PURDUE BASKETBALL HISTORY - 1980-2018

[maplebeer]

I have been a die hard Purdue Basketball fan since the first year that Keady coached in 1980. I want nothing more to see a Purdue team go to the final four in my life time, but at this time I do not see that happening. In my opinion we had 2 teams in Keady's 25 years that had the talent/makeup to be legitimate Final Four contenders and 2 teams in Painters 14 years
1. 1988 - Three Amigos - Lost to Kansas State and future NBA star Mitch Richmond.
2. 1994 - The Big Dog - Lost to Duke and future NBA star Grant Hill
3. 2010-2011 - The Baby Boilers - Hummel's injuries curtailed our chances.

The last two years we had very good teams but not teams that i considered talented / athletic enough to make a final four run (Even with a healthy Haas). My opinion we were a top 5 point guard away from being contenders.

Both the Keady and Painter years up to this year are similar in my eyes. We had some very good teams but we did not consistently have the talent to have more Final Four contending teams. To be a final four contender, we need more talent, a little luck and health. In my opinion Painter has not recruited enough talent to be final four contenders since the baby boilers. The last couple of years he has gotten our hopes up by being in the top 5 with many top recruits but has not been able to close on any of them. We have a nice class coming in 2019 with a top talent in Newman, but not a recruiting class that will combine with the present roster to be Final Four hopefuls. I personally do not see a Final Four in Painters future.

Its frustrating to see our main Big Ten rivals Michigan and Michigan State consistently put together Final Four contenders and now the new coaches at Indiana and Ohio State (Miller and Holtmann) are beating us regularly for top recruits. It looks like Ohio State may have a top ten class in Holtmann's 2nd year.

I will continue to be a die hard Boilermaker fan, but I don't see a Final Four
in the future unless things change.

Right now it looks like we have a football coach that is winning some recruiting battles with the top programs and hopefully Brohm will be here a while and can continue his recruiting success and build a football program that can contend in the near future.

 

[BNIBoiler]

I've been reading this forum for a long time and I know that your post is going to be criticized but I agree 100%. Until the 5-star recruits start calling Purdue home, Purdue will not get to the Final 4 let alone when a championship. I've been a Purdue fan for at least 40 years. I've seen way too many good Purdue teams choke in the NCAA tournament and I'm tired of it. I can see losing in the NCAA tournament by some higher seeded teams, but when you can't even beat VCU or Arkansas Little Rock something is not right.

 

[PU pit bull]

 

[purduepat1969]

I have been a die hard Purdue Basketball fan since the first year that Keady coached in 1980. I want nothing more to see a Purdue team go to the final four in my life time, but at this time I do not see that happening. In my opinion we had 2 teams in Keady's 25 years that had the talent/makeup to be legitimate Final Four contenders and 2 teams in Painters 14 years
1. 1988 - Three Amigos - Lost to Kansas State and future NBA star Mitch Richmond.
2. 1994 - The Big Dog - Lost to Duke and future NBA star Grant Hill
3. 2010-2011 - The Baby Boilers - Hummel's injuries curtailed our chances.

The last two years we had very good teams but not teams that i considered talented / athletic enough to make a final four run (Even with a healthy Haas). My opinion we were a top 5 point guard away from being contenders.

Both the Keady and Painter years up to this year are similar in my eyes. We had some very good teams but we did not consistently have the talent to have more Final Four contending teams. To be a final four contender, we need more talent, a little luck and health. In my opinion Painter has not recruited enough talent to be final four contenders since the baby boilers. The last couple of years he has gotten our hopes up by being in the top 5 with many top recruits but has not been able to close on any of them. We have a nice class coming in 2019 with a top talent in Newman, but not a recruiting class that will combine with the present roster to be Final Four hopefuls. I personally do not see a Final Four in Painters future.

Its frustrating to see our main Big Ten rivals Michigan and Michigan State consistently put together Final Four contenders and now the new coaches at Indiana and Ohio State (Miller and Holtmann) are beating us regularly for top recruits. It looks like Ohio State may have a top ten class in Holtmann's 2nd year.

