I was looking forward to the Clemson game as one in which we'd learn a lot about the Baby Boilers- I think we did.
-We learned that Nemanja Calasan will be a vocal leader and will look for his shot. His hook shot might become quite a weapon as the season progresses. He is going to need to stay out of trouble as he is the most-veteran Purdue forward.
-Scott Martin can create his own shot and looks to shoot nearly every time he touches the ball...that doesn't mean he gives into that urge, but he's a shooter.
-Rob Hummel is a Cardinal-type player...except maybe a bit more fluid and a better athlete. I do think Cardinal was probably a better shooter. But, Hummel seems to always come up with loose balls when Purdue needs it. I think he's a lot like the goofy-looking players from Minnesota and Wisconsin in past seasons. You look at him and say, "I'm not going to let that guy beat me"...and then he beats you it burns you to the middle.
-Kramer has to slow down a bit. He seems to play with reckless abandon, which I usually think there isn't enough of. In Chris' case, I actually think he might want to scale it back a bit. I think if he doesn't, concussions and other injuries will eventually cut his career short. All that said, I love the style of his play.
-Moore is pretty good, but isn't the take-charge type of player I thought he'd naturally be. I think he can develop into what he was in high school, but it might take a season or two.
-Keaton Grant played pretty poorly and seemed to be a liability, especially offensively during stretches of the game. I knew he hasn't played in all of the games, but I expect more since he has a year under his belt.
Overall, Purdue has a defense-first philosophy which I think will win them a lot of games...Plus, when you're not shooting well, defense can bring you through those slumps. I was really pleased with the way the team handled the hostile environment and even when the crowd seemed ready to erupt, the young Boilers didn't fold. Lastly, it sure looked like Purdue had three extra opponents on the court during stretches of the second half (ref. free throw count)...but they still almost pulled out the upset.
Regarding the telecast- great job, ESPN. Jon Sciambi is an over-talking moron. I take that back, I take that back. He was great, please don't send Vitale to any Purdue games!I really don't give a damn about the BT-ACC rivalry or "conference pride". I want Purdue to win and would really like to see IU lose every game as long as Sampson is their coach. Outside of that, I'm not too worried about the rest of the conference. I won't be going out of my way to root for a Big Ten team merely because they play in my Boilers' conference. That said, Wisconsin embarrassed themselves pretty badly tonight despite their top-25 ranking.
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I was pleasantly surprised at how well we played, but in the end we just fouled too much. You send even a crappy free throw shooting team to the line enough times...
As for Kramer, I was really surprised he went for the dunk there. You should never go for a contested dunk like that because it's dangerous. He had all that momentum going, lost control of hte ball in the air, and hitting them rim made him lose control of his body. From there he was jsut mass in a physics equation. Had he simply gone for the layup we would have had 2 points and he could have landed under control.
If he makes that dunk (or layup) we win the game, because he would have been in there for the 2nd half.
Think about how bad the foul discrepancy would have been if the refs hadn't whistled those 3 fouls on the same Clemson player in about a 10 second stretch fairly early in the period. I believe they had 9 for the half, so 1/2 were called in a 10 meaningless 10 second period.vrfkys
It was nice to finally see a game. I was impressed with the freshmen as well – even when all 4 of them were on the floor together. Martin made some moves that made me sit up and take notice. I was yelling at the TV just about every time the refs called a foul in the last 9 minutes of the game. It amazes me how many players just don’t take free-throw shooting seriously – Clemson was BAD.
That game showed me that Purdue needs some size. Not just a space eater, but someone who can play and defend. I think the team handled the size okay last night, but they will struggle against big men that can play well.
And I.U.’s Gordon is for real. Got to watch some of that game. 13 of 16 shooting? Crazy. He’s going to do a “1 and Done” and leave at the end of the year. It would shock me if he stayed. Purdue’s freshmen should stay at least 3 years, if not the full 4.
Paul, around here, Bird has already talked up Gordon as one of the best three guards in the state...that includes NBA players. He believes Gordon would play this season for the Pacers if he was on the roster. So, yeah, he's done after this season. Dude is a serious punk at times though...a very, very talented punk.
I get Kramer's idea of finishing strong, but trying to dunk on someone who has angle is never a good idea...I just hope he's not hurting for multiple games because of that decision. I have to believe he would have helped finish the Tigers off last night.
I don't think Big Ten officials will call such a ticky-tack game...but with BT officials, you never really know. They're not the most consistent bunch in the nation.
I was very impressed by the play of the Boilers. Unlike the football team, these guys had me believing they could win the game until the very (bitter) end. They will be a fun bunch to watch. The defense was incredible - they missed very few rotations and always collapsed on the ball.
As for 'the dunk'... no way Kramer should have tried that but I hope he doesn't have a concussion from it. Of course if he made it I'd be saying it was a 'strong move' :)
Very glad they finally cleared Calasan - he provides a great spark on offense and isn't afraid to shoot the rock.
My Purdue pride is slowly refilling after the abomination of the last few games of the football season.
Painter reminds me of why young, energetic coaches are awesome... after the game, he pointed out that as proud as he is of his kids, if Clemson makes their free throws at even a reasonable rate, the game's not even close. I like that kind of controlled negativity -- keeping it in perspective and never being satisfied. We need that around here.
I was thinking that Purdue and Minnesota would be surprises in the Big Ten this year, and I'm still feeling good about Purdue after watching them. They'll mature and start winning those close games with big opponents, which should be enough to make them out of the top teams in the conference. After watching the Gophers before them though, I think they still kinda suck
Tubby's got his work cut out at Minny.
Both Grant and Crump are a liability out there. On both sides of the ball. Crump is so out of control.
I would say that Crump was huge, he did a lot more good than bad. Grant was a liability on the defensive end with the fouls (I thought he was our best "on-ball" defender). He looked a step slow all game.
The freshmen are great with the effort, but I don't see a team with a lot of athleticism or size. Purdue is not going to push fast breaks and they are also not going to outrebound a lot of teams. I think they're too in between. Not to mention, I don't think they are particularly adept at shooting from outside. They really seem to miss Lutz, too bad he had to transfer back to tree hugging land.
That being said, that would have been a win last night had Kramer played the 2nd half.
I believe many of the youngsters short comings will be greatly aided once they get another off-season in the weight room. Johnson is long & athletic, but waaaaaay too thin, right now. Hummel tracks the ball well, but gets bumped around too easily. Martin can create shots, but once contact is initiated, he can't finish. Moore is skilled and athletic, but doesn't match up favorably with physical defensive-minded guards.
Crump, on the other hand, is plenty athletic, extremely quick, but misses more bunnies (which he creates) than anybody on the team. All these missed layups seem to do is get the entire team tired as they have to run 180 feet just to get back on defense. He has improved since last season, but not enough, in my mind. I'm hoping Grant is just knocking the cobwebs loose, but he not only can't shoot, he makes poor decisions and seems to have lost his ability to guard the opposition.
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