he can be very good, potentially NBA.

I agree with all of those things. My point was that, if he only gets 5-10 minutes per game, I wouldn't be surprised if that doesn't sit too well with Basil, especially as an upper-classman.

 

[BoilerDeac]

I agree with all of those things. Basil's athleticism is something that not many other guys on this team (maybe none) can bring. His shooting form does appear to be good, but the results don't show it. I think you're right; a lot of it is probably related to confidence. The kid runs the floor like a gazelle, and I love the way he goes up and snatches rebounds. I would love to see him develop, offensively, but I'm not sure that's going to happen, given the current state of the roster, and how deep it is.

My point was that, if he only gets 5-10 minutes per game, I wouldn't be surprised if that doesn't sit too well with Basil, especially as an upper-classman.

 

[proudopete]

I don't think anyone thinks about how many minutes they will be playing for this team. But I think Smotherman knows he won't be a starter, but he is the second best defender on our team, and brings the type of energy that nobody else brings. I also don't find him to be horrible on the offensive side. He seems scared to shoot it at times. He has a nice release, good form to his shot. Doesn't make many boneheaded mistakes, or turnovers. Is another 6'6 body, a player who can be put anywhere between 2-4 and not really miss a beat. He has confidence issues, IMO. If he overcomes those, I think he can be very good, potentially NBA.

I could see Basil getting plenty of minutes if one of Stephens or Marhias struggle. In certain situations his defense, athleticism and size could be exactly what a cold shooting team needs. His shot isn't terrible and he can get to the basket if need be.

 

[Chuchumutha]

They didn't even play it enough to give themselves enough time to improve upon it. They have to keep it in their arsenal for at least one full season before they can really evaluate it, IMO. Obviously most people aren't good at doing something when they first try it. It takes time. I don't think that's any different with a team using a new wrinkle in its defense more than a couple of possessions a game for the first time in ages for the program.

If Painter is going to spend a little more time on an additional D to our MTM, I would prefer that he would concentrate on the press more. We have the depth to spring this more often and catch teams off guard. IMO, he hasn't gone to this enough in the past.

 

[thenagemj02]

If Painter is going to spend a little more time on an additional D to our MTM, I would prefer that he would concentrate on the press more. We have the depth to spring this more often and catch teams off guard. IMO, he hasn't gone to this enough in the past.

I agree that CMP should have/could use the press more often. However, I don't think this team is necessarily as well equipped to disrupt in a press, as say, the one two years ago that had speedsters like Terone's brother and Sterling Carter.

I don't see why CMP couldn't practice both the press and various zone formations. Many coaches have their teams play multiple defenses through the course of a game. Dean Smith used to have his North Carolina teams play a different style defense than their previous one after EVERY single timeout called that resulted in UNC being on D. This old idea held by some that it's impossible for Purdue to practice two or more styles of defense and become effective at them is a bunch of BS. IMO, it's only thought of that way simply because it's a way for fans to rationalize why Keady or Painter did/have not played anything other than Man D consistently over the past 35 years.

 

[BoilerDaddy]

I agree that CMP should have/could use the press more often. However, I don't think this team is necessarily as well equipped to disrupt in a press, as say, the one two years ago that had speedsters like Terone's brother and Sterling Carter.

I don't see why CMP couldn't practice both the press and various zone formations. Many coaches have their teams play multiple defenses through the course of a game. Dean Smith used to have his North Carolina teams play a different style defense than their previous one after EVERY single timeout called that resulted in UNC being on D. This old idea held by some that it's impossible for Purdue to practice two or more styles of defense and become effective at them is a bunch of BS. IMO, it's only thought of that way simply because it's a way for fans to rationalize why Keady or Painter did/have not played anything other than Man D consistently over the past 35 years.

I don't think it's a given that reaching a high level of defensive proficiency just automatically happens with time, and particularly limited time. Remember that Purdue went 2 1/2 seasons leading up to the middle of last season before it figured out how to play its primary defense, i.e. man, the way that Painter expected it to be played. A huge factor that makes Purdue defense great is the coordination when 5 guys are on the same page. I don't think that this is something to be taken for granted. It only happens with a great amount of focus and preparation.

IU is an example of a team that loves to switch defenses, but it is not really good at any of them. The numbers show that Crean has been an effective offensive coach, but poor defense has held his teams back. I know that this is just an anticdote, but I just don't see it being obvious that coaches that prefer a single type of defense are at a disadvantage to coaches such as Crean.

