Spring Game Primer

We've made no secret of the fact that we're big fans of the Darrell Hazell hire (bdowd is a little concerned that if I ever wind up in Coach Hazell's company that I might hug him too tightly). Recently, we've had some info up on the site pointing to all the things that we think he and his staff are doing well. That continued this week during the media conference call. You can find Darrell Hazell's and Ricardo Allen's comments at this link.

One thing I notice right away in these sessions is how thoughtful and well-prepared he sounds in each answer. He also manages to not ramble on forever as a certain former coach used to.

"I wanted our community to feel like they were involved in our football team." -- Coach Hazell

"Last year, you used to go over there and sort of half-pedal... now everybody wants to work hard to get out of The Pit [their name for where the slightly injured players work out] and back on the field." -- Ricardo Allen

In addition, Coach Hazell was featured in a BTN segment with noted Danny Hope fan Gerry DiNardo (it should tell you something about Gerry's coaching acumen that he liked Hope). I did especially like DiNardo talking about coming to Purdue being different than Kent St because "Purdue has had some success" in recent years. Yes, true, Gerry -- if your definition of success is going .500 sometimes, winning two bowl games (barely, over a lesser-conference foes) over the past ten seasons and getting destroyed by Oklahoma State in last season's bowl appearance.

When you hear Coach Hazell talk about winning football games, well, that should perk you up a bit. He sounds determined and he sounds confident that he can make it happen -- rather than hopeful that he can maybe make them "competitive."

"Purdue lost a lot of close football games the past couple of years. We're going to talk about how you win those close football games."

Amen to that.

EMU Win: Unprecedented Game

This might not matter to many of you...but once upon a time, we wrote this site just to get stuff off of our chest about Purdue to our pals.  We didn't have rules because we didn't have many readers...outside of about 5-10 friends.  We'd write about Purdue football, and follow it up with politics...then talk about our favorite stadiums or women on TV. Every now and again, you'll see some of that nonsense creep in here...and on cue, we'll get quickly reminded of how we are here to entertain some of you specifically in only pre-approved ways.

But, even before we had readers...or the site, I religiously watched Purdue football on Saturdays. Back when I got out of school, I was told by co-workers that my passion for my alma mater's football and basketball teams would eventually cool to the point in which my Saturdays wouldn't revolve around the black and gold.  Well, 15 years later, my misguided co-workers' predictions haven't come true...but for the first time in about 20 years, I missed a Purdue football game last weekend...so in a way, my old co-workers were Nostrodamus-esque as they foresaw this trip in their collective crystal ball a mere two decades later.

Hell, a 9 years ago, when Purdue squared off against Wake Forest on the day of my brother's wedding, my brothers, Dad and I all found our way to a TV screen between pre-ceremony photos in order to make sure we'd still see the game...but two Saturdays ago, it was out of my control, and my streak was broken.

Along with a couple of my friends, I've started a company...and my corresponding travel schedule this month has been a bit of a meat grinder. I avoided missing the UND game; and Purdue nearly delivered an unexpected victory.  But this week, the story changed- I couldn't get to a TV or radio...and Purdue comforted me by delivering a comfortable victory...as expected.

"Watching" a game via numbers and stats on an application on your phone is only good when your favorite team gives you something to ease your concerns...and continues to predictably pour it on and leave no doubt of victory. But, if Purdue shellacks a crappy team and there are no highlights, did the game count?

Well, of course it does, but reading about the game and seeing still photos of big runs doesn't tell me all I need to know about scampers from Cottom, Shavers, Hunt and Anthrop.  BTN didn't have full-game highlights, nor did EsPN.com...which leaves the runs to my imagination...but the most-important stat doesn't lie- Purdue won another game handily, and their ability to make big plays doesn't seem to be affected by whom is playing quarterback...that's something we can all take heart in.

I DVR'd the game, and look forward to watching it next week, but first, our Boilers have to take care of business vers the Thundering Herd- a game that my co-founding pal of BS, J, has worried about since he saw the schedule a while back.  And speaking of J, let me publicly say thanks to him- he's run the site admirably without any help from me.  While many sites have a staff of 5-50 writers providing content, here at old school BS, it's really just J and I.  Sure, we tried to get some help last Spring, but they haven't been too interested in contributing this season. I don't begrudge them for it...instead, I'm just appreciative that the site keeps chugging along with one arm tied behind its figurative back.

I can't wait 'til Saturday though- this is a chance for Purdue to slay some demons that Danny Hope helped create.  And while I don't really know what happened v. EMU in Ross Ade, my eyes along with other results across the football landscape seem to be reinforcing the idea that my Boilers are a pretty damned good football team.  They can stop the run, they can run the ball, they're sure tackling and veteran-led.

