Like the first drops of water that hit your lips after a run, Purdue’s scrimmage came at just the right time. Purdue sports have become a rollercoaster that only travels uphill; you’re told that the fun will start at any moment, but after a while it just becomes tedious. The blemish of last season remains fresh, and it may not be until March before it sufficiently fades.
So Saturday’s scrimmage was as much about reassuring Purdue fans that last season the ensuing purge was little more than an unfortunate diversion. The goal remains the same: Big 10 Championship, Final Four, National Championship. No one is claiming Purdue to be in contention for any of those these season, but as much as last season was about getting knocked off the path to one day achieving them, this season is about angling back; putting the proverbial car in reverse if necessary…whatever it takes to give those close to the program confidence that trust - in Matt Painter, the players, Morgan Burke, John Purdue himself - is well-placed.
Restoring the proper trajectory of this program required a significant amount of work. Personnel changes being the most prominent. Four players left (not including graduating seniors); five arrived as new. The four that left, all good players in their own right, sadly needed to go. Whether the reason for their departure was a lack of satisfaction with their role, or an inability to take even the slightest bit of coaching, or an unwillingness to put any work in their game, the fit wasn’t right. Teams go as their locker room goes. And a tumultuous locker room was the worst-kept secret around the program last year.
Want to get an idea of what Matt Painter so unhappy with his players last year? Just look at the characteristics of the guys he brought in. Maturity, leadership, team-first attitude, shooting, defense, effort. Only two of those attributes actually show up in the box score, but without them - and with apologies to William Yeats - things fall apart; the centre cannot hold. The team crumbled last season, a disjoint set of mis-matched parts; unable to inspire the slightest bit of confident, going out not proud and fighting like their predecessors, but with a whimper and shrug at the hands of some lower division school in a 3rd-rate tournament.
The energy is different this year. The feeling around last year’s team was happy-go-lucky, look-at-how-laid-back-we-are. There was no edge to that team. The void left by the departure of leaders like Robbie Hummel and Lewis Jackson had not been filled. Those players did more than lead, then instilled Purdue will its identity. THIS is what it takes to win, and THIS is how we’re going play. None of that was present last year. The freshmen came in, ready to play physically but far from it mentally. Matt Painter was hamstrung by his roster (a beast of his own creation) and forced to play kids who otherwise would split. The difference between Yogi Ferrell and Ronnie Johnson was little other than Tom Crean had the luxury of pulling Yogi after a bad play, turning the keys over to a trust-worthy Jordan Hulls while he gives Ferrell a one-on-one lesson. Matt Painter could just grit his teeth and hope that next time it would be different. The definition of insanity or something.
The edge is back this year. Of course Basil Smotherman has a 1,000 Watt smile, Kendall Stephens looks like that younger, baby-faced cousin whose piece of cake you steal when he’s not looking, but don’t get it twisted: these incoming freshmen came to play. They aren’t here to fill out spots 7-10 on the roster. They are pushing to start, and it’s only a matter a time before one or more of them break through. Stephens isn’t shy about shooting, and his slight frame doesn’t prevent him from attacking the boards. Smotherman devours missed shots on both ends, and dunks like he’s trying to tear down the basket. Bryson Scott? Thank the basketball spirits for Bryson Scott. Anthony Johnson was not a credible threat to Ronnie Johnson’s playing time last season; Scott without a doubt is. If he wants to hold on to his starting position, he had better take better care of the basketball, shoot better, and play better defense. Bryson Scott will not be satisfied being the first man off the bench.
There was a lot to be encouraged by during the scrimmage today. A few brief words on each player:
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