Although we all hated the way the season ended, I suspect the players hated it more. This last game should indelibly burn into their brains the value of EACH possession. Hopefully, that will translate into fewer mental lapses next season.
It appears the culture is changing/has changed in Purdue BBall. The kids are talking and thinking as a team. They appear very focused on wanting to improve and remove the nasty taste of the Cincy game from their mouths. I'm optimistic that there will be improvement next year. These young pups got a lot of experience, some good, some bad, but all of it invaluable, upon which they can build.
Hopefully, AJH stays, since it will make both him and Haas better. If he gets an offer too good to refuse, I wish him well and I know Purdue will survive. I'm anxious to see what Taylor has to offer the team. Physically, he's reminiscent of JJ and we can only hope that his game is similar as well.
I have no idea what's going on with Scott. A lot of Knucklehead speculation has him leaving, but I believe a lot of that was generated by the imagination of the posters, more than hard fact. I hope he stays, because he showed that he was making the effort to adapt his game to playing PG more effectively, although you could see he had an ongoing battle with his natural inclinations. PJT has the demeanor to play PG and I think can be good. If you could take PJT's and BS's best attributes, you could make one Helluva good PG. Unfortunately, the Purdue BBall team doesn't have a mad scientist on their staff to make that happen.
I'm excited about Cline joining the team. He just appears to be a natural scorer. Hopefully, Cline, Stephens and Mathias can have some shooting competitions between them, with the ultimate effect being that it will make them all better. Heck, Edwards could join them as well, since I think he has great potential as an outside shooter, too.
If I were Painter, I'd make those 4 play games of HORSE, with the only stipulation being that each shot has to be something that would normally be taken in a game. Their normal competitive impulses would make them work harder to be the one that wins these matches, which would improve them all. It's simplistic, but competitions like that make doing drills and improving skills more fun, which means the kids would be more engaged. You could do the same for the entire team at the FT line, since that's an area that sorely needs improvement.
I'm curious to see if Weatherford can be the second coming of Chris Kramer. CK was a uniquely driven individual, who willingly sacrificed his body for the sake of the team, so emulating him is a lofty goal. I'll be pleasantly surprised if Weatherford makes us think about CK, when he plays, since that would be high praise indeed.
With a season behind him, I have high hopes that Haas takes a huge step forward. I believe he surprised us all with what he accomplished this year. He has a solid base to work with, now he needs to learn how to use his size to his advantage. You could see the frustration on his face, as he got mauled and no fouls were called, then he would get called for incidental contact. I have great hope, that he will be and All BIG player during his tenure here.
RD had a very good season. I think he needs to become a little more assertive on the offensive side of the ball. He's had some excellent games on offense, when he's been aggressive, but there have been some times he's disappeared, when we needed him the most. I have no idea what causes that disparity, but I would like to see him become as consistent on offense as he is on defense. If he does, he would be a strong candidate for All BIG. I do expect a very strong season from him next year.
Basil has athletic ability oozing out of his pores, Hopefully, he continues to develop, which would allow him more floor time. He may never be a three point threat, but if he can be consistent from 10 - 15 ft, combined with his ability to slash to the hoop, he would be a serious scoring threat.
I really feel good about the returning core and think they have the potential to be a very good team, We could still add a few parts to make us stronger, but that can be said about almost every team not named Kentucky. The future looks bright again.
It appears the culture is changing/has changed in Purdue BBall. The kids are talking and thinking as a team. They appear very focused on wanting to improve and remove the nasty taste of the Cincy game from their mouths. I'm optimistic that there will be improvement next year. These young pups got a lot of experience, some good, some bad, but all of it invaluable, upon which they can build.
Hopefully, AJH stays, since it will make both him and Haas better. If he gets an offer too good to refuse, I wish him well and I know Purdue will survive. I'm anxious to see what Taylor has to offer the team. Physically, he's reminiscent of JJ and we can only hope that his game is similar as well.
I have no idea what's going on with Scott. A lot of Knucklehead speculation has him leaving, but I believe a lot of that was generated by the imagination of the posters, more than hard fact. I hope he stays, because he showed that he was making the effort to adapt his game to playing PG more effectively, although you could see he had an ongoing battle with his natural inclinations. PJT has the demeanor to play PG and I think can be good. If you could take PJT's and BS's best attributes, you could make one Helluva good PG. Unfortunately, the Purdue BBall team doesn't have a mad scientist on their staff to make that happen.
I'm excited about Cline joining the team. He just appears to be a natural scorer. Hopefully, Cline, Stephens and Mathias can have some shooting competitions between them, with the ultimate effect being that it will make them all better. Heck, Edwards could join them as well, since I think he has great potential as an outside shooter, too.
If I were Painter, I'd make those 4 play games of HORSE, with the only stipulation being that each shot has to be something that would normally be taken in a game. Their normal competitive impulses would make them work harder to be the one that wins these matches, which would improve them all. It's simplistic, but competitions like that make doing drills and improving skills more fun, which means the kids would be more engaged. You could do the same for the entire team at the FT line, since that's an area that sorely needs improvement.
I'm curious to see if Weatherford can be the second coming of Chris Kramer. CK was a uniquely driven individual, who willingly sacrificed his body for the sake of the team, so emulating him is a lofty goal. I'll be pleasantly surprised if Weatherford makes us think about CK, when he plays, since that would be high praise indeed.
With a season behind him, I have high hopes that Haas takes a huge step forward. I believe he surprised us all with what he accomplished this year. He has a solid base to work with, now he needs to learn how to use his size to his advantage. You could see the frustration on his face, as he got mauled and no fouls were called, then he would get called for incidental contact. I have great hope, that he will be and All BIG player during his tenure here.
RD had a very good season. I think he needs to become a little more assertive on the offensive side of the ball. He's had some excellent games on offense, when he's been aggressive, but there have been some times he's disappeared, when we needed him the most. I have no idea what causes that disparity, but I would like to see him become as consistent on offense as he is on defense. If he does, he would be a strong candidate for All BIG. I do expect a very strong season from him next year.
Basil has athletic ability oozing out of his pores, Hopefully, he continues to develop, which would allow him more floor time. He may never be a three point threat, but if he can be consistent from 10 - 15 ft, combined with his ability to slash to the hoop, he would be a serious scoring threat.
I really feel good about the returning core and think they have the potential to be a very good team, We could still add a few parts to make us stronger, but that can be said about almost every team not named Kentucky. The future looks bright again.