Last year, when things were good, Hope and the staff seemed to let their collective guard down and poop the bed each time a sniff of success reared its head.  I feel like this year is different...and Saturday Hope, KK, Shavers and co. have a chance to prove it.  Hopefully, I'll be able to find a TV with BTN in  the heart of SEC country to see it with my own eyes...missing two in a row might be too much for me to bear.

Black and Gold Propaganda: BTN's Ten Reasons To Be Excited for Purdue Football

When I say propaganda, you probably have a negative connotation with that. I don't necessarily mean it to be negative -- really, propaganda is just framing the argument in a way that favors your side. The BTN's Tom Dienhart has kindly created a ten reasons to be excited about Purdue football post for your enjoyment, which you can read here.

I'll admit, this kind of talk and the excitement I've heard from fans continues to suck me back in. This happens every year -- as football approaches, the halls of the BS offices come alive, Boilerdowd has a twinkle in his eye and I think we all get an extra hop in our steps. Or maybe that's just us liking skipping.

Some highlights from Dienhart's post:

• Purdue returns 15 starters in 2012, the most of any team in the Big Ten. Some stats don't matter at all, but I think experience is important. These guys are on a high right now from a decent finish to a "step forward" season.
   
• The defense, with Short, Russell, Gaston, Allen, Johnson, etc., should truly be a strength. Tibesar could become a hero in West Lafayette if it rounds into shape and actually becomes a weapon.
  
• Ricardo Allen. This is a big season for Allen, in my opinion. He's been trumpeted as among the best CBs in the nation for a while now, yet we saw some things that concerned us in his first two seasons in black and gold. That said, they were just his first two seasons as a freshman and sophomore. This is the year where he really should be expected to become the force he has been said to potentially be.
  
• Raheem Mostert. We love Mostert and were calling for him to play more last year. The guy is exciting on the field and good things just seem to happen when he has the ball. Here's hoping the coaches open things up a bit and give Mostert as big a role as he can fill.
  
• QB Situation. This will be the fulcrum on which the 2012 season hinges. Dienhart points to the three QBs with serious experience as a plus, which in some situations I think we would agree it is. The question here is whether the situation Purdue's coaching staff turns this into will be advantageous and lead to winning. We, among many, have our doubts about that. But as we often say when we're feeling negatively about something, we would love to be wrong. 

What do you think of Dienhart's list? Does it amp you up even more? Are you believing now? Does it feel like the pieces actually might be falling into place for Purdue to contend in the Leaders division?
  

Coach Tiller Thinks About A Comeback

Grass don't grow on a busy street!

Oh, did that headline get you excited? Or worried?

Turns out, Cliff at Indy Sports Legends wrote a piece on how Joe Tiller thinks about coming back quite a bit, but then remembers how tired and disinterested he was by the end of his time at Purdue. Only he doesn't quite use those words.

Tiller is 69 now and is loving the life of a retiree, traveling the country, fishing, eating waffles at the local diner in Wyoming and, of course, giving his analysis on the Big Ten Network. And why wouldn't he? He probably enjoys reminding DiNardo and Mason that he's the reason they are in a studio now and not on a sideline. Who wouldn't enjoy that?

Tiller also thinks Coach Hope is doing a good job, so we'll know how his vote is cast when we set up our next Hope Satisfaction Poll sometime after Purdue's first hard-to-stomach loss in the fall.

Another Prediction...Another Slap in the Face

The Underdog.

If you watched Purdue's basketball team this past season, you know at times it was tough to watch.  It's been well-publicized that this team was hobbled coming into the season and didn't get healthy until February, and it showed.  Two of the three captains couldn't practice at all for months at a time and two more of the top-5 scorers slogged through injuries that kept them from playing the game they way they did down the stretch.  On top of that, a guy that was as divisive as talented had to be given the boot for the team to have cohesiveness.

These aren't excuses, in fact, they're testaments to Painter's ability...because in spite of all of this...in spite of Purdue having no post presence for much of the season, in a conference that has serious beef under the basket, Purdue still made the tournament and still won 20+ games.

Because of this...because of what we've seen Painter do during his time at Purdue, I'm bewildered by the media's view on his team for the coming season.

Here at BS, we like BTN's Brent Yarina.  He researches his subject matter and generally knows what he's talking about.  But he got his premature conference prediction wrong...and Purdue isn't the only reason why. The moving parts around our Boilers are flawed, yet, by his own admission via Twitter, he believes all seven teams above Purdue in his predicto got better while Purdue didn't.

