Whitney Bays is saying the right things.
The senior forward is returning to her first collegiate home, as Purdue plays at Maryland on Thursday night. It'll likely be emotional for the Boilermaker, who saw injuries derail her Terrapin career before it really got started. She played a season there - it was her only semi-healthy season in a four-year span mired by knee injuries - before transferring to Purdue.
Here, she's found new basketball life, being healthy and playing the best of her career.
"It'll be nice to go back and see some familiar faces," Bays said before Purdue's 6:30 p.m. tip Thursday. "But I'm more concentrating on the game, the scouting report. I'm taking it like it's a regular game, any other game, just focusing on what I'm supposed to be focusing on."
That might be easier to say than do. Bays was a top recruit nationally when she signed with Maryland, but the knee injury - she missed her high school senior season, then redshirt Year 1 in College Park - sidetracked her. She tried playing that next season, but wasn't quite right, and she didn't feel good about Maryland, either, the combination leaving her to seek a transfer.
Bays came to Purdue, had more surgeries, redshirted, then played last season, becoming the Big Ten's Sixth Player-of-the-Year. This year's averaging 14.6 and 10.5 rebounds per game.
But she's been even better recently, with a five-game double-double streak (a Purdue record), during which she's averaged 16.6 and 11.2.
"I think that's great, it bodes well for what she's done and her work," Coach Sharon Versyp said. "But going there is different. If Maryland was here, that's one thing, but it's on a different platform going back to where she transferred from. I'm just glad - and she's glad - that she's playing at a high level right now for her team. That's going to be a big key."
Bays is familiar with a couple Terrapins, being in the same recruiting class as leading-scorer Lauren Mincy and Brene Moseley. But she's not going to let those relationships get in the way of the game.
Versyp and Bays have had several conversions this week, about staying centered and not getting too high for the matchup. That'll help, they hope, when the ball is tipped.
"Obviously I want to win," Bays said. "It's bittersweet, so you have different feelings, but I'm excited. They're a good team, it's going to be an intense game."
• Torrie Thornton is finally feeling healthy, and it shows.
After battling knee injuries much of her career - surgery on tendonitis forced her to redshirt a couple seasons ago - Thornton is playing her best right now. The last two games, she's collected 11 rebounds, five steals and four blocks while averaging 17 minutes per game. She also scored a career-high nine points against Minnesota.
"I definitely feel a lot healthier than I have in the past," Thornton said. "I think finally I'm getting over the hump with my knees, so I feel a lot more comfortable and a lot more confident."
Thornton's giving Purdue energy-filled minutes. Her line against Minnesota was impressive: In 16 minutes, she had the nine points, six boards, three steals, a block and an assist. That's a lot of impactful plays.
"I feel like that's the way I'm used to playing," Thornton said. "I feel like I got back to my old self and contributing defensively, doing the little things, getting rebounds, putbacks."
The 6-foot forward is averaging three points and 2.9 rebounds per game, both career highs.
"I'm more confident, because when I'm healthier I'm a lot better," she said.
• Maryland (11-2 overall, 2-0 in the Big Ten) is the 12th-ranked team in the country, and the league favorite in its first year in the Big Ten.
The Terrapins lead the conference in scoring, averaging 84.2 points per game, while hitting an impressive 50-percent of their field goals (four percent better than No. 2 Iowa). And their defense isn't bad, giving up only 57.5 points per game, the second-best in the Big Ten.
"We've got to know them like the back of our hand," Bays said. "Defense, we always say it starts with defense and that's where it's going to start. Their a good offensive team, but we've got to attack them too. Get their bigs in some foul trouble. And we've got to stop their guards, they have good guards. They're going to try to run on us, so we've got to stay poised and try to play our game."
The problem is Maryland's depth. Eleven players average at least 15 minutes per game, allowing them to race up and down the court without the danger of fatigue.
Versyp says Purdue (9-5, 2-1) will try to control tempo.
"We can't just go up and down and be a track meet and take the earliest shot that we have in the shot clock," she said. "But if we can run, we're running. But if we push the ball down and there's not a great scenario, we need to then set something up, execute in the half court and make them play defense for a while."
• Purdue's been solid on the road this season, winning two of their three in opponents' arenas, including their Big Ten opener at Illinois.
And the Boilermakers play four of their next five away from Mackey Arena, including at the Terrapins and at No. 17 Iowa on Sunday. Purdue's physicality and toughness, Versyp says, will be tested.
"You become more focused on the road and know that everybody is against you," she said. "I think we've done a pretty solid job of building that character of going on the road and taking an us-against-the-world mentality."