I will continue to be a die hard Boilermaker fan, but I don't see a Final Four
in the future unless things change.

Right now it looks like we have a football coach that is winning some recruiting battles with the top programs and hopefully Brohm will be here a while and can continue his recruiting success and build a football program that can contend in the near future.

You're begging to be called out by the "Painter police". They're kinda like the secret police who who censor and silence you when you speak out against the pro-Painter propaganda.

The funny part is you're 100% correct. The same pro-Painter people consider Purdue to be a Top 25 program, but don't question why he doesn't get top 25 recruiting classes. It's kind of like the rules of insanity, where you continue to do the same thing over and over again (Keady and Painter model) and expect to get different, better results. Painter's going to continue to do the same thing, field some good teams every 3 to 4 years, beat IU often enough, be praised for doing it the 'right' way, and never make it to a Final Four. Which is exactly what his predecessor did. And that will be fine with most of the Purdue faithful, because they've been trained to accept it since the days of Keady.

 

[BNIBoiler]

The Painter apologists seemed to be a little silent during this round of Painter posts.

 

[chaspark]

The Painter apologists seemed to be a little silent during this round of Painter posts.

Because he is not being ridiculous and unreasonable like many anti-Painter propagandists.

 

[Abugabby]

I posted last year that I am resigned to the fact that under Painter, our ceiling is the not-so-sweet sixteen. I just wonder what the floor will be.

 

[SunnyFL24]

I've been reading this forum for a long time and I know that your post is going to be criticized but I agree 100%. Until the 5-star recruits start calling Purdue home, Purdue will not get to the Final 4 let alone when a championship. I've been a Purdue fan for at least 40 years. I've seen way too many good Purdue teams choke in the NCAA tournament and I'm tired of it. I can see losing in the NCAA tournament by some higher seeded teams, but when you can't even beat VCU or Arkansas Little Rock something is not right.

Don't think we need 5 star athletes calling....4 star athletes will get you there.......Or you find a really good coach that can coach up talent.....Butler did it all with 3 star athletes with their 2 appearances....

 

[Wolegib]

I had the same opinion about Keady as I do about Painter. I am of the opinion that making the final 4 is all about guard play. Guards make FTs and three pointers and close out games. when you look at final 4 teams you will usually see they have elite NBA caliber guards. When you look at Purdue, the last NBA caliber guard they have had was Moore. I keep reading about all those other great Purdue guards but the reality is none of them were really NBA caliber guards especially our point guards. After Sichting and maybe Macy, who were our actual NBA caliber point guards? I'm not talking about good college PGs. I'm talking all American, NBA caliber PGs.

I'm also not a huge fan of Painter's motion offense. Has any other final 4 team incorporated it? Just curious.

I truly believe Purdue will never be a final 4 team until it has an NBA caliber pg actually running and directing the show. Is Carsen that player? He could be. But he has a long ways to go before he is really a true pg running the show. I'm just not sure if our motion offense will allow any player the opportunity to develop into a true floor general. You don't have to score points to be the floor general, but you do have to control the offense. I also realize 5star true PGs are few and far between. It's just my opinion that unless Purdue has a pg of that caliber, they will always be a great team but not a championship team.

It's not about the coach. It's about having a once in a lifetime player like Kyree Erving or Wade who can carry a team. And in my opinion the last two Purdue players who came close were Billy Keller and Sichting.

 

[delish1]

I have been a die hard Purdue Basketball fan since the first year that Keady coached in 1980. I want nothing more to see a Purdue team go to the final four in my life time, but at this time I do not see that happening. In my opinion we had 2 teams in Keady's 25 years that had the talent/makeup to be legitimate Final Four contenders and 2 teams in Painters 14 years
1. 1988 - Three Amigos - Lost to Kansas State and future NBA star Mitch Richmond.
2. 1994 - The Big Dog - Lost to Duke and future NBA star Grant Hill
3. 2010-2011 - The Baby Boilers - Hummel's injuries curtailed our chances.