Let's look a bit at his reasons why he likes everyone in the conference except Purdue, shall we?

2012-13 PROJECTED STANDINGS
1. Indiana – The entire starting 5 is back, plus IU welcomes one of the nation’s top recruiting classes.

I really have no beef with this one.  While I don't respect Crean as a game coach, his ability to get talent to IU has been astoundingly-effective. As Thad Matta will tell you, talent doesn't need much coaching.

2. Michigan – Trey Burke’s return makes Michigan a national contender — leadership is lone issue.

Michigan loses three starters...glue guys, if you will.  Novak started for three years, was a clutch shooter, an intense defender, a coach on the floor, and was all B1G Honorable Mention (and looked like Christian Laettner).  Douglass never missed a game at UM, was a great shooter and Smotrycz started the majority of the games and created tough a tough match-up with his ability to play low and high. Leadership will be an issue as Yarina said...but so will consistency.

3. Ohio State – Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft could become one of the Big Ten’s elite duos.

I agree with Thomas and Craft being a great tandem...but losing a guy who was one of the nation's best for one season and one of the conference's best in his Soph season might change a team a bit.  On top of that, aOSU's offense relied heavily on Sully's ability to clear space and their offense ran through him. Most-interestingly, unlike most of Yarina's favorites, the Buckeyes have an incoming class of ZERO (at this point.

4. Minnesota – Trevor Mbakwe joins a talented and underrated roster that clicked down the stretch.

Mbakwe is a guy who is as talented as any power forward in the nation...reminds me a lot of Kansas' Robinson, but with baggage off the court. So when a guy like that blows out his knee, I think it might be fair to think his explosiveness could be effected; Our pal at BTN doesn't think it matters.  He also thinks that a team that lost 7 of its last 10 B1G contests clicked down the stretch. Oh wait, they did...but when playing teams like LaSalle, MTSU and teams from the awful Pac12.

5. Wisconsin – The Badgers know how to replace star players, and history says they’ll do it again.

I think Wisconsin will actually be better than this.  Losing Taylor is tough, but it's the big honkies that have made Bo his dough...and UW will have plenty whitebreads cut from the Brian Butch mold next season.

6. Michigan State – How will MSU replace Draymond Green and will Branden Dawson be ready to go?

This is another team that I think will be better than Yarina thinks. Harris, Costello and Valentine will be immediate-impact guys...but Harris specifically will only make Nix better as Appling and Payne force themselves onto opposing defenses.

7. Iowa – Aaron White and Devyn Marble headline one of the Big Ten’s most exciting teams.

As we say last year with this team, excitement doesn't translate to wins...but I guess it will translate to more wins than Purdue, ammIright?

I think losing a four-year starter in Gatens is a pretty large deal to this team...but they'll be very dangerous.

8. Purdue – Without a proven big man or facilitator, the incoming recruits arrive with plenty of pressure.

I think his insinuation that Purdue's loss of Jackson will be important.  Sure it will, but the pair of Johnsons both played point last season...and if other teams get credit for their incoming classes, why doesn't Purdue? Three four star-rated players, three guys over 6'9" (one a 21 year old Frosh, another a 7 footer) and a point guard who has played against the most-talented state, in the hotbed of Indianapolis and shined.

I don't mind Purdue not being picked as a conference favorite.  BUT, to put a Matt Painter-coached, defense-first team in the lower third of the conference is worse than a slap in the face, it's foolish. Painter has won as an underdog before, and he'll do it again this season.

Yarina's post wasn't the first disrespectful shot across Painter and his squad's bow in the very-early pre-season...but it was the one from one of the guys that I consider a pretty-knowledgable writer from the network that focuses on the conference.  It warranted a response, not because it's wrong, but because of the source.

Yarina's right- the conference is getting better.  But why stop at eighth? Illinois has a hot name as coach and one of the best players in the league returning, Northwestern has two great players returning and a coach that runs a goofy offense that's tough to defend, and PSU has one of the best players in the conference back with a coach that shows his team's play will match his intensity.  Let's just make Purdue's fall from greatness noteworthy and colossal and place the Boilers at 11th in the league, what do you say? There's no doubt the league is good, but an eighth place prediction nearly says Purdue doesn't belong. 

