Meanwhile, inside the Purdue locker room.....

[bonefish1]

I hope Ray Day is taking his job as captain as seriously as I think he is, having one on one discussions with the guys about the circus down in Bloomington and telling the team "That's not going to happen here. Period. If you respect yourself, your family, your teammates, coaches, program and school, you're not going to put yourself in a bad situation."

 

[Sennsational1]

Great point and player to player gets through the best. They are out with each other and see each other and ultimately can be that voice that says no.

 

[Schnelk]

Davis is our rock. He's our old man/leader/captain who has everybody's attention. I'd say he's delivering the message to the team. Hopefully AJ is more vocal in his senior season, also as a captain. Maybe Hill too. Btfu!

 

[Schnelk]

Davis is our rock. He's our old man/leader/captain who has everybody's attention. I'd say he's delivering the message to the team. Hopefully AJ is more vocal in his senior season, also as a captain. Maybe Hill too. Btfu!

 

[woggy718]

It seems we have been talking about RD as long if not longer then we talked about Robbie Hummel. I remember when he committed to Purdue (I believe as a freshman or shortly after his freshman season) and people wondered if he'd be the first 5 star recruit of Painter Era.

What a Boilermaker, through and through. He suffered through his early career when calling the team a "team" was like calling your congressman honest.

To rebound and become the B1G DPOY. Great kid and I hope this year lives up to both our expectations and his!

 

[PU pit bull]

I, too, hope that this incident hits home with PU players. When life provides such examples, it is best to take notice and learn.....the easy way.

 

[PU pit bull]

Just the stuff you want to read...........Ray has definitely rubbed off on Hill

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150831/SPORTS/150839947/1007

 

[bonefish1]

Great article. I like how the expectations of this team are not just the tourney, but possibly the FF. Granted, that takes a lot of skill and some luck thrown in, but why not Purdue!

 

[Schnelk]

That interview fires me up even more! Thanks Pit!

 

[mathboy]

I really liked this quote:
“He's had time to get comfortable with the guys. He just didn't get thrown into things like Jon Octeus did. He's way more comfortable. He's crazy quick on defense and crazy quick on offense, so he brings a lot of the same dimensions Jon did, but he's more comfortable being a communicator.”

It tells me Hill is going to be successful and he will likely be more of an impact player than JO, maybe. Fun stuff!

 

[TopSecretBoiler]

I hope Ray Day is taking his job as captain..."

There's just something about this team that makes me think they are ready to rock. They seem to have an unusual level of maturity. Their demeanor and effort are showing that they understand the potential a team like this has and are taking the right steps to maximize their success. Really looking forward to watching this team. Hopefully CMP can keep putting classes like this together and we can get some very high level basketball at Purdue for a long time!

 

[JohnnyDoeBoiler]

Speaking of the similarities of JO and Hill, has anyone noticed that Painter has had an unusually high success rate with these 5th year/transfer guys the last few years? It may be hard for a lot of young guys to look at Painter's approach to the game and come in if they aren't highly mature young men and I think these transfer players really catch on with Painter's straight edge approach and no-nonsense type of attitude. I'm no opposed to bringing in more guys like this as Painter's approach and attitude seem to be a right fit for high character/low risk type of guys.

 

[mathboy]

If you look at the guys Painter is recruiting, you see a shift toward more mature, serious types. The raw athletes with grade school perspective on school being a party, seem to be in short supply at Purdue. He has people on this team that are hungry for high levels of success in their sport. They tend to be more serious, going to the gym instead of the liquor store in their spare time. I am sure they party too, but it is not the primary focus of their time at college.

I think the 5th year transfers are at a point in their lives where they are at the end of their college career. It is now or never for them. They need to get serious about thier ball playing. They fit better with this group than any freshman who is looking to be a bit wild getting out of the house for the first time in their lives.

 

[thenagemj02]

Speaking of the similarities of JO and Hill, has anyone noticed that Painter has had an unusually high success rate with these 5th year/transfer guys the last few years? It may be hard for a lot of young guys to look at Painter's approach to the game and come in if they aren't highly mature young men and I think these transfer players really catch on with Painter's straight edge approach and no-nonsense type of attitude. I'm no opposed to bringing in more guys like this as Painter's approach and attitude seem to be a right fit for high character/low risk type of guys.

We have to wait-and-see with Hill to gauge his production and overall impact but the first impressions of him, along with his career stats, are encouraging towards the belief that he will be another significant addition, via the graduate transfer route.

 

[BoilerDaddy]

I really liked this quote:
“He's had time to get comfortable with the guys. He just didn't get thrown into things like Jon Octeus did. He's way more comfortable. He's crazy quick on defense and crazy quick on offense, so he brings a lot of the same dimensions Jon did, but he's more comfortable being a communicator.”

It tells me Hill is going to be successful and he will likely be more of an impact player than JO, maybe. Fun stuff!

Having a crazy quick point guard with Hill's length should be a big plus for Purdue.

 

[CRBoiler]

To me, it's about making the most of the opportunity, preparing & working as diligently as possible, and showing up with max intensity and focus each game and practice. So far, anecdotes from players and comments from Hill himself are encouraging. But he'll make some mistakes, especially early as he adjusts to a different offense. I'm super hopeful Hill is the missing piece at PG this year, but I'm equally hopeful PJ and others have also improved & can cover PG effectively as well.

 

[PU pit bull]

That interview fires me up even more! Thanks Pit!

You and me both brother!