The last two years we had very good teams but not teams that i considered talented / athletic enough to make a final four run (Even with a healthy Haas). My opinion we were a top 5 point guard away from being contenders.

Both the Keady and Painter years up to this year are similar in my eyes. We had some very good teams but we did not consistently have the talent to have more Final Four contending teams. To be a final four contender, we need more talent, a little luck and health. In my opinion Painter has not recruited enough talent to be final four contenders since the baby boilers. The last couple of years he has gotten our hopes up by being in the top 5 with many top recruits but has not been able to close on any of them. We have a nice class coming in 2019 with a top talent in Newman, but not a recruiting class that will combine with the present roster to be Final Four hopefuls. I personally do not see a Final Four in Painters future.

Its frustrating to see our main Big Ten rivals Michigan and Michigan State consistently put together Final Four contenders and now the new coaches at Indiana and Ohio State (Miller and Holtmann) are beating us regularly for top recruits. It looks like Ohio State may have a top ten class in Holtmann's 2nd year.

I will continue to be a die hard Boilermaker fan, but I don't see a Final Four
in the future unless things change.

Right now it looks like we have a football coach that is winning some recruiting battles with the top programs and hopefully Brohm will be here a while and can continue his recruiting success and build a football program that can contend in the near future.

I'm generally a pro-painter person but this rationed well-reasoned post made me wonder about recruiting rankings. I looked up the 247 composite and was pretty surprised. I thought there was more talent than these indicate. Painter is clearly good at finding talent and good at coaching but he really needs this crew to develop quick and start to close on some of these close calls.
It feels like the program is close but that window doesn't stay open long.

Rankings aren't everything but in a large sample I think they're informative. Side note: Illinois has had some bad coaching. It is highly ranked almost every year.

2017- 34
2016- 100+ (1 recruit in carsen)
2015- 37
2014- 33
2013- 28
2012- 16
2011- 92
2010- 37
2009- 100+
2008- 100+
2007- 6

 

[purduepat1969]

I'm generally a pro-painter person but this rationed well-reasoned post made me wonder about recruiting rankings. I looked up the 247 composite and was pretty surprised. I thought there was more talent than these indicate. Painter is clearly good at finding talent and good at coaching but he really needs this crew to develop quick and start to close on some of these close calls.
It feels like the program is close but that window doesn't stay open long.

Rankings aren't everything but in a large sample I think they're informative. Side note: Illinois has had some bad coaching. It is highly ranked almost every year.

2017- 34
2016- 100+ (1 recruit in carsen)
2015- 37
2014- 33
2013- 28
2012- 16
2011- 92
2010- 37
2009- 100+
2008- 100+
2007- 6

Purdue is a top 40 or 50 program that gets players who generally stay for 4 years, buy into Painter's program, and develop into good, not great college players, which allow the program to overachieve every so often. Others who don't buy into his program of defense, hustle, and sometimes mind numbing motion offense (Ewing, Johnson's, Barlow, etc) either leave or are asked to leave and then we're stuck with the gap in talent, which is exactly what happened when the 4 good seniors graduated last year. With this type of program, Purdue is not going to attract top talent. It's just that simple. Just look at Carsen Edwards. He wasn't a top recruit. Painter just got lucky and found a diamond in the rough, which is outstanding. But that's the exception rather than the rule.

The fact is, most top programs reload, not rebuild every 3 to 4 years, because they get consistent talent levels in recruiting. Purdue is not one of those programs with Painter.

 

[Boilerscuz]

Painter's going to continue to do the same thing, field some good teams every 3 to 4 years, beat IU often enough, be praised for doing it the 'right' way, and never make it to a Final Four. Which is exactly what his predecessor did.

It's the Groundhog Day aspect of this whole thing that's getting me down lately. Every 6 years or so we field a really good team of role players that eventually runs into an athletic squad and we get curb stomped. I've only been paying attention since 1982 but I've seen this movie a few times...

The recent cycle of recruiting had my hopes up that we'd be the team with athletic studs but once again the rug got pulled out from underneath us. Seems like it's February 2nd again.