Clowns like Goodman, Katz and others barely recognize that Purdue has a basketball team now that Hummel is no longer with the program.  But before Hummel was on campus, Painter devised a plan that allowed Purdue, with only two real scoring threats, no real point guard and a ton of lunchpail defense to win 22 games.  Before JJ was JJ, Purdue won 25 games while being led by Freshman and Sophomores...and last year, even with much of the starting line-up held out of practice and without anyone underneath who was formidable, Painter squeezed 22 wins out of a team.  The defense will be back to what we've become accustomed to in '12/'13...and Purdue will surprise Yarina, and others.

In '12-'13, Purdue, Painter and company will relish the underdog role...again.

BTN Icon: Gene Keady

Since I was at the game on Saturday, I didn't have the chance to watch the Gene Keady-focused "Icons" show following the debacle in Mackey...so I watched it last night, looking to be uplifted a bit.

For me, it didn't happen. While I loved watching Keady's teams tear through the Big Ten season, the most difficult, and memorable losses for me as a fan came in the month of March with Keady at the helm. This show, while great to watch really reminded me of some of those games.

I don't remember Gene Keady's hiring...I was five.  So for me, it was simple-Keady was just Purdue's coach.  Plus, I grew up the son of a big Purdue fan who graduated in 1970.  Like my son, I was taken to games and watched (and listened to) a lot of Purdue basketball while growing up.

My son's first game was when he was four...he's probably already forgotten it.  I believe my first Purdue game was in 1985- Reid, Hall, Gaddis, Rowinski and co. were on that squad. By '85, Keady had established his way- hard-nosed, never-back-down basketball utilizing some players that no one else in the Big Ten really wanted.  In fact, one of the first players that help Keady define who he was as a coach was Jim Rowinski.

He was a football player in shorts- He was between 6'7" and 6'8" matching up against 6'10" (and taller) guys...and he didn't have long arms.  But he was gritty...and strong as an ox.  His career started off slowly (or poorly) depending on your perspective.  But in his Senior year, he became more than just a guy who set crushing picks and started scoring buckets too.  He was an enforcer who used brute force to try to level the playing field against IU, Michigan, MSU and the elite of the conference...and it worked.

If you're too young to remember Rowinski, think of Wisconsin's goons...but without the burr haircuts and height, but with more braun.

Keady's point guards were regularly not as quick as the rest of the league (especially early in his time at Purdue)...and his bigs were not quite as skilled as many they competed against. But they all understood that if they didn't play together and play hard, they simply couldn't compete.  So they did, each and every game.

That paradigm yielded dramatic victories versus the national power houses...and Purdue, like its former football player coach, began defying critics, winning conference championships and pissing off fans from opposing schools around the Midwest and beyond- all while defining what we know about Purdue basketball today.

Keady's teams got better and more skilled as they hovered near the top of the conference.  My favorite team, which was recently honored at Mackey by its best scorer, Troy Lewis, was defined by Lewis and his fellow Senior teammates from 1998.  In middle school, my life revolved around Purdue sports.  I went to Purdue basketball camp and got to meet Steve Scheffler, Troy Lewis, Everett Stevens and Todd Mitchell.  Pretty much every piece of clothing that I didn't wear to school had purdue printed on it.  I was thoroughly brainwashed; and loved it.  In spite of Purdue getting knocked out year after year in the first or second round of the tournament, I tended to focus on what happened during the regular season...it probably kept me sane.

The most memorable Purdue game I attended during this era, and probably in my life, for that matter, was when Purdue clinched the BT title with the 3 Amigos leading the way.  Days before the game, a crippling ice storm had gone through the Indianapolis area.  My family lived down near 38th street in Indianapolis.  Since all the power lines are above ground down there, we lost power for days. We were pretty much huddling around the fire place for light and heat for a few days...so when the Michigan game fell on the tail end of the power outage, my Dad, brothers and I were ready to get to Mackey and witness something special.  We did.

Troy Lewis, Gene Keady, Todd Mitchell and Everett Stephens, 1988

It was about 90 degrees in Mackey that afternoon as the original Big 3 raised the big ten trophy after beating the team that won the national title about a month later.  Mackey was fitted with new lights prior to the game that brightened up the once-dark arena...and it was well-past its capacity.  And get this, even the old fans stood regularly in this contest (something that we don't see too much anymore).  It was a special day.

Purdue got the number one seed in the NCAA tournament shortly after.  They beat Farleigh Dickinson, whipped Memphis...then ran into Mitch Richmond and Kansas State. Purdue was knocked out by the lower seeded Wildcats...and I was crushed.

The next year, Purdue went to the NIT after one of its best basketball classes ever left campus.  That year, I watched Purdue's season end in person at Market Square Arena versus Florida.  I think typically, an NIT loss has no where near the sting as an NCAA tourney loss, but this was different. There was more to the one since the same Florida team had knocked Purdue out of the dance just two years prior in the second round.

