Interviewed by Dub Jellson
These are some quotes I picked out but if you can, listen to the whole interview at https://purdue.rivals.com/news/boiler-tracks-show-katie-gearlds
Last year 2 days into practice she was trying to do “Coach Versyp stuff” but said “This isn’t me. I can’t do this. So we flipped everything.” This year everyone knows what they are doing so we’re not as far behind.
“To go from 7 wins to 17, I think it shows we are headed in the right direction.”
We wanted to protect our home arena but we lost games in Mackey. “But we were never really blown out.” So when teams left they said “Ok, that team really plays hard.”
“A lot of soul searching last year. Losing isn’t fun.”
“I never felt overwhelmed when it came to coaching. It’s the stuff in the office…” that gets to me.
“Now I know what I want.” We are now full-staffed. “I am not afraid to tell my staff what I want and I think they are responding.”
“I just turned 38 and sometimes it feels like I’m still 18 playing my first game in Mackey.”
“I learned a lot about how you have to continually recruit your own players.”
“There is so much history behind our team and we’re chasing that history down. We’re figuring out how do we make that history become present.”
“‘Paints’ been great. Coach Painter and Elliot (Bloom). I take my notebook and walk down to his practice. He has some great one-liners… I ask him ‘Where did you get that one and it’s normally from Gene Keady…. He’s been great for me.”
“We watched game film from last year - even games we were supposed to win - it was like we didn’t know how to win. They won 7 games the year before” and now competing hard maybe they thought that was enough but it isn’t.
“You bring back 7 from last year… and then bringing in (from the portal) Lasha (Petree) and Caitlyn (Harper) - two 5th year seniors who have a maturity about them and want to win - those 9 will teach our freshman that this is what we want to do and this is how we do it because we want to win.”
“Bringing in Lasha and Caitlyn, we did our homework. We wanted to make sure we were getting the right pieces to fit and for what we wanted to do. You have to be really diligent because Purdue is a really special place… If we ever bring people in from the portal it will be because we did our homework and they will fit into the Purdue culture.” (Later) “If one of us on the staff has any red flag (about a portal player) then it’s over.”
“The recipe is here. Purdue had proven that it can be successful - the women’s basketball team has been successful… Hopefully this year is the beginning of a lot of special things happening.”
“Paint has always told me one thing ‘Do what you think is right. Do what you think is right for Purdue. And if you do that you then you live with whatever the decision is.’”
“Paint - what he’s done speaks volumes to that. Some of the guys he has recruited have never been nationally ranked high but he’s found guys that fit what he wants and fit Purdue and that’s something we’re trying to emulate.”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be 5* talent but it needs to be 5* human beings, 5* young women. If you get enough 5* young women together they are going to gel the right way and play hard together.”
What have you been preaching during the off season to the team? “Just be a great teammate. Hold each other accountable. The best teams are player led, not coach led.”
(It was revealing that at one point Dub asked her how much she talked to Coach Painter or Coach Versyp. As noted above, she talked only about Coach Painter.)
____________________
These are some quotes I picked out but if you can, listen to the whole interview at https://purdue.rivals.com/news/boiler-tracks-show-katie-gearlds
Last year 2 days into practice she was trying to do “Coach Versyp stuff” but said “This isn’t me. I can’t do this. So we flipped everything.” This year everyone knows what they are doing so we’re not as far behind.
“To go from 7 wins to 17, I think it shows we are headed in the right direction.”
We wanted to protect our home arena but we lost games in Mackey. “But we were never really blown out.” So when teams left they said “Ok, that team really plays hard.”
“A lot of soul searching last year. Losing isn’t fun.”
“I never felt overwhelmed when it came to coaching. It’s the stuff in the office…” that gets to me.
“Now I know what I want.” We are now full-staffed. “I am not afraid to tell my staff what I want and I think they are responding.”
“I just turned 38 and sometimes it feels like I’m still 18 playing my first game in Mackey.”
“I learned a lot about how you have to continually recruit your own players.”
“There is so much history behind our team and we’re chasing that history down. We’re figuring out how do we make that history become present.”
“‘Paints’ been great. Coach Painter and Elliot (Bloom). I take my notebook and walk down to his practice. He has some great one-liners… I ask him ‘Where did you get that one and it’s normally from Gene Keady…. He’s been great for me.”
“We watched game film from last year - even games we were supposed to win - it was like we didn’t know how to win. They won 7 games the year before” and now competing hard maybe they thought that was enough but it isn’t.
“You bring back 7 from last year… and then bringing in (from the portal) Lasha (Petree) and Caitlyn (Harper) - two 5th year seniors who have a maturity about them and want to win - those 9 will teach our freshman that this is what we want to do and this is how we do it because we want to win.”
“Bringing in Lasha and Caitlyn, we did our homework. We wanted to make sure we were getting the right pieces to fit and for what we wanted to do. You have to be really diligent because Purdue is a really special place… If we ever bring people in from the portal it will be because we did our homework and they will fit into the Purdue culture.” (Later) “If one of us on the staff has any red flag (about a portal player) then it’s over.”
“The recipe is here. Purdue had proven that it can be successful - the women’s basketball team has been successful… Hopefully this year is the beginning of a lot of special things happening.”
“Paint has always told me one thing ‘Do what you think is right. Do what you think is right for Purdue. And if you do that you then you live with whatever the decision is.’”
“Paint - what he’s done speaks volumes to that. Some of the guys he has recruited have never been nationally ranked high but he’s found guys that fit what he wants and fit Purdue and that’s something we’re trying to emulate.”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be 5* talent but it needs to be 5* human beings, 5* young women. If you get enough 5* young women together they are going to gel the right way and play hard together.”
What have you been preaching during the off season to the team? “Just be a great teammate. Hold each other accountable. The best teams are player led, not coach led.”
(It was revealing that at one point Dub asked her how much she talked to Coach Painter or Coach Versyp. As noted above, she talked only about Coach Painter.)
____________________
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