Note: To look back on summer workouts and ahead to fall practice, GoldandBlack.com is taking a player-by-play look at the Purdue basketball team's 10 initial-scholarship players. We were going in alphabetical order, but just screwed things up and now we're out of alphabetical order. Now, it's pure chaos. Up: Basil Smotherman
When Basil Smotherman was at his best last season as a freshman, he was impacting games by doing simple little stuff like running the floor, hustling for tip-ins off the offensive boards and finding other ways to leverage the athletic advantages he enjoys.
That's the template for him.
It was an encouraging sign that late in the season, the freshman started making jump shots, but for him to really be a productive player this season, that should be just a portion of his game, not its focus. The focus should those little things mentioned above, developing toughness, being energetic, really hitting the boards and really defending. Not to say his focus on those ever wavered, just saying it shouldn't. That's sort of the take-away from this summer heading into next season.
Smotherman played primarily the 4 position last season, but we'll see now. The guess here is that that's where he remains to give the Boilermakers a nice complementary pair in the more athletic Smotherman and the more offensively skilled (and probably interior-oriented) Vince Edwards, as well as whatever minutes Rapheal Davis sees there.
But Smotherman, on paper, should be able to hold up defensively guarding wing players, so maybe there's the option to put him there more, at the cost, though, of the skill an extra guard-type would provide, if that makes sense. Smotherman is the one guy on Purdue's roster that would seem ideally suited to play either man or zone, and again we'll see in the long run how much the latter even happens.
Last season, Smotherman was uneven in Big Ten play, certainly not uncommon for a freshman but to his credit he rebounded to have some nice games the remainder of the conference season. The Boilermakers, for example, don't beat Penn State at home without his 12 points, 10 boards and 6-of-7 foul shooting. If he doesn't get hurt in the Big Ten Tournament, who knows what happens against Ohio State in a game that came down to the last second?
We'll see what lies in store for Smotherman now. He's still evolving as a player to some extent and the thought here is to be a really productive player for Purdue in the short and long terms, he needs to become a sort of grinder, not as much a scorer.
Not trying to sound like a coach here, but rebound, defend and run the floor and the easy buckets will come along with it. There may not be a player on the roster Purdue will need energy from more than Smotherman, because energy plus athleticism usually equals good stuff.
He's a very interesting player, a player who still has a great deal of capacity to improve. Experience can't hurt.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2014. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. E-mail GoldandBlack.com/Boilers, Inc.
When Basil Smotherman was at his best last season as a freshman, he was impacting games by doing simple little stuff like running the floor, hustling for tip-ins off the offensive boards and finding other ways to leverage the athletic advantages he enjoys.
That's the template for him.
It was an encouraging sign that late in the season, the freshman started making jump shots, but for him to really be a productive player this season, that should be just a portion of his game, not its focus. The focus should those little things mentioned above, developing toughness, being energetic, really hitting the boards and really defending. Not to say his focus on those ever wavered, just saying it shouldn't. That's sort of the take-away from this summer heading into next season.
Smotherman played primarily the 4 position last season, but we'll see now. The guess here is that that's where he remains to give the Boilermakers a nice complementary pair in the more athletic Smotherman and the more offensively skilled (and probably interior-oriented) Vince Edwards, as well as whatever minutes Rapheal Davis sees there.
But Smotherman, on paper, should be able to hold up defensively guarding wing players, so maybe there's the option to put him there more, at the cost, though, of the skill an extra guard-type would provide, if that makes sense. Smotherman is the one guy on Purdue's roster that would seem ideally suited to play either man or zone, and again we'll see in the long run how much the latter even happens.
Last season, Smotherman was uneven in Big Ten play, certainly not uncommon for a freshman but to his credit he rebounded to have some nice games the remainder of the conference season. The Boilermakers, for example, don't beat Penn State at home without his 12 points, 10 boards and 6-of-7 foul shooting. If he doesn't get hurt in the Big Ten Tournament, who knows what happens against Ohio State in a game that came down to the last second?
We'll see what lies in store for Smotherman now. He's still evolving as a player to some extent and the thought here is to be a really productive player for Purdue in the short and long terms, he needs to become a sort of grinder, not as much a scorer.
Not trying to sound like a coach here, but rebound, defend and run the floor and the easy buckets will come along with it. There may not be a player on the roster Purdue will need energy from more than Smotherman, because energy plus athleticism usually equals good stuff.
He's a very interesting player, a player who still has a great deal of capacity to improve. Experience can't hurt.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2014. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. E-mail GoldandBlack.com/Boilers, Inc.