The senior forward is returning to her first collegiate home, as Purdue plays at Maryland on Thursday night. It'll likely be emotional for the Boilermaker, who saw injuries derail her Terrapin career before it really got started. She played a season there - it was her only semi-healthy season in a four-year span mired by knee injuries - before transferring to Purdue.
Here, she's found new basketball life, being healthy and playing the best of her career.
"It'll be nice to go back and see some familiar faces," Bays said before Purdue's 6:30 p.m. tip Thursday. "But I'm more concentrating on the game, the scouting report. I'm taking it like it's a regular game, any other game, just focusing on what I'm supposed to be focusing on."
That might be easier to say than do. Bays was a top recruit nationally when she signed with Maryland, but the knee injury - she missed her high school senior season, then redshirt Year 1 in College Park - sidetracked her. She tried playing that next season, but wasn't quite right, and she didn't feel good about Maryland, either, the combination leaving her to seek a transfer.
Bays came to Purdue, had more surgeries, redshirted, then played last season, becoming the Big Ten's Sixth Player-of-the-Year. This year's averaging 14.6 and 10.5 rebounds per game.
But she's been even better recently, with a five-game double-double streak (a Purdue record), during which she's averaged 16.6 and 11.2.
"I think that's great, it bodes well for what she's done and her work," Coach Sharon Versyp said. "But going there is different. If Maryland was here, that's one thing, but it's on a different platform going back to where she transferred from. I'm just glad - and she's glad - that she's playing at a high level right now for her team. That's going to be a big key."
Bays is familiar with a couple Terrapins, being in the same recruiting class as leading-scorer Lauren Mincy and Brene Moseley. But she's not going to let those relationships get in the way of the game.
Versyp and Bays have had several conversions this week, about staying centered and not getting too high for the matchup. That'll help, they hope, when the ball is tipped.
"Obviously I want to win," Bays said. "It's bittersweet, so you have different feelings, but I'm excited. They're a good team, it's going to be an intense game."
• Torrie Thornton is finally feeling healthy, and it shows.
After battling knee injuries much of her career - surgery on tendonitis forced her to redshirt a couple seasons ago - Thornton is playing her best right now. The last two games, she's collected 11 rebounds, five steals and four blocks while averaging 17 minutes per game. She also scored a career-high nine points against Minnesota.
"I definitely feel a lot healthier than I have in the past," Thornton said. "I think finally I'm getting over the hump with my knees, so I feel a lot more comfortable and a lot more confident."
Thornton's giving Purdue energy-filled minutes. Her line against Minnesota was impressive: In 16 minutes, she had the nine points, six boards, three steals, a block and an assist. That's a lot of impactful plays.
"I feel like that's the way I'm used to playing," Thornton said. "I feel like I got back to my old self and contributing defensively, doing the little things, getting rebounds, putbacks."
The 6-foot forward is averaging three points and 2.9 rebounds per game, both career highs.
"I'm more confident, because when I'm healthier I'm a lot better," she said.
• Maryland (11-2 overall, 2-0 in the Big Ten) is the 12th-ranked team in the country, and the league favorite in its first year in the Big Ten.
The Terrapins lead the conference in scoring, averaging 84.2 points per game, while hitting an impressive 50-percent of their field goals (four percent better than No. 2 Iowa). And their defense isn't bad, giving up only 57.5 points per game, the second-best in the Big Ten.
"We've got to know them like the back of our hand," Bays said. "Defense, we always say it starts with defense and that's where it's going to start. Their a good offensive team, but we've got to attack them too. Get their bigs in some foul trouble. And we've got to stop their guards, they have good guards. They're going to try to run on us, so we've got to stay poised and try to play our game."
The problem is Maryland's depth. Eleven players average at least 15 minutes per game, allowing them to race up and down the court without the danger of fatigue.
Versyp says Purdue (9-5, 2-1) will try to control tempo.
"We can't just go up and down and be a track meet and take the earliest shot that we have in the shot clock," she said. "But if we can run, we're running. But if we push the ball down and there's not a great scenario, we need to then set something up, execute in the half court and make them play defense for a while."
• Purdue's been solid on the road this season, winning two of their three in opponents' arenas, including their Big Ten opener at Illinois.
And the Boilermakers play four of their next five away from Mackey Arena, including at the Terrapins and at No. 17 Iowa on Sunday. Purdue's physicality and toughness, Versyp says, will be tested.
"You become more focused on the road and know that everybody is against you," she said. "I think we've done a pretty solid job of building that character of going on the road and taking an us-against-the-world mentality."
