CJ Cox named ISL DPOY
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With that background and acknowledgement you'd think he's in the rotation from day 1.
There could be some nasty defense on the ball/wings from the Boilers coming up - I wouldn't be surprised.....we shall see......now how the officiating will go? Oy vey.......
I think he and Harris will be competing for minutes from day 1 because of their size and defense. If they can pick up on the principals and buy into the system, it will make Braden even better. Imagine if Braden takes a drop in minutes because he has 1 or 2 legit guys backing him up to pickup the slack.
and from time to time, play with BS - Painter likes that component, just hasn't always been able to do it based on the roster. More flexibility and less predictability perhaps.
I have to admit I like the sound of CJ . It just has a nice ring to it
I’m guessing the D is man and no press. He may pick up higher, challenge the passing lanes better and just play a bit tighter on the perimeter, but you still have to keep them out of the lane or he will back off a little on the tightness
I think he’ll need to play with Braden to get PT because BS is unlikely to come off of the court much (even if the freshmen are way ahead of schedule). I think BT’s a first team AA next season.
Interestingly enough, TJ, Painter mentioned a couple of times this year about trying to get in the passing lanes more, noting the defense doesn't force that many turnovers. This year, they went up about 1 steal per game - now, still well down in the bottom half of Div 1 but a jump of more than 50 spots from last year. I would expect even more improvement on that next year.
They've certainly taken a specific route the last several years with the rule emphasis not to be so tight/foul.....some of that again is roster, IMO - but definitely strategy too. Will be interesting to see the development/transition - the depth will be there.
Yes- keeping out of the lane is still paramount. If you can do that and challenge the perimeter/cover the arc - paydirt.
I can't recall the specifics, but recall when emphasis to call it tighter on the perimeter in particular and the results were apparent with the calls, length of games and how much fans hated the stoppage. It was then I was thinking...oh no, Purdue has just tried to get players with a more D emphasis. Not remembering when or the players at the time I'm unsure my original thoughts held up or not?
I do think Matt holds an opinion that he wants the D to make it hard to score over creating turnovers and why you will see half court D rather than pressing or trapping away from the basket. Inside that D approach he wants more pressure if possible, but not at the expense of making it easier for people to drive the ball. I don't have an informed opinion about Harris or Cox, but they seem to be two way players that will enter Purdue already with the understanding of the importance of D.
I'm unsure I can articulate well what I'm about to say with defensive players, because offensive players may share similar desires, but lack the grit or make the sacrifice "until they get it". Defensive players tend to have a warrior mentality in that "winning" is all that matters. They are willing to expend the necessary energy to make it tough for the opposition. They like physical play because physicality has to be in play to be a good defensive player and so these players will take a 3 ball if they can hit it, but they have no issue to get in the lane where it gets more physical. They are who they are if they are not hitting shots, because they live less through their offense. Offensive players may get there, but they rarely enter Purdue with the same mindset.
All that said, we all know they keep score and so scoring is a must. I don't want to say goodbye to this Purdue team, but a large part of what I love about Purdue basketball is seeing new players skills and weaknesses as they seek to "fit" into what Matt wants to do. I think PUrdue gets up and down a bit more, but I think we can expect to see Trey getting the ball in the half close to the basket and no idea what will happen with Berg. Next year I don't think we see a 180 in play, but a slight transition towards that. I see an evolution rather than a revolution...
Big thing is he and Harris both have college basketball bodies right now. Huge advantage coming in as a freshmen and not getting pushed around physically on the court. Doesn't guarantee anything, but it's a very good start!