 

[New Pal Boiler]

It's the Groundhog Day aspect of this whole thing that's getting me down lately. Every 6 years or so we field a really good team of role players that eventually runs into an athletic squad and we get curb stomped. I've only been paying attention since 1982 but I've seen this movie a few times...

The recent cycle of recruiting had my hopes up that we'd be the team with athletic studs but once again the rug got pulled out from underneath us. Seems like it's February 2nd again.

Hey do you pronounce your handle, “Boilers Cuz” or “Boiler Scuz”? Just curious.

 

[Boilerscuz]

Scuz. Hell week nickname. Technically Scuzzer

 

[proudopete]

I had the same opinion about Keady as I do about Painter. I am of the opinion that making the final 4 is all about guard play. Guards make FTs and three pointers and close out games. when you look at final 4 teams you will usually see they have elite NBA caliber guards. When you look at Purdue, the last NBA caliber guard they have had was Moore. I keep reading about all those other great Purdue guards but the reality is none of them were really NBA caliber guards especially our point guards. After Sichting and maybe Macy, who were our actual NBA caliber point guards? I'm not talking about good college PGs. I'm talking all American, NBA caliber PGs.

I'm also not a huge fan of Painter's motion offense. Has any other final 4 team incorporated it? Just curious.

I truly believe Purdue will never be a final 4 team until it has an NBA caliber pg actually running and directing the show. Is Carsen that player? He could be. But he has a long ways to go before he is really a true pg running the show. I'm just not sure if our motion offense will allow any player the opportunity to develop into a true floor general. You don't have to score points to be the floor general, but you do have to control the offense. I also realize 5star true PGs are few and far between. It's just my opinion that unless Purdue has a pg of that caliber, they will always be a great team but not a championship team.

It's not about the coach. It's about having a once in a lifetime player like Kyree Erving or Wade who can carry a team. And in my opinion the last two Purdue players who came close were Billy Keller and Sichting.

Painter runs a lot of set plays now and much less motion.

 

[atmafola]

I posted last year that I am resigned to the fact that under Painter, our ceiling is the not-so-sweet sixteen. I just wonder what the floor will be.

I think he will crack elite 8 someday. I don't see a Final 4 in his future currently either. Things might change. But nothing I have seen currently tells me that he will ever reach one.

 

[UncleRico3]

I have been a die hard Purdue Basketball fan since the first year that Keady coached in 1980. I want nothing more to see a Purdue team go to the final four in my life time, but at this time I do not see that happening. In my opinion we had 2 teams in Keady's 25 years that had the talent/makeup to be legitimate Final Four contenders and 2 teams in Painters 14 years
1. 1988 - Three Amigos - Lost to Kansas State and future NBA star Mitch Richmond.
2. 1994 - The Big Dog - Lost to Duke and future NBA star Grant Hill
3. 2010-2011 - The Baby Boilers - Hummel's injuries curtailed our chances.

The last two years we had very good teams but not teams that i considered talented / athletic enough to make a final four run (Even with a healthy Haas). My opinion we were a top 5 point guard away from being contenders.

Both the Keady and Painter years up to this year are similar in my eyes. We had some very good teams but we did not consistently have the talent to have more Final Four contending teams. To be a final four contender, we need more talent, a little luck and health. In my opinion Painter has not recruited enough talent to be final four contenders since the baby boilers. The last couple of years he has gotten our hopes up by being in the top 5 with many top recruits but has not been able to close on any of them. We have a nice class coming in 2019 with a top talent in Newman, but not a recruiting class that will combine with the present roster to be Final Four hopefuls. I personally do not see a Final Four in Painters future.

Its frustrating to see our main Big Ten rivals Michigan and Michigan State consistently put together Final Four contenders and now the new coaches at Indiana and Ohio State (Miller and Holtmann) are beating us regularly for top recruits. It looks like Ohio State may have a top ten class in Holtmann's 2nd year.

I will continue to be a die hard Boilermaker fan, but I don't see a Final Four
in the future unless things change.

Right now it looks like we have a football coach that is winning some recruiting battles with the top programs and hopefully Brohm will be here a while and can continue his recruiting success and build a football program that can contend in the near future.