 

[tjreese]

I don't think it's a given that reaching a high level of defensive proficiency just automatically happens with time, and particularly limited time. Remember that Purdue went 2 1/2 seasons leading up to the middle of last season before it figured out how to play its primary defense, i.e. man, the way that Painter expected it to be played. A huge factor that makes Purdue defense great is the coordination when 5 guys are on the same page. I don't think that this is something to be taken for granted. It only happens with a great amount of focus and preparation.

IU is an example of a team that loves to switch defenses, but it is not really good at any of them. The numbers show that Crean has been an effective offensive coach, but poor defense has held his teams back. I know that this is just an anticdote, but I just don't see it being obvious that coaches that prefer a single type of defense are at a disadvantage to coaches such as Crean.

Matt was heavily influenced by Knight and Keady...let that soak in. whatever the D, you are guarding the ball and the players immediately a threat to score. You can do that in a man, zone or match-up zone and the various traps and presses man and zone there as well.

Man is the most versatile and error free. However, zones can cause certain teams more trouble than man once in a while as it too is adaptable. Most coaches play man as most coaches make IT the primary defense...and I agree as it is day in and day out the best D.

Playing any D requires an athlete with enough quickness (and to a lessor degree height) to match the person that he will be guarding. Next, whether zone or man...each player needs to understand the other team as nobody guards the players on the other team the same way. Different players are guarded differently due to their perceived threats. The difference between man and zone are the initial location of players and how close to the purity of guarding an area versus guarding a man THAT particular defense is employing for THAT game. If a team is really in sync offensively due to that magic level or inept D for whatever reason...a zone may work like a timeout in slowing the bleeding and forcing a more organized threat to exist for the offense and possibly turn the tide in certain situations...but enough depth in man may do that as well? Zone whether half court or full is not the key to the success of Purdue Basketball this year. This year chemistry will be crucial...not just mental chemistry, but physical and skillful chemistry. Purdue has a lot of pieces and "quickly" finding the right mix for the particular game will be important IMHO

I believe in a man D, but having a zone or two in the arsenal I think is good. Same way with a zone press that I would rarely want to use with this group...something to have, but hopefully not need. I would rather improve the 95% of the game that may have led to a desire to implement a press and spread the D out betting on a turnover as opposed to a easier D to score against...WITH these players especially...

 

[Chuchumutha]

That's the second time in this thread I've heard that we should stay away from using the press (I don't care if it's zone or man) much because of our personnel. I disagree. Hill, Weatherford, Smotherman, Davis, and Taylor would be a bitch. Even Stephens, Edwards and AJ could sub in, be a part of that group, and be effective as well. We need to try this outside of when we are down 20 with 3 minutes left.

 

[thenagemj02]

I don't think it's a given that reaching a high level of defensive proficiency just automatically happens with time, and particularly limited time. Remember that Purdue went 2 1/2 seasons leading up to the middle of last season before it figured out how to play its primary defense, i.e. man, the way that Painter expected it to be played. A huge factor that makes Purdue defense great is the coordination when 5 guys are on the same page. I don't think that this is something to be taken for granted. It only happens with a great amount of focus and preparation.

IU is an example of a team that loves to switch defenses, but it is not really good at any of them. The numbers show that Crean has been an effective offensive coach, but poor defense has held his teams back. I know that this is just an anticdote, but I just don't see it being obvious that coaches that prefer a single type of defense are at a disadvantage to coaches such as Crean.

Clappy Crean is obviously not the best example for a coach that is effective in having his teams show different looks on D with regularity. Here's some examples of active HC's that do a pretty good job having their teams mix defenses: Andy Toole (Robert Morris), Tad Boyle (Colorado), Lon Kruger (Oklahoma), Jim Larranaga (Miami), John Beilein, Thad Matta, Mike Krzyzewksi, Tom Izzo, Bill Self, Rick Pitino.

If the man-to-man happens to be getting scored on repeatedly at a high-rate (think Notre Dame last season, Michigan State last season, VCU a few years ago as examples of it not working well), it can be beneficial to go with something else that the team is familiar with at that point. We've seen that with the full-court press at times the last couple of seasons (although CMP seemed to use it in desperation rather than a way to stem the tide).

 

[thenagemj02]

That's the second time in this thread I've heard that we should stay away from using the press (I don't care if it's zone or man) much because of our personnel. I disagree. Hill, Weatherford, Smotherman, Davis, and Taylor would be a bitch. Even Stephens, Edwards and AJ could sub in, be a part of that group, and be effective as well. We need to try this outside of when we are down 20 with 3 minutes left.

I wasn't outright saying that it's a bad idea. I just was thinking about how a couple of other Purdue teams were even better for it (IMO). I was just lamenting more than anything.

