Kendall Stephens has been granted his release from Purdue to transfer, if he wants. If he doesn't, he can return.
Here's guessing he is leaving.
That is no surprise. We reported this whole situation, in effect, days ago.
But, in the big picture, this has been a stunning turn on so many fronts.
This is a player who seemed destined for big things at Purdue from the day he committed to his parents' alma mater years ago. That seemed the case before he got to Purdue, after his freshman season at Purdue, then again after his sophomore season at Purdue, despite a good amount of adversity he had to overcome through it all, from the massive shoulder injury that ended his high school career, to the nagging injuries that followed him his freshman year, to the mangled finger suffered in Maui last season.
Additionally, it seems almost inconceivable just a few seasons ago that Purdue could be good without Stephens realizing those projections of stardom.
But this season went sideways in so many ways for the junior and Purdue wound up just simply moving on. There were circumstances that worked against him, but the reality simply was that Dakota Mathias and Ryan Cline played better, generally speaking, and Stephens fell behind to the point his minutes were dwindling before his personal leave of absence midway through the season.
The two younger guys shot better and not nearly as much and made Purdue better as passers and decision-makers. Stephens didn't turn the ball over much, but there were shot-selection instances that were sometimes viewed as the equivalent. Defensively, it was a wash, and Stephens never seemed to use his superior height, length and athleticism at that end of the floor to differentiate himself. There's no need to itemize breakdowns here, but it should be really hard to shoot threes over a 6-foot-6 guy with a condor's wing span.
This is largely little stuff, stuff that wouldn't take a player off the floor if they're the clear-cut best you have, but when you have three good players fighting for the same minutes - the Shooting Guard Hunger Games, as we called it - it's the little stuff that matters.
It's a tough business, especially with circumstance kept in mind. Stephens' leave, as Painter said, was what he needed as a person, but the last thing he needed as a basketball player who wants to play.
It ended Stephens' chances of being a front-line player for Purdue this season.
After returning, he played 23 minutes total in the final 12 games of the season, sitting out eight of them entirely. Stephens averaged just under 23 minutes per game last season.
People ripped Matt Painter for not putting Stephens in at the end of games Purdue had in hand, but those people shouldn't have assumed that a proud, accomplished player wanted the freshman walk-on, garbage-time run. Here's doubting he did.
No one wanted it to end this way. Painter told Stephens last week that he is welcome to return if it turns out that's what he wants to do, but Stephens wants to play and his family wants him to play, to the point that sitting out a year to play one more, and probably forsaking a degree that says 'Purdue University' on it is worth it.
Funny thing about expectations.
Sometimes when the nexus between expectation and disappointment is reached, it's a Molotov cocktail, same as it is when setback meets competition, as occurred with Stephens.
Now, we can assume, he's moving on.
Had you told anyone years ago that this is how it would end at Purdue for the smooth-shooting guard with the NBA 2-guard's body and the Boilermaker pedigree, you might not believe it.
I would hope this isn't a contentious transfer.
A lot of people in West Lafayette will be rooting for Stephens wherever he ends up. He's literally family, and the reaction he drew from the crowd during Purdue's Big Ten Tournament bludgeoning of Illinois underscored that.
Painter should be one of those people rooting for Stephens.
Like he said this season even when it seemed otherwise, "I believe in Kendall Stephens."
Here's guessing he is leaving.
That is no surprise. We reported this whole situation, in effect, days ago.
But, in the big picture, this has been a stunning turn on so many fronts.
This is a player who seemed destined for big things at Purdue from the day he committed to his parents' alma mater years ago. That seemed the case before he got to Purdue, after his freshman season at Purdue, then again after his sophomore season at Purdue, despite a good amount of adversity he had to overcome through it all, from the massive shoulder injury that ended his high school career, to the nagging injuries that followed him his freshman year, to the mangled finger suffered in Maui last season.
Additionally, it seems almost inconceivable just a few seasons ago that Purdue could be good without Stephens realizing those projections of stardom.
But this season went sideways in so many ways for the junior and Purdue wound up just simply moving on. There were circumstances that worked against him, but the reality simply was that Dakota Mathias and Ryan Cline played better, generally speaking, and Stephens fell behind to the point his minutes were dwindling before his personal leave of absence midway through the season.
The two younger guys shot better and not nearly as much and made Purdue better as passers and decision-makers. Stephens didn't turn the ball over much, but there were shot-selection instances that were sometimes viewed as the equivalent. Defensively, it was a wash, and Stephens never seemed to use his superior height, length and athleticism at that end of the floor to differentiate himself. There's no need to itemize breakdowns here, but it should be really hard to shoot threes over a 6-foot-6 guy with a condor's wing span.
This is largely little stuff, stuff that wouldn't take a player off the floor if they're the clear-cut best you have, but when you have three good players fighting for the same minutes - the Shooting Guard Hunger Games, as we called it - it's the little stuff that matters.
It's a tough business, especially with circumstance kept in mind. Stephens' leave, as Painter said, was what he needed as a person, but the last thing he needed as a basketball player who wants to play.
It ended Stephens' chances of being a front-line player for Purdue this season.
After returning, he played 23 minutes total in the final 12 games of the season, sitting out eight of them entirely. Stephens averaged just under 23 minutes per game last season.
People ripped Matt Painter for not putting Stephens in at the end of games Purdue had in hand, but those people shouldn't have assumed that a proud, accomplished player wanted the freshman walk-on, garbage-time run. Here's doubting he did.
No one wanted it to end this way. Painter told Stephens last week that he is welcome to return if it turns out that's what he wants to do, but Stephens wants to play and his family wants him to play, to the point that sitting out a year to play one more, and probably forsaking a degree that says 'Purdue University' on it is worth it.
Funny thing about expectations.
Sometimes when the nexus between expectation and disappointment is reached, it's a Molotov cocktail, same as it is when setback meets competition, as occurred with Stephens.
Now, we can assume, he's moving on.
Had you told anyone years ago that this is how it would end at Purdue for the smooth-shooting guard with the NBA 2-guard's body and the Boilermaker pedigree, you might not believe it.
I would hope this isn't a contentious transfer.
A lot of people in West Lafayette will be rooting for Stephens wherever he ends up. He's literally family, and the reaction he drew from the crowd during Purdue's Big Ten Tournament bludgeoning of Illinois underscored that.
Painter should be one of those people rooting for Stephens.
Like he said this season even when it seemed otherwise, "I believe in Kendall Stephens."