My Boilers got back to the tourney the following year...and as a gift, were put in the Hoosier Dome.  They squandered the opportunity, again in heart-breaking fashion, in front of the heavily-pro-Purdue crowd.  This time, the loss came at literally at the hands of Texas- as a last second lay-up was blocked to seal a one-point victory.

A few years later, after a couple more one-and-outs in the tourney, Glenn Robinson was dominating the college basketball world.  Keady's methodical rock 'em, sock 'em style of defense was replaced with Robinson pushing the pace, Cuonzo and Waddell raining threes and Jennings and Dove dunking whenever possible. Role players like Darner and McNary reminded us all of what Purdue had been...but this year felt different.

Grant Hill v. Glenn Robinson, 1994

Robinson was the pre-season player of the year...and he lived up to the hype and more. Martin went from a guy who could barely shoot to a legitimate bomber and squad around them was rock-solid. Purdue beat elite teams, even in the NCAA tournament...but it stopped in Knoxville.  As Grant Hill, and and a bum back kept Glenn Robinson from doing what he had done over and over again that season, Purdue was knocked out. Yet again, Keady would not get to the final four.  Two of my best friends from Purdue and I, along with a bunch of our other pals, made the roadie to see this game in person. It's still tough for me to watch the Boilers lose; but this one, since I had class with some of the players and had met most of them, was worse.

Keady defied the odds after losing the nation's best player and coached Purdue up to another BT title the following year...and after the Boilers nearly lost to Dick Bennet's #15 seed WGB squad (49-48 win), the Boilers reverted to their old form of ducking out of the tournament in the second round.

Purdue lost not one, but two of the best shooters in the BT with Martin and Waddell graduating in 1995, but Keady rose to the challenge again by leading his team to their third-straight BT title in 1996.  This team, like the '88 and '94 teams earned a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. They promptly played an awful game versus Western Carolina, and earned the closest victory ever between a #1 and #16 seed team in the NCAA tournament.  The rocky start to the tournament was completed when Purdue lost the next game to Georgia.

Rodney Smith, Gene Keady and Brian Cardinall, 2000

After a few more rock-solid regular seasons and a couple more two-and-outs in the tourney, Keady put together a string of three tournaments in which his teams made serious noise in the post-season.  The most-unexpected was when the #10 seed Boilers made it to the Sweet 16 after going through Boston...I was lucky enough to be living in the Boston area in 1999, and got to see them beat Miami in the Fleet Center. The apex of this three-year run came in 2000 when the Brian Cardinal-led Boilers were knocked out of the tournament in the Elite 8 by Dick Bennett's Wisconsin team.  This was the fourth time Purdue played the Badgers that season...three of them ending in defeat.  And most of the games were rock fights played in the 60s as both teams simply ground out victories in unconventional fashion.

There is no doubt Gene Keady is a Purdue legend and is fitting of being the topic of the Icons show on BTN. He squeezed more out of under-talented teams than any coach in the modern era...Bo Ryan comes as close as anyone...and like Keady has had limited success in the NCAA tournament.

One of the things discussed in the Icons show is that Matt Painter's era is kind of a continuation of Keady's time at Purdue.  I disagree with this idea.  Keady, in all of his years at Purdue, never had a class as highly-touted as Painter's '07 class.  In fact, I'd argue the classes from '08 to '11 closely-resemble Keady's classes.

Knight and Keady

Painter's teams haven't been as successful during the conference schedule as Keady's...but he has been able to get a round or two further than the average Keady team.  They both believe that defense creates offense and the only way to play the game is hard. But Painter is not close to as fiery...and Painter has never had such an obvious and clear antithesis as Keady did...for his entire time at Purdue in Bob Knight.

Perhaps Crean will become that, but I seriously doubt it for a myriad of reasons.

A friend of mine and I discussed why Keady's teams always faded in March, and we think we understand why.  Keady was able to get his teams to give everything they had, every time they stepped on the court where as so many coaches simply aren't able to get their teams to play at that level night-in, night-out...but in the tournament, everyone is hungry and more motivated than they've been all year.  And Purdue, in spite of playing great team basketball, simply didn't have the individual talent that the teams they faced in the post-season.

Being the national COY six times says a lot about a coach; I don't think any BT coach has ever matched that number, nor ever will.  But, Gene Keady is iconic because he became Purdue basketball due to the amount of time he spent at our alma mater, the passion he had for the game and the high level of success he had during his 25 years in West Lafayette.



*It was also Matt Painter's Freshman year at Purdue