Great Post. I don’t think the 2010 team would have reached the final 4 either. We had ZERO front court depth. Bade was the top big off the bench. I think last year’s team and that 2010 squad were similar in that they had unbelievable regular seasons, but not talented enough to do major damage in the tourney.

 

[Abugabby]

I really felt that the 2010 squad would be the team to break through to the Final Four. That was the best team I’ve seen since I’ve been a Boiler fan. Three future NBA-ish players who had great chemistry...I miss that team.

 

[BoilerIron]

I really felt that the 2010 squad would be the team to break through to the Final Four. That was the best team I’ve seen since I’ve been a Boiler fan. Three future NBA-ish players who had great chemistry...I miss that team.

Not to beat a dead horse.... those 3 players you mentioned were all top 50 recruits.

 

[BoilerMaker P]

I really felt that the 2010 squad would be the team to break through to the Final Four. That was the best team I’ve seen since I’ve been a Boiler fan. Three future NBA-ish players who had great chemistry...I miss that team.

I did too. And if not for Hummel's ACL I still believe they would have. Look at the talent on that team outside of Hummel, Moore, and Johnson...Keaton Grant, Chris Kramer, Lewis Jackson, Kelsey Barlow, DJ Byrd and Ryne Smith. Watching that team play was a joy for sure. The New Year's Day game where they hammered a top 10 West Virginia squad in Mackey was an absolute clinic. Even without Hummel they made it to the Sweet 16 and hung with eventual champion Duke for the majority of that game. It makes me sick every time I think about it.

 

[mediaexpert]

Last year, if Haas did not get hurt; we were a final 4 team, if in a different bracket. Probably in the finals with Villanova, if bracketed that way.

 

[UncleRico3]

I've been reading this forum for a long time and I know that your post is going to be criticized but I agree 100%. Until the 5-star recruits start calling Purdue home, Purdue will not get to the Final 4 let alone when a championship. I've been a Purdue fan for at least 40 years. I've seen way too many good Purdue teams choke in the NCAA tournament and I'm tired of it. I can see losing in the NCAA tournament by some higher seeded teams, but when you can't even beat VCU or Arkansas Little Rock something is not right.

Yet to some on here you would be considered a horrible fan, a Purdue hater, etc. You are dead on!

 

[SKYDOG]

Last year, if Haas did not get hurt; we were a final 4 team, if in a different bracket. Probably in the finals with Villanova, if bracketed that way.

I believe Texas Tech would have beaten Purdue with Haas. They were just a bad matchup for our boys.

 

[PU pit bull]

There was no answer for the Haas n nator!

 

[mathboy]

I believe Texas Tech would have beaten Purdue with Haas. They were just a bad matchup for our boys.

On the other hand, Texas Tech had no one to match up against Haas. No one. I say we beat them with our controlled never-miss offense. We pound the ball inside, they try doubling Haas unsuccessfully, and our now-open 3-point shooters nail them to the wall.

See how easy that was? For the whole year, our offense went through Haas when it was running well. Without him in the line up, we were not the same team.

 

[New Pal Boiler]

Not to beat a dead horse.... those 3 players you mentioned were all top 50 recruits.

Hummel actually was not, but point taken.

 

[SKYDOG]

On the other hand, Texas Tech had no one to match up against Haas. No one. I say we beat them with our controlled never-miss offense. We pound the ball inside, they try doubling Haas unsuccessfully, and our now-open 3-point shooters nail them to the wall.

See how easy that was? For the whole year, our offense went through Haas when it was running well. Without him in the line up, we were not the same team.

Unfortunately Tech would push the ball before Haas would be able to get down the floor. I guess we will agree to disagree on this one.

 

[mediaexpert]

Unfortunately Tech would push the ball before Haas would be able to get down the floor. I guess we will agree to disagree on this one.

Funny how no team was able to do this during the year or in the preseason in Europe. The knock against Haas was he did not rebound enough. When the refs let the players play during the playoffs, Haas rebounded much better in the playoff. Haas would have killed them inside.