 

[BoilerDaddy]

Clappy Crean is obviously not the best example for a coach that is effective in having his teams show different looks on D with regularity. Here's some examples of active HC's that do a pretty good job having their teams mix defenses: Andy Toole (Robert Morris), Tad Boyle (Colorado), Lon Kruger (Oklahoma), Jim Larranaga (Miami), John Beilein, Thad Matta, Mike Krzyzewksi, Tom Izzo, Bill Self, Rick Pitino.

If the man-to-man happens to be getting scored on repeatedly at a high-rate (think Notre Dame last season, Michigan State last season, VCU a few years ago as examples of it not working well), it can be beneficial to go with something else that the team is familiar with at that point. We've seen that with the full-court press at times the last couple of seasons (although CMP seemed to use it in desperation rather than a way to stem the tide).

Those are some quality coaches and I can't speak to how much zone each plays, but there are other coaches who do a great job coaching defense who, from what I've seen, stick with one system. Examples, off the top of my head, include Tony Bennett, Jim Boeheim, Bo Ryan, and Sean Miller. I really don't see it as a big deal, one way or another, if a zone is occasionally mixed in, but I definitely think that Painter was wise to abandon it last year before the ship has sailed on Purdue's NCAA Tournament bid.

 

[tjreese]

That's the second time in this thread I've heard that we should stay away from using the press (I don't care if it's zone or man) much because of our personnel. I disagree. Hill, Weatherford, Smotherman, Davis, and Taylor would be a bitch. Even Stephens, Edwards and AJ could sub in, be a part of that group, and be effective as well. We need to try this outside of when we are down 20 with 3 minutes left.

If Purdue were to press with a desire to not wear a team down, but to cause turnovers then I certainly hope it is a zone press and not a man press. I'm not sure that the D that maximizes playing "Hill, Weatherford, Smotherman, Davis, and Taylor" as you listed provides the best team on the court. A press beats the hell out of a bad teams, but good teams beat a press. I obviously disagree that Purdue is a pressing team...not that it couldn't be employed sometimes..just that I don't list "quickness" as an attribute of the many strengths of Purdue. Now if you want to throw in a half court trap where there is less floor to recover from out of a zone...that may be possible. However, I just don't think of quickness for 94 feet the main attribute for Purdue.

Day and day out...when two good teams play...the winner in the half court wins the game more often than not and that is why most coaches make their bread and butter D defending the basket the best way possible which if heavily tilted to half court play. Again, this is not to say that "practice" in the preseason would hurt as it "might" be a good thing. I do suspect that Matt needs to sell all the players that each were given a fair shot in their pecking orders based upon his bread and butter D. If he were to experiment too much...he may not find time for the combinations.

I suspect Matt will spend many moments determining who plays the best half court D and the best half court O along with who is complimentary to each other in skill sets and physical attributes. I'll be surprised it that doesn't consume most early practice time. If Purdue is down 20 at any time this year it will be a shocker...

 

[tjreese]

Those are some quality coaches and I can't speak to how much zone each plays, but there are other coaches who do a great job coaching defense who, from what I've seen, stick with one system. Examples, off the top of my head, include Tony Bennett, Jim Boeheim, Bo Ryan, and Sean Miller. I really don't see it as a big deal, one way or another, if a zone is occasionally mixed in, but I definitely think that Painter was wise to abandon it last year before the ship has sailed on Purdue's NCAA Tournament bid.

There are times I just want to hear some (not suggesting you) tell me why a zone, what kind of zone and what that will do that a man will not do. Now I could be moved towards a match-up zone in place of straight up man much easier. I just think sometimes people don't see the blurring lines of demarcation between a good zone and a man...and that is why I could be moved "off center" to more match-up zone. No matter what I think people think this team could be pretty good...except for those that are overly impressed with a pg that dictates the game by possessing the ball many minutes. Saying that I do know the advantage of a PG in a close game and the clock dwindling down...just want the team to play better the 37 minutes prior...

 

[BoilerDaddy]

If Purdue were to press with a desire to not wear a team down, but to cause turnovers then I certainly hope it is a zone press and not a man press. I'm not sure that the D that maximizes playing "Hill, Weatherford, Smotherman, Davis, and Taylor" as you listed provides the best team on the court. A press beats the hell out of a bad teams, but good teams beat a press. I obviously disagree that Purdue is a pressing team...not that it couldn't be employed sometimes..just that I don't list "quickness" as an attribute of the many strengths of Purdue. Now if you want to throw in a half court trap where there is less floor to recover from out of a zone...that may be possible. However, I just don't think of quickness for 94 feet the main attribute for Purdue.

