Caleb Swanigan = Second coming of Jay Simpson
- Thread starter dumpsterFyre
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Well, they play the same position at what would be the same year (I think - right?). Doesn't sound like the two are similar players though - Simpson's strength was his athleticism but he was a raw basketball player who needed to develop a feel for the game. It sounds like CS is the inverse. Both could have a similar duration in their Purdue careers though, for different reasons.
Hope Simpson is doing well.
Hope Simpson is doing well.
It's a shame that Simpson had the medical condition. I think he had loads of potential as well. I think I still see Swanigan as a big upgrade from Simpson though. I understand that you are comparing to what Simpson may have been as a senior if he met his potential, but I still see Swanigan as a better back to the basket post player and all around player than Simpson would have been. What Painter keeps saying about Swanigan that I'm anxious to see is that he has a very high basketball IQ and that he doesn't get enough credit for how good of a passer he is. Interesting comparison though, and I agree that I would've loved to see Simpson develop throughout his career. He definitely would have been a talented player.
C Swanigan seems much more ready to step in and contribute in a big way from day one. However, on more than one occasion, CMP maintained J Simpson had the most upside of anyone in that class for Purdue. Really tough break for anyone to deal with that kind of a medical issue at that age, but I too hope he is doing well and goes on to bigger and better things outside of basketball.
Jay had asthma, or at least that is how it was originally diagnosed but if fact he had a heart condition, too, so he was never able to perform for longer than a few minutes at a time. If Jay wouldn't have had those medical issue perhaps he possibly could have been an NBA player. He looked like he had the body and game otherwise.
Exercised-induced asthma IIRC, which can be treated effectively....but yeah....it still can be limiting toward cardiovascular endurance with or without any other issue. Fortunately, they discovered the heart ailment in time. I think it's the same condition that tragically took Hank Gathers.
You might be right, Heller. I'm not certain, but I thought he'd been dealing with asthma from childhood and they discovered the heart condition after he collapsed during a game.
Regardless, he faced the situation admirably.
It's my understanding that the symptoms of his heart problem mimic the ashtma conditions with being short of breath and getting tired easily. It would probably also give him a low O2 level if his heart isn't working to capacity which can be a COPD type symptom. Either way I'm glad he's alive. The big kid from Lawrence John Stewart wasn't so lucky.
Painter used to say Simpson was the most skilled player on the team. He could dribble, pass and shoot. He wasn't the most athletic kid, but maybe some of that was the conditioning. As a RS freshman, Simpson just lacked experience in a structured setting.
Once his heart problem was diagnosed, everything made sense. There were games before the game that he collapsed that he appeared so winded that he could barely move. A lot of people thought that Simpson had awful conditioning, but it turns out that he had a condition completely out of his control. I always wondered how good he might have been without the heart condition.
I gained great respect for the way that Simpson handled his situation after his condition was diagnosed. He showed s great deal of class.
This. It's still hard to believe that there were people here complaining that Simpson needed to just "work harder to get in shape". It's sad to think there are people who think these kids exist to feed their egos.
It appears that we can turn anything into an argument on this board.
If a kid appears to have trouble getting into shape and continues to struggle then yes, people shouldn't automatically say he or she is lazy and begin to look for other causations. Dakich said about a week before Jay just collapsed that the Purdue people said Jay was just "lazy".
And the worst person guilty of this is Dan Dakich. Not only did he say the kid was lazy, but he did it on national tv. Then, after he found out the truth, he never apologized to Jay. Real class act.
Yep, really not a class move by Jockitch. Who was that tool that claimed on TV that Cardinal was a dirty player. I know the name when I hear it and I always talk rudely to my TV when that dirtbag is on.
Everyone knew he had health issues dating back to high school. Well, everyone who cared to pay attention to anything other than their own desires that he would win games for THEM.
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