No walk-on ever has had a greater impact on Purdue than Willie Dean, who left an indelible mark on the program in the later stages of the Gene Keady era.
A native of Schenectady, N.Y., Deane signed with Boston College coming out of high school. He spent the 1998-99 season in Chestnut Hill before becoming disenchanted and landing at Purdue, where he played from 2000-03.
Deane walked on at Purdue and became a sensation. He entered this past season No. 27 in school history in scoring with 1,328 points (14.4 ppg). Deane averaged 17.3 points as a junior in 2001-02 and 17.8 points as a senior in 2002-03. He was first-team All-Big Ten as a senior and second-team as a junior.
The 6-1, 195-pound point guard went undrafted but went on to enjoy a lengthy career overseas from 2003-04 before stepping down after the 2014-15 season.
Deane has become an author. His book “Love” is inspired by his young daughters and tells the story of how a young girl learns the meaning of love. He shares the story with children in elementary schools in his native Schenectady. The book is available on
Amazon.
GoldandBlack.com caught up with Deane.
GoldandBlack.com: Where are you at right now, Willie?
Deane: I am currently in my hometown, Schenectady. I have been retired from playing basketball overseas for a few years.
GoldandBlack.com: What have you been doing?
Deane: Last February on Valentine's Day, I published a book on love. I was reading the book in classrooms up until this coronavirus pandemic and teaching kids, from pre-K all the way up. I talk to kids about a lot of things. I would talk about being a professional athlete. I talk about some of the experiences in college and high school, talk to them about goal-setting, talk about a number of different things that relate to what boys and girls will be going through in their lifetime.
GoldandBlack.com: Tell me about your book "Love." Why'd you write it? What was your inspiration? What it's about?
Deane: First of all, I would read to my daughters every night before bed. This was one of the stories that I told my daughters. Initially, I was just going to get it printed out as a keepsake for my daughters so that they could have my words with them long after I passed. After I wrote the book, some people read it and encouraged me to send it to publishers to get it published because they felt it was good. We thought a lot of people could benefit from the message in the story.
In short, it's a story about a young girl who used the word love in exchanges between her parents as far back as she can remember. But one day when using the word, it stuck in her mind. And she realized that she didn't know what this word means that she's been using. And she couldn't wait to get home to ask her parents about this word. And so it's a story of two parents explaining what love is to their young daughter. It is available on Amazon.
GoldandBlack.com: Take me back to when you were at Boston College. What happened there and why did you leave and come to Purdue?
Deane: There were a number of things, but I realized that it wasn't the best fit for me. At the time, my father was working for GE and was transferred from Schenectady to Fort Wayne, Indiana. So, you know, realizing that Boston College wasn't for me and my parents being relocated and my family being relocated to Indiana, I decided to go to a school in the state. The most well-known schools in Indiana are IU and Purdue. I chose Purdue.
Initially, I just took some summer classes at Purdue. It was my father who reached out to the school and spoke to some people in the basketball offices to let them know about me and told them I had played Division I basketball. I took the summer classes and was able to be around some of the guys and meet the coaches. The process of being evaluated to walk on began.
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Willie Deane is an author of a children's book called "Love."
GoldandBlack.com: Did you consider transferring anywhere to play basketball on scholarship?
Deane: No. I really didn't have a good experience at Boston College. I was really soured. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to play basketball anymore. I was transferring to Purdue to be an engineer and follow the footsteps of my father. Purdue is one of the best engineering schools. So that’s why I ended up choosing to go there.
GoldandBlack.com: Where did you start playing at Purdue?
Deane: I started out playing basketball in the Co-rec. Just in between classes and things of that nature. But word started to travel around the campus very fast that some guy from New York was dominating at the Co-rec. But a lot of people didn’t really think much of it because it was the Co-rec.
But I was able to meet guys like Mike Robinson at the time, Carson Cunningham, and Brian Cardinal. Those were the guys that I spent the most time around. From playing against some of those guys, they invited me to come play with the team at Mackey Arena. I eventually started working out and was introduced to all the coaches and stuff. And I eventually was able to make the team.
GoldandBlack.com: Talk about your Purdue career.
Deane: I was able to lead the Big Ten in scoring my senior year along with Brian Cook (of Illinois). l was back-to-back team MVP, which hadn't been done since Glenn Robinson. And then second-team All-Big Ten my junior year and first-team as a senior. I was able to accomplish some pretty great stuff.
GoldandBlack.com: When did you go on scholarship?
Deane: When I initially transferred there in 2000, I had to sit out because of NCAA rules. I was not on scholarship. Then I was on scholarship the following year, but then my scholarship was taken away. And then my junior year, I was not on scholarship for the second time. And then I was on scholarship again as a senior.
GoldandBlack.com: Why did they takeaway your scholarship as a junior?
Deane: When I came to Purdue, they were being investigated by the NCAA for a recruiting violation. So, they were docked some scholarships. My scholarship was taken away because Purdue felt that they were small, and they needed to recruit a big man. And the big man that they ended up recruiting was from Notre Dame, Ivan Kartelo. So, they took my scholarship and gave it to him, because they felt that we needed a big man.
GoldandBlack.com: Your Purdue career launched you to a long and productive career overseas. Talk about that.
Deane: I played overseas for 15 years and I was able to win a number of championships.
GoldandBlack.com: How many countries did you play in?
Deane: I was in 11 different countries in my 15-year career.
GoldandBlack.com: Did you make some good money?
Deane: Yes, it helped me get a good head start in life. You know, the bills do not stop. So you still will need to find employment and transition into your next career, but I am very thankful that it did help me get a head start on life.
GoldandBlack.com: How is your family?
Deane: I’m happily married with two daughters I have a 9-year old and a 4-year old. I am back living in my hometown. I'm a life teacher, as well as a teacher of basketball. I have a team that I'm coaching thay my oldest daughter is on called Life Enrichment. We teach the kids leadership, teach the kids English and math skills as well as basketball. Unfortunately, with all this coronavirus going around, our season was canceled. We're kind of waiting this thing out to see what is going to happen.
GoldandBlack.com: Anything else you'd like to pass along for fans?
Deane: I'm still proud to be a Boilermaker. Even though I live in New York, I still am a supporter of Purdue. Coach Painter is doing a wonderful job, continuing to make me proud. Ultimately, the fans were one of the reasons that I was able to get out there on the floor. I was back for a recent alumni game not long ago. I played with JaJuan Johnson, Cardinal, I played on Coach Keady’s team. And we won. I was the MVP. It was great to see all the guys and fans. I have great memories of my time at Purdue.
Click here to order
Willie Deane's book: Love.
www.wunc.org