Day and day out...when two good teams play...the winner in the half court wins the game more often than not and that is why most coaches make their bread and butter D defending the basket the best way possible which if heavily tilted to half court play. Again, this is not to say that "practice" in the preseason would hurt as it "might" be a good thing. I do suspect that Matt needs to sell all the players that each were given a fair shot in their pecking orders based upon his bread and butter D. If he were to experiment too much...he may not find time for the combinations.

I suspect Matt will spend many moments determining who plays the best half court D and the best half court O along with who is complimentary to each other in skill sets and physical attributes. I'll be surprised it that doesn't consume most early practice time. If Purdue is down 20 at any time this year it will be a shocker...

Good post. I think that springing a press could easily backfire for this team and lead to a lot of easy buckets.

There are a lot of well disguised "adjustments" that can be made within the half court D that can stem the tide. Examples include denying passes to a hot player, trapping the ball handler, jumping the passing lanes, switching ball screens etc. I think that Purdue's base D should be a conservative collapsing D that leverages Purdue's length, but that Purdue should rachet up the half court pressure at times to keep the opponent off balance.

 

[HoosierfanJM]

Thought you guys would very, very much enjoy this sb nation review of Swanigan at Adidas Nation. The article seems to think that both Purdue and IU could be very hard to play against this year, and that's the way it should be!:

BIG A$S BIGGIE
Caleb "Biggie" Swanigan's knife into the back of Michigan State fans turned even more public when he swapped the Spartan green for Boilermaker gold. It takes a bad man to turn his back on Tom Izzo like that.

And that's just who Swanigan is. Ho-ly sh!t. The previous two Nations have seen me enamored with Montrezl Harrell ... sorry I just got Montrezl PTSD for an hour. Anyway. While Biggie doesn't have the athleticism of Trez, he's got all of the width, and certainly the meanness. On one particular play, Boise State's 6'9 forward James Webb had an open lane to the basket from the wing, and he took it. Swanigan slid down from the top of the key and met him at the rim. Webb went down. Hard. And he stayed down a while. Swanigan did not fall. If he wasn't charged with a flagrant foul, you might not have known he was even aware of the collision at all. In the huddle, as Webb was slowly making his way to two feet under the basket, I overheard Swanigan say: "He shouldn't have came in like that if he didn't want to fall down." Damn.*

Later on, I was next to one of the coaches as he talked about Swanigan: "Caleb's old school, man. Like a 40-year-old who gets shit done. Big ass, too."

That's a big bad man with a big, bad ass coming to West Lafayette.

*Big ups to Webb, who went right back at Swanigan on the next play. Dude could also be special this year in his second season in Boise.

 

[BoilerDaddy]

Thought you guys would very, very much enjoy this sb nation review of Swanigan at Adidas Nation. The article seems to think that both Purdue and IU could be very hard to play against this year, and that's the way it should be!:

BIG A$S BIGGIE
Caleb "Biggie" Swanigan's knife into the back of Michigan State fans turned even more public when he swapped the Spartan green for Boilermaker gold. It takes a bad man to turn his back on Tom Izzo like that.

And that's just who Swanigan is. Ho-ly sh!t. The previous two Nations have seen me enamored with Montrezl Harrell ... sorry I just got Montrezl PTSD for an hour. Anyway. While Biggie doesn't have the athleticism of Trez, he's got all of the width, and certainly the meanness. On one particular play, Boise State's 6'9 forward James Webb had an open lane to the basket from the wing, and he took it. Swanigan slid down from the top of the key and met him at the rim. Webb went down. Hard. And he stayed down a while. Swanigan did not fall. If he wasn't charged with a flagrant foul, you might not have known he was even aware of the collision at all. In the huddle, as Webb was slowly making his way to two feet under the basket, I overheard Swanigan say: "He shouldn't have came in like that if he didn't want to fall down." Damn.*

Later on, I was next to one of the coaches as he talked about Swanigan: "Caleb's old school, man. Like a 40-year-old who gets shit done. Big ass, too."

That's a big bad man with a big, bad ass coming to West Lafayette.

*Big ups to Webb, who went right back at Swanigan on the next play. Dude could also be special this year in his second season in Boise.

Thanks for that. Reading that made me think of when Dale Davis and Antonio Davis were with the Pacers and anyone who drove the lane paid a price.

 

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Taylor could get some play too.

But there's almost no doubt PJ will get significant minutes.

He was talking 8 man rotation. PJ and Taylor would not make an 8 man rotation. IMO, I wouldn't put then in a 10 man rotation honestly, maybe PJ.