We're headed out to Kokomo here shortly for the junior all-star game, but I did want to throw something together here about the news of the past 36 hours or so, that being Patrick Bade's uncommon move of switching from basketball to football at Purdue, forgoing a scholarship and starting over in a sport he hasn't played in at least three years.
I know what it looks like. The Internet will call this a 'run-off' and quite frankly the circumstances would support it, given Purdue's scholarship cluster in recruiting.
But how do you define 'run-off'? It is within coaches' rights by the letter of the law to revoke scholarships, which are renewable yearly. Bade's scholarship was not flat-out revoked, I'm confident in saying.
While it was probably in the best interest of Purdue on the recruiting front to clear that space, I don't think Bade's spot was merely taken away from him.
Timing suggests that if that were the case, Purdue would have pulled the plug sooner, and thus had a chance to land Valpo transfer Brandon Wood, who's since signed on at Michigan State. And if run-offs were Matt Painter's way, Donnie Hale probably would have been a Boilermaker last year, right?
Now, let me make it clear that I'm not naive to the harsh realities of college basketball and the term 'run-off' can be defined many different ways. To suggest that Bade woke up one day and decided to give up basketball and his scholarship alike probably would not be reasonable.
Matt Painter often talks about the difficulties following seasons of being painfully honest with players.
Players in the past have been told following seasons just how bleak their outlooks for playing time have been, and in this case, with Robbie Hummel coming back and two athletic freshmen coming in, the picture for Bade was not a rosy one when it came to his prospects for minutes.
Additionally, players in the past have been told in no uncertain terms what's expected of them from a work ethic standpoint. Being comfortable as a non-contributor or settling into a routine of anything but above and beyond is, well, frowned upon, to put it mildly.
That was one of the great mysteries of the entire season. Bade put in so much work in the off-season to transform himself physically.
He was Purdue's best rebounding big man in the preseason, arguably at least, and opened the year a starter. Then, he disappeared. A lot was going on behind the scenes that people don't know about, making this a long difficult season for him in more ways than one, but at one point Bade himself admitted to 'feeling sorry for himself' and just wallowing in it.
There's no telling what the future might have brought for Bade as a basketball player. But he was not trending upward and with the roster being what it will be this upcoming season, the opportunity may not have been there.
So to be made aware, in no uncertain terms, of those dynamics, does that qualify as a 'run-off'? Well, the Internet will think what the Internet will think. It's in the eye of the beholder.
Regardless, football gives Bade a new start, albeit without a scholarship, at least to begin with.
Presumably, it's going to be a tough road to hoe, given that he's not played football in years and has spent the past two conditioning for basketball, which is very different.
But there's talent there. Size is on Bade's side and back in high school he ran well and wasn't afraid to hit people. Purdue's depth chart at tight end will give him a fair shake at least on the practice field.
Had he gone football right away out of high school, I think he might have been an offensive tackle, a guy who'd take two or three years to build up his body. That ship has sailed now, because time is dwindling. But as I said, the tight end position will at least get him a look at Purdue.
How cool would it be to see Bade, by all accounts a highly respectable person and a conscientious enough student to stick this out to get his management degree, playing on Saturdays and having some success? He could go from maligned among the downright mean people in the stands and on the Internet as a basketball player to an honest-to-god fan favorite in football.
It could end up a win-win. Bade gets a new start and amazingly maybe even a better chance for playing time in his new sport; Purdue clears 'cap space' in recruiting without necessarily denying a kid a chance to earn his degree.
Either way, here's wishing Bade well. He's a good, smart, polite kid who's taken an awful amount of abuse from fans. It's easy to scream from your seat or type nasty things, but too often, people forget these are real people they're disparaging.
That's another topic for another time and a futile crusade at that, but anyway, it's time to get in the car, so good luck, Patrick Bade.
This post was edited on 6/8 4:22 PM by Alan_GoldandBlack.com
This post was edited on 6/8 4:23 PM by Alan_GoldandBlack.com
I know what it looks like. The Internet will call this a 'run-off' and quite frankly the circumstances would support it, given Purdue's scholarship cluster in recruiting.
But how do you define 'run-off'? It is within coaches' rights by the letter of the law to revoke scholarships, which are renewable yearly. Bade's scholarship was not flat-out revoked, I'm confident in saying.
While it was probably in the best interest of Purdue on the recruiting front to clear that space, I don't think Bade's spot was merely taken away from him.
Timing suggests that if that were the case, Purdue would have pulled the plug sooner, and thus had a chance to land Valpo transfer Brandon Wood, who's since signed on at Michigan State. And if run-offs were Matt Painter's way, Donnie Hale probably would have been a Boilermaker last year, right?
Now, let me make it clear that I'm not naive to the harsh realities of college basketball and the term 'run-off' can be defined many different ways. To suggest that Bade woke up one day and decided to give up basketball and his scholarship alike probably would not be reasonable.
Matt Painter often talks about the difficulties following seasons of being painfully honest with players.
Players in the past have been told following seasons just how bleak their outlooks for playing time have been, and in this case, with Robbie Hummel coming back and two athletic freshmen coming in, the picture for Bade was not a rosy one when it came to his prospects for minutes.
Additionally, players in the past have been told in no uncertain terms what's expected of them from a work ethic standpoint. Being comfortable as a non-contributor or settling into a routine of anything but above and beyond is, well, frowned upon, to put it mildly.
That was one of the great mysteries of the entire season. Bade put in so much work in the off-season to transform himself physically.
He was Purdue's best rebounding big man in the preseason, arguably at least, and opened the year a starter. Then, he disappeared. A lot was going on behind the scenes that people don't know about, making this a long difficult season for him in more ways than one, but at one point Bade himself admitted to 'feeling sorry for himself' and just wallowing in it.
There's no telling what the future might have brought for Bade as a basketball player. But he was not trending upward and with the roster being what it will be this upcoming season, the opportunity may not have been there.
So to be made aware, in no uncertain terms, of those dynamics, does that qualify as a 'run-off'? Well, the Internet will think what the Internet will think. It's in the eye of the beholder.
Regardless, football gives Bade a new start, albeit without a scholarship, at least to begin with.
Presumably, it's going to be a tough road to hoe, given that he's not played football in years and has spent the past two conditioning for basketball, which is very different.
But there's talent there. Size is on Bade's side and back in high school he ran well and wasn't afraid to hit people. Purdue's depth chart at tight end will give him a fair shake at least on the practice field.
Had he gone football right away out of high school, I think he might have been an offensive tackle, a guy who'd take two or three years to build up his body. That ship has sailed now, because time is dwindling. But as I said, the tight end position will at least get him a look at Purdue.
How cool would it be to see Bade, by all accounts a highly respectable person and a conscientious enough student to stick this out to get his management degree, playing on Saturdays and having some success? He could go from maligned among the downright mean people in the stands and on the Internet as a basketball player to an honest-to-god fan favorite in football.
It could end up a win-win. Bade gets a new start and amazingly maybe even a better chance for playing time in his new sport; Purdue clears 'cap space' in recruiting without necessarily denying a kid a chance to earn his degree.
Either way, here's wishing Bade well. He's a good, smart, polite kid who's taken an awful amount of abuse from fans. It's easy to scream from your seat or type nasty things, but too often, people forget these are real people they're disparaging.
That's another topic for another time and a futile crusade at that, but anyway, it's time to get in the car, so good luck, Patrick Bade.
This post was edited on 6/8 4:22 PM by Alan_GoldandBlack.com
This post was edited on 6/8 4:23 PM by Alan_GoldandBlack.com
