Bree Horrocks had to shake off the bad nerves.
The freshman center did so against Florida State Wednesday, scoring eight points off the bench for the Boilermakers in a loss, double her output from the first five games.
Why the improvement?
She got rid of bad nerves.
"Good nerves are the ones that get you excited," said Friday, as Purdue prepped to play at Dayton Sunday. "You might be a little shaky but you're just anxious to go out there. But then if I dwell on my nerves too much or think too much, then that's when it's all mental paralysis. So right now I'm good nerves."
The 6-foot-5 Horrocks could play a big role for the Boilermakers going forward, giving Purdue a true center, an aspect they've missed early this season. Horrocks was excellent offensively vs. the Seminoles, with the eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, which she says gives her more confidence now.
"It shot it up," she said. "It's something I had been struggling with recently, not a combination, not just of confidence but of nerves too. Then when I'm too nervous, it's kind of like paralysis and I tend to beat myself up a bit. But Wednesday's game, just going out and playing and not thinking too much or worrying or even having more nerves that were unnecessary. I just had the good nerves."
Horrocks' role could be expanded vs. Dayton. Forward Whitney Bays was day-to-day on Friday, per Sharon Versyp, bringing her availability for the game into question. The senior suffered an injured shoulder and back, along with soreness to her knee, after a late-game collision on a screen.
"She got hit pretty hard and already had some back issues," Versyp said. "It just kind of messed everything up even more."
Horrocks might need to fill some minutes.
But if she does, she'll do so knowing that she's coming off her best game as a Boilermaker. Horrocks might not be the quickest of posts, but she can take advantage of other skills, being a solid perimeter shooter being one.
"We got her the ball in good deep positions, so she got some good shots," Versyp said. "She's one that's not afraid if someone is backing off to shoot the ball. She does have a great shot. Very pleased with that. She's going to have to continue to help us."
But Horrocks knows, too, that she'll need to give more. In her career-high 11 minutes vs. FSU, she didn't have a rebound. And that for a Purdue team that is struggling on the glass.
"The biggest thing is defend and rebound," Versyp said. "If you can score, that's fine. That's kind of the next step. You can't expect anyone to come in and do everything you want, especially when they haven't had a lot of playing time. So hopefully she's keep that confidence, especially on the offensive end, but now doing the things to create some problems on the defensive end."
• Purdue feels it's not far off, despite a 3-3 record through the first six.
The Boilermakers have twice lost in overtime, including vs. FSU, games in which they had opportunities to win. Be it a shot, missed rebound, turnover or bad decision, a few plays here or there could very easily have changed the outcome.
"It's usually not one thing," Versyp said. "It comes down to certain plays and you make a play or you don't, and we didn't make a shot - they made some really tough shots - I think that's the biggest thing."
Shooting would help. Purdue is making less than 40 percent of its field goals
"When we start shooting well, we're going to be fine," Versyp said. "We're doing other things well. Our shooting hasn't been great, and when our outside perimeter shots start falling, then everything will fall into place."
The freshman center did so against Florida State Wednesday, scoring eight points off the bench for the Boilermakers in a loss, double her output from the first five games.
Why the improvement?
She got rid of bad nerves.
"Good nerves are the ones that get you excited," said Friday, as Purdue prepped to play at Dayton Sunday. "You might be a little shaky but you're just anxious to go out there. But then if I dwell on my nerves too much or think too much, then that's when it's all mental paralysis. So right now I'm good nerves."
The 6-foot-5 Horrocks could play a big role for the Boilermakers going forward, giving Purdue a true center, an aspect they've missed early this season. Horrocks was excellent offensively vs. the Seminoles, with the eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, which she says gives her more confidence now.
"It shot it up," she said. "It's something I had been struggling with recently, not a combination, not just of confidence but of nerves too. Then when I'm too nervous, it's kind of like paralysis and I tend to beat myself up a bit. But Wednesday's game, just going out and playing and not thinking too much or worrying or even having more nerves that were unnecessary. I just had the good nerves."
Horrocks' role could be expanded vs. Dayton. Forward Whitney Bays was day-to-day on Friday, per Sharon Versyp, bringing her availability for the game into question. The senior suffered an injured shoulder and back, along with soreness to her knee, after a late-game collision on a screen.
"She got hit pretty hard and already had some back issues," Versyp said. "It just kind of messed everything up even more."
Horrocks might need to fill some minutes.
But if she does, she'll do so knowing that she's coming off her best game as a Boilermaker. Horrocks might not be the quickest of posts, but she can take advantage of other skills, being a solid perimeter shooter being one.
"We got her the ball in good deep positions, so she got some good shots," Versyp said. "She's one that's not afraid if someone is backing off to shoot the ball. She does have a great shot. Very pleased with that. She's going to have to continue to help us."
But Horrocks knows, too, that she'll need to give more. In her career-high 11 minutes vs. FSU, she didn't have a rebound. And that for a Purdue team that is struggling on the glass.
"The biggest thing is defend and rebound," Versyp said. "If you can score, that's fine. That's kind of the next step. You can't expect anyone to come in and do everything you want, especially when they haven't had a lot of playing time. So hopefully she's keep that confidence, especially on the offensive end, but now doing the things to create some problems on the defensive end."
• Purdue feels it's not far off, despite a 3-3 record through the first six.
The Boilermakers have twice lost in overtime, including vs. FSU, games in which they had opportunities to win. Be it a shot, missed rebound, turnover or bad decision, a few plays here or there could very easily have changed the outcome.
"It's usually not one thing," Versyp said. "It comes down to certain plays and you make a play or you don't, and we didn't make a shot - they made some really tough shots - I think that's the biggest thing."
Shooting would help. Purdue is making less than 40 percent of its field goals
"When we start shooting well, we're going to be fine," Versyp said. "We're doing other things well. Our shooting hasn't been great, and when our outside perimeter shots start falling, then everything will fall into